Diseased sad sad hostas

Ok after much debate/hem hawing I've come to the realization that these hostas are not getting better and will just continue to curl up and brown up as they get further into this virus. Here's the deal...I plan to:

Dig up and bag up so as not to infect any neighbor's plants. Composting is out since my compost area is "over the fence" of a very proper "pro's" back plot.

Sterilize tools after. (I don't have bleach..will other "sterilizers work) ie scrubbing bubbles? or lysol?

What am I forgetting? The one hosta is very mature...how deep do I need to go? Does the soil need to go too? Unlikely that I will put in more hostas as I'm not a big fan...

err...pic

I'm confused.In your photo they look perfectly normal.Lynn

They look wonderful to me. What's wrong with them?

I can't see anything wrong with them either. If any leaves are burned just cut them back but don't go destroying healthy plants.

Guess it's hard to see from far away. Browned up and curling. Many many of the leaves are missing 1/2" to inch from the leaves. All the leaves have holes in them. Mature new geranium planted in this same area looked fine for about a week then developed "browning" missing pieces. If it was just the hosta virus thing it wouldn't affect a geranium so maybe a water runoff/soil problem??

Especially on the edges they are thin white and transparent...then brown then the big hole.

Believe me I've nursed them now for over a year and they are not getting better...steadily worse. Maybe ants? or other chewing bugs?

Slugs like hostas....it's like candy to them. I would recommend putting out some slug bait....the pet friendly kind, of course. As for the browing of the leaves...are they in too much sun? Most hostas like it in the shade. Too much sun can burn certain varieties.

Thank you mgh, I'll try that.

Hope that helps! ^_^

The tips can also start to brown and wilt if the drainage is poor. You mentioned a virus... Are you thinking HVX? If so, you will see that in the coloration of the leaves along the veins, not the tips. http://www.hostalibrary.org/firstlook/HVX.htm

I read the virus article on this site and I'm pretty sure these plants don't have that. The drainage thing is very possible as this shade bed does have massive balls of Ohio clay in it. Do you think the plants are just root bound in one of those clay balls?

I've only lived here coming up on 2 years so these beds have only been "improved upon" 2 times. And obviously these plants have not been moved.

If I get 2 men and a small donkey to help me tip the elephant hosta over and it is bound to a clay ball...what then?

Can clay be worked out from the roots? or best to just move it period to a bed that's been prepped for transplant?
I appreciate the help...Thanks in advance.

Hi. I have no experience to back me here, but just observation. I wasn't very good to my hostas when I first moved in last August. They looked disgusting so I yanked most of them out and this spring, early early, when they started coming back, they looked absolutely disgusting. It's now June 22 and I'm seeing a beautiful recovery--but it's taken all this time. I was ready to yank them all out. They really did look diseased before. Again, I don't know what I'm doing, I'm just giving my observations. Who knows? Maybe they will yet recover.

When you get the hosta out of the ground, you can spray the clay off the roots, then replant it in better draining soil. It would also be a good time to divide it if you feel so inclined. I honestly don't see much wrong with leaving them be... if the drainage is really poor, they start to rot out in the middle and yours seem fine. If youdon't mind a few leaf tips browning... I also agree w/ the previous posts that it might be too much sun; hostas are full shade plants, though some can take full sun if kept moist.

I have a lot of hostas.Most of them are in improved soil,but sometimes I dig one up and stick it pure old clay soil to make room for something else.They don't seem to mind at all.As long as yours are not in a really hot,sunny location like west sun,I would just put some compost around them a couple times a year.If you do decide to dig them up,just put some compost,compost manure,dried leaves or some other organic material in the soil and it will improve in no time.Don't use fine sand.Fine sand + clay equals cement in my opinion.Lynn

If your gardening on clay soil, you need to add as much organic matter as you can lay your hands on and work it into the soil as you dig, this helps to break up the clay clumps and as time goes on and you keep adding this, then it improves the soil, breaks up and lets air into the soil also, I am with all the other folks and dont see anything wrong with the foliage ad the variegation is right too for this type of hosta, so the only other problems would be too much sun/heat and slug damage, but as you said the geranium is also suffering from the same browning, then it has to be the soil, Geraniums like sun, loos soil and full sun without too much moisture around the roots, they are more Mediterranean types of plants, too much water on the foliage can cause browning of the foliage on geraniums too, dig up the hostas end of season, split up the plants, you will need to use either a bread knife or stand on your spade as you place the blade onto the plant where you want to cut it up, the roots are tough, then shake or wash all the soil off the roots so you can check it is all healthy, if so, then replant them in a more shady place, add plenty of organic matter to the planting hole and look out for them next spring, I feel sure this will help you and the plants, good luck. WeeNel.