Can I ask about canna virus please..

[worzsel]

I have some seed grown cannas that are about 12 inches tall and doing fabulously, I can't give you their proper names as I bought the seed on eBay but they are all flat green coloured leafs with apparently red flowers. I am ridiculously chuffed with them.

I bought some Wyoming rhizomes from b&q a couple of weeks ago, broke them
In to bits and started them off on a heat mat, they are all popping up now and the leaves a look crinkly. I've done a bit of reading and realise they are probably virused ( ) but I don't know what to do now.. Do I sacrifice them to the compost god or is it too late for that ( or do they need burning!? ) Shall I grow them on anyway or will they look awfull ? Are my home grown babies doomed now ? ( I'll be gutted if they are)

If I grow them over the summer will any seed I collect in the autumn be infected too ?

Help please !

[Yorkshire Kris]

A photo would help but your probably right in saying they have canna virus. Best to chuck them all away. Best to keep with the seed sown cannas or virus free bought plants.
I won't be buying canna rhizomes again.

[huporhaha]

Sorry to hear that your b & q cannas may have canna virus. What a pain. I'm not much good when it comes to pests and diseases but you may find this site helpful.
http://www.hartcanna.com/virus.htm

[HarryandNess]

I've seen canna virus mentioned on here a few times but I haven't a clue what it is or what it looks like. Could someone explain please?

We had some lovely cannas last year but I have no idea if they had a virus or not

Ness

[nige pook]

Sorry to say it but I would agree,unless you want to risk infecting your others personally I would bin them. I bought various rhizomes from supposedly reputable garden centres etc etc and they all had canna virus when they came up. Classic signs include distorted leaves with streaking and blotching. I binned all of them and only bought plants carefully checked by me beforehand and not ordered online etc. Nige

[jonny]

Just because your seedlings have been close to the infected plants does not mean that they will be infected. Some plants seem to get it and some plants dont. I think that it is spread by aphids? Please correct me someone if this is wrong!! Do not buy canna rhizomes in packets, get plants from a reputable source

[fieldfest]

ive got some red humbert from 'taylors' that are currently 3-4ft tall, a couple of the older leaves have just gone a little blotchy and im thinking this might be virus (miffed as been growing for the last 3 months), also bought a tropicanna phasion canna rhizome and thats just come up with some strangemess to the leaf straight away

question1: does the virus show up straight away on new leaves or do they start perfect and slowly degrade?
question2: can the virus spread to other species of plant or is it only cannas?

my current plan* is to put the suspect ones in the back garden and my clean ones in the front, should this be OK?

Hope you dont think im hijacking the thread but i think the answers would benefit anyone reading this

*assuming it cant spread to other plants

[nige pook]

Hate so say it but some I bought from Taylors and other Dutch suppliers were all infected. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure it is spread by biting insects like aphids,spider mite,thrips etc and also possibly by cross contamination ie cutting a rhizome with a knife and then cutting another without sterilization of the knife beforehand. I took mine all back to the G.C's concerned and complained! Was given a few general red ones later in the year as a good will gesture. Nige

[jonny]

Fieldfest, it does not spread to other types of plants. If i was you i would destroy all the infected plants mate. You can usually tell that it is infected from quite small plants.

[Yorkshire Kris]

The disease is transferred by aphids. So any that are infected should be binned straight away. I have had some look obviously infected straight away and others that took a while to show signs of the disease.

Below is a picture of one of my cannas that had the virus. It eventually leaves the leaves distorted and brown and crispy at the edges and will lose all its vigour.

[Adrian]

Just about every Canna coming from Holland will be virused.

[HarryandNess]

Below is a picture of one of my cannas that had the virus. It eventually leaves the leaves distorted and brown and crispy at the edges and will lose all its vigour.

Thanks for that Kris! Now we know ours were ok.....and what to look out for

Ness

[jonny]

I bought two boxes( 20 rhizomes) from Taylors last year. 18 were infected. Wont be making that mistake again

[Panama Pete]

Ive got 80 growing now as seed (approx) and 20 rizomes in the soil! Fingers crossed

[worzsel]

Eeeek it's not sounding good then

What a waste of a fiver.

Thanks all