Could be petiole rot.

The disease fungus produces small round fungal fruiting structures about the size of mustard seeds that appear at the base of the infected petioles. These structures, called sclerotia, are a cream color when young, but then progress to a dark, brick red color.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Petiole Rot

Oh yeah, I had that once on my albomarginata. When I took it out of the pot and pulled it apart, I saw that white stuff. I washed it and repotted it (2 pots) in new soil. It's fine.

It was huge and old and very thick. I attributed the growth of the bacteria to too heavy soil and being really crowded. This one's not crowded. It's not in heavy soil, as I just potted it up in my homemade mixture late last summer.

Well, whatever. I have another one (it was a gift this spring). My inclination is to toss the diseased one. (Both came from the same grower, or, at least have the same tag.) I'm short on space and don't need two of these. The second inclination is to clean it up and repot it and give it away. Could I just excise that eye and repot it, or will I have to wash it down to the roots like I did the albomarginata?

bkay

I'd give it a bleach and water bath to kill any nasties.

Steve

i would just yank it out of there.. the single stem i mean ..

but i dont deal with a lot of crown rot ... but for severe drought

its more of a 'down south' problem [and that would loosely translate into hot muggy nights] ... hence one of its names is southern blight.. i think ..

the splotchies ... fast growth in spring..

ken

It's not rot. The roots are firm and firmly attached. There is none of that white "beady stuff".

What was unusual was a "worm" in the soil. It's about an inch long and a little bigger than a hair. They're light brown and move quickly.

Is it anything you know about? Any suggestions for search terms?

bkay