Yellow stripe is something I hope I don’t see. Sometimes this can be confused with weather damage. When foliage comes up in late fall or early winter, it can get damaged by the cold weather. Sometimes the tips become yellow. Sometimes the foliage is yellow if it’s been under snow cover for a long time. But in yellow stripe virus, the thin yellow lines go from the tips of the foliage down to ground level. Conventional wisdom says to dig the infected bulbs and throw them away—not on your compost pile, but in the trash. Some say that the virus is present in a lot of bulbs, but only appears when the bulbs are otherwise stressed, and doesn’t appear every year. And some say certain cultivars are “Typhoid Mary’s,” carrying the virus but never displaying symptoms. ‘Silver Chimes’ is said to be one such cultivar. As with “people” viruses, there is no cure for virus, thus the admonition to throw them away. It’s said the virus spreads by aphids who feast on one leaf then another thus spreading the disease, and by the cutting knife when cutting flowers. Some opt to keep the bulbs, but watch for signs of spreading to other cultivars. Others say dig immediately. So, it’s your choice. Personally, I dig immediately.
It’s also a good idea to check the foliage for “spikkels,” or bumps along the leaves, a symptom of nematodes. I don’t think there’s any disagreement on what to do with these bulbs. Get them out as soon as you can! Either treat the soil with something like Basamid or don’t plant bulbs back in that location for several years as the nematodes live in the soil. You can save the bulbs, but you’ll have to give them hot water treatment before re-planting. You can rig up a “home cooker” by using a hot tray of the type used on buffet tables as the heat source. Then use any container that won’t be hurt by heat, half fill with water and bring it to a temperature of 112º. Put the bulbs in the water and maintain a temperature of 112º for 3 hours. The temperature will drop when you put the bulbs in, so you might want to add hot water to get it back up to 112º as quickly as possible. If the water gets too hot, add cold water. I keep the bulbs in the net bags, with the labels, as it’s easier to deal with them that way.
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