Carolina Gardening: All my canna lilies look sick, 1 by donnacreation

donnacreation wrote:
My cannas started looking a little sick back in early August, but I didn't give it much thought at the time. I thought they would outgrow the few scraggly looking individual plants. Since then, they've gone downhill really fast. I researched canna diseases, and I think it's a viral problem. I planted many new varieties this past spring, and they're all diseased. The problem has also spread to established cannas, including some I've been trying to get rid of for the past few years. I'm afraid it's either canna mosaic virus or canna yellow mottle virus. I've done some online research, and I've come across several websites that recommend digging them all up, burning them, and disposing of the ashes if they're infected with either virus. (I also planted cannas in my mother's perennial garden last spring 2009, and this year her cannas are similarly diseased - she lives about 3 miles away.) I'm posting a few pics, and would really appreciate some feedback. I'm hoping this is a fungal problem that I can treat with a copper based fungicide.