Canna virus?

Hello,

In March, I purchased some Rosemond Cole Canna rhizomes from an online supplier in WI. Although they have all now sprouted and produced their first leaves, I'm concerned that these plants might possibly be infected with a virus, as the leaves have odd coloration, including many light-colored speckles. Photos attached. Any advice?

If these are in fact carrying one or more of the viruses that commonly affect Cannas, what are the chances that it might spread to the other Canna varieties that I've also planted (again, as rhizomes) this spring, including Tropicanna, Cleopatra, Pretoria, and Yellow King Humbert? I've read that, like most plant viruses, those affecting Cannas seem to need a vector (such as aphids) in order to transfer from one plant to another. If such a vector doesn't happen to be present in my case, is there a reasonable chance that my other Canna varieties will be spared from infection, despite their very close proximity to the Rosemond Coles?

Canna viruses as well as other plant viruses like on Brugmansia can literally appear healthy 1 day and virused the next. I once bought a canna that was gorgeous, The next day it had steaks all over the leaves. I called the nursery and they confirmed more from that batch were now showing the virus.

Just stressing the canna by moving it to the nursery and to my house was enough to stress it so the virus showed itself. Same thing with brugs. I had been given a brug collector some brug cuttings. in return he gave me a 6 foot brug standard. I had my doubts because the guy had other brugs that were virused I thought but the guy said no it was not a virus.

I was stupid. I bought it home and put it in a corner of my courtyard. The next time I looked it it, all the leaves were virused. I moved it to the street, cut it into bits, double bagged them and into the trash. I then soaked my clippers in bleach. They rusted. LOL Next time I would just use old clippers.

I actually have seen a ton of virused canna, especially Tropicanna, Every Home Depot had them for several years. I went to a garden walk 1 day. A house was painted in loud colors. They had planed Tropicanna all along the border. All virused!

I do not know how you could sure your canna are not subject to vectors. Even plants in greenhouses get bugs. Where there is a will there is a way.

In the height of the canna viruses going wild, the virus whipped thru the entire British National Collection .
https://www.canna-collection.org.uk/history.html
http://www.canna-virus.org.uk/

It is my understanding that most canna are now virus resistant but who knows.

Yours looks like this canna virus. I would pull them up, getting all the tubers. Double plastic bag them, then dispose of in garbage. Dispose of your gloves and clippers. I would not plant cannas there again even though it is said it is not spread in the soil.

I would wait to see if your other cannas start showing virused leaves to dispose of them too. If they were close together I would toss them too.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/solve-problems/canna-virus/

Many thanks for your reply. Indeed, after having looked at many example photos online over the past couple of days (including the links you mentioned), I'm reasonably convinced that my Rosemond Coles are indeed infected with virus. So, just as you described, today (wearing disposable gloves) I decided to just carefully dig up all 10 of these plants, which have now been double bagged, and set out for pickup in the trash. It's just not worth it to risk the possibility of these plants eventually infecting my other canna varieties. Incidentally, the Rosemond Cole rhizomes were imported by the WI supplier from Holland, which I've since learned has been having major problems with canna viruses for years.

Fortunately, my diseased cannas weren't very problematic to remove, since they were still quite young and I'd planted them with considerable spacing. As an added precaution, I took out a large amount of soil from around each one (leaving holes at least 12" in diameter & 12" deep).

My worst decisions re my plants has not be to act decisively and brutally. It is hard not to let your heart make the decision.

It is shocking how some nurseries prefer to make money. In the article above, they even knowingly sold virused cannas to Britain's National Canna Collection. That is amazing.

Make sure you sterilize your clippers and even shovel in case it hit a tuber. When I was knee deep in brug virus, I would use each clipper on only 1 brug then at the end of the day I would boil them. I also carried a spray bottle of bleach around with me when I used bleach. I think it was 1 to 10 water. But too many got rusted. If you use that on your shovel then wash off once dry. it should be ok.
I even put my shovels in a huge pot on the stove. And my husband never divorced me! LOL

One day I literally woke up and said I am done growing brugs. And out they went. Brugs are just dirty plants. Bug attracting virus prone plants especially when grown in abundance. I was finally sick of living in a toxic dump. Between all my miticides and virus supposed cures. it was unbearable. Again, the worst decision was not to cut my losses much earlier and just walk away.

Thanks again. Yes, I really have no doubt that my Rosemond Cole cannas were infected with virus, and I'm sure that the decision to dig up the diseased plants without any further delay, will prove to be the right course of action. Removing 10 diseased plants to potentially save 25 others from also becoming infected, definitely makes sense.

The symptoms that these cannas had, clearly matched those of the plants shown in the photos at the following link -

https://www.canna-virus.org.uk/