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Hosta Diseases

Informational table showing disease name, symptoms, pathogen/cause, and management of Hosta diseases.

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Updated:

June 26, 2025

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Green hosta leaves with yellow edging

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Disease	Symptoms	Pathogen/Cause	Management
Anthracnose	Large, irregular to round tan spots with dark borders sometimes have the centers of the spots fall out. Small black dots (fungal fruiting structures) may be seen in the spots.	Colletotrichum	Remove infected leaves. Irrigate plants in a manner that keeps water off the leaves. Apply a fungicide to protect healthy leaves.
Petiole rot	Leaf stems brown at the soil level as leaves turn yellow, then brown, wilt, and die. White fan-like fungal growth at the base of the plant eventually has small, black structures on its surface.	Sclerotium rolfsii	Do not pile mulch or soil around the base of plants. Remove infected plants. Take care not to spread the black fungal structures elsewhere in the garden during plant removal.
Fusarium root and crown rot	Infected plants are stunted and emerge unusually late in the spring. Leaves turn yellow, then brown, and then die. Stems at the soil line have a dry decay that is brown to black in color.	Fusarium hostae	Remove infected plants. During transplanting, take care not to wound roots or stems.
Bacterial soft rot	Petioles and lower leaves have a wet decay that smells badly as leaves yellow and wilt.	Pectobacterium	Remove infected plants. When dividing plants, thoroughly clean and disinfect knives and other tools that come in contact with the plants. Wash your hands thoroughly when finished with one plant before going to the next.
Hosta virus X	Mosaic, yellowing, and death of leaves can occur. On variegated varieties, colors may bleed into one another. Severely affected leaves may wither and die.	Hosta virus X (HVX)	This virus is very easily spread from plant to plant on hands and tools. Destroy infected plants and wash hands and tools thoroughly after working on one plant and before moving to the next. Do not divide infected plants.
Viruses	Virus infections cause a variety of symptoms, including discrete circular, concentric rings that look like a target spot and yellowing and puckering of leaves.	Impatiens necrotic spot (INSV), Arabis mosaic (ArMV), tomato ringspot (ToRSV), and Tomato spotted wilt (TSWV) viruses	Purchase only healthy, symptom-free plants. Destroy infected plants. Do not take cuttings from or divide infected plants since new plants will carry viruses. Control thrips that spread INSV and TWSV.
Foliar nematodes	Stripes of light green to yellow areas parallel to the major leaf veins form on older leaves. Affected areas turn brown and result in leaves having a dry, tattered appearance.	Aphelenchoides spp.	Purchase plants with no symptoms. Water in a manner that does not wet the leaves. Splashing water spreads foliar nematodes. Remove and destroy leaves with dead areas.
Root knot nematode	Small galls or swollen areas form on roots and may cause root tips to branch close to the tip. Plants may be stunted, wilt easily, and appear to be nutrient deficient.	Meloidogyne spp.	Destroy infected plants and avoid replanting hostas in an infested area.

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Agenda

Authors

Gary W. Moorman, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

Pennsylvania State University