Soaking multiple orchids in a common solution.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by naoki

Are there any known virus which can transmit from orchid to non-orchids???? I've never heard of them. Most virus usually have narrow host ranges.

Actually, it's the contrary, a lot of viruses have pretty broad host ranges. Don't let their names mislead you. Viruses are named after the first host plant on which they were found. As Ramon said, TMV is one of them. Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus is another one, which can infect over 300 different species, including some orchids. Impatiens Necrotic Fleck Virus (a Tospovirus like TSWV) is another one. There's also Bean Yellow Mosaic Virus and a bunch of related Potyviruses.

While all these can infect (certain species of) orchids, the bulk of virused orchids have Cymbidium Mosiac Virus or Odontoglossum Ringspot Virus. All the others appear more sporadically, so much so that they are nearly never tested, other than BYMV. ORSV is actually so related to TMV that for a long time it was considered to be a form of TMV. I think that there are dozens and dozens of viruses which are capable of infecting orchids.

[Becky15349]

I just had to throw out about 70% of my collection because i was soaking pots together...with physan. I spread virus to them all. I ask you, is it worth it? Why even take the chance. We invest so much time, money and effort into these plants, why would you not water the safest way? Don't do what I did...please learn from it. Always use new water with each plant...it really does matter.

[camille1585]

Omg, how horrible Becky!!! You sure it was virus and not fungal/bacterial? But I will not change my ways. I'd rather lose the 4-5 plants that always bath together, rather than have my life turned into watering hell. Which would completely take the fun out of orchids.

[silken]

Since our tap water has a very high pH of around 8.5 to 9 I collect barrels of rainwater in the summer and then use it all winter. If I used new water for every single plant I would run out in a month. In the summer its not so bad as there is usually plenty but being on the prairies, we don't get tons of rain usually. But I think of the risk every time I water. Maybe I will start mixing tap and rain water except for my few Phrags which seem to hate my tap water. If I mix it I suppose I could do individual watering. I have over 100 orchids tho so it makes it much more time consuming and less fun for sure.

Maybe that's the new way to curb my orchid addition

[Leafmite]

I am very sorry to hear of your losses. I am always a little paranoid after all I've read and heard. What made you suspicious of virus? What method did you use to test or were the symptoms very obvious? I've read so much and it is confusing.
I don't believe any of my orchids are virused but I have don't think I want to buy more. I don't really want to keep risking my other plants. My other tropical/house plants, rare herbs, fruit trees, nut trees, etc. are too much of an investment and some would be difficult to replace (and who wants to wait five years, again, for fruit and nuts?).

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

My other tropical/house plants, rare herbs, fruit trees, nut trees, etc. are too much of an investment and some would be difficult to replace (and who wants to wait five years, again, for fruit and nuts?).

All your outdoor plants are at always at risk anyway (like everything in nature) whether or not you have orchids or any other plant indoors. Heck, even if you did have virused plants indoors, there's still little risk of it spreading to outdoor plants unless you prune everything with the same unsterilized tools. And don't be so sure that your houseplants are virus free, the problem is not limited to orchids!

All I'm trying to say is don't give up on orchids so quickly!

[kavanaru]

One more comment from my side...
In the past I was also always afraid of viruses and "all the vius paranoia" you read in internet... No, I am not sayg that the virus cannot damage your plants or that you should not be aware of them... What I am trying to say is that simething I have learned after so many years is that if you grow your plants well and healthy, they normally have the capacity to inhibit the viruses in their bodies, and look healthy...
Many viruses are around (like bacterias as we do not live in a steril word!) but the key to avoid infections and loosing plants, is good growing/gardening practice!
Dn't give up the hobby or your favorite plant, only because you are afraid a virus could be arond... Give your plants a good growing environment (right lght and temps, right substrat and right fertilizer...) and you will not have that many problems with viruses at all...
Keep in mnd that there are good Cattleya clons which have been under culure for over 50 years, which are known to be infected with viruses, and still are blooming and are kept because of the quality of the plants... If I recall it correctly, there is very old and magnificent Cattleya maxima, which is infected with viruses, and people still pay fortunes for a division of it when available!

[BruceP]

Originally Posted by kavanaru

One more comment from my side...
In the past I was also always afraid of viruses and "all the virus paranoia" you read in internet...
Give your plants a good growing environment (right lght and temps, right substrat and right fertilizer...) and you will not have that many problems with viruses at all...

Ramon,
Thank you!
I was waiting for somebody to post about "virus paranoia" before I jumped in. Like you, I have been growing orchids for a while (30 years) and while I do not claim to be an expert on all things orchid, I can at least speak from experience having grown (and killed) plants in windowsills, under lights and now (400 +/- plants) outdoors in a screen house.

Let me begin by saying that, as a hobbyist, viruses are among the least of my concerns. All of my orchids harbor viruses - as do all of yours, as do all of you, and as does every macro-organism on the planet.

At first, I was somewhat amused by all the breathless rantings about viruses on these internet boards and in publications. I am now of the opinion that such discussions (some of the fertilizer discussions also) actually discourage people from continuing what many of us know to be an interesting, relaxing and enjoyable hobby by making it seem more difficult than, say, growing tomatoes or raising a litter of puppies (it's not). Trust me, many of the best orchid growers in the world do not follow a fraction of the "rules" one finds on these discussion boards.

Ramon gave away the (poorly-kept) secret of successful orchid growing - create a good growing environment and find plants that do well in that environment. Basic hygiene, like clean cutting tools and timely repotting are part of this, of course. The biggest threats to your orchids are, in descending order: You, insects (incl arthropods), excessive cold/heat, certain harmful fungi and bacteria, water quality... down the list between marauding squirrels and gamma radiation is virus.

I'll stop ranting here. Relax, enjoy your plants, find ways to make things easy on yourself and *most importantly*, let your hobby ease the stresses of life, not add to them.

[Wynn Dee13]

I also wanted to say something about the virus paranoia but the above posts have said it all. I have read so many posts on here about someone finding a spot on their orchid and then being paranoid that it's a virus. Just because a plant has a little spot on it doesn't automatically mean virus. It could be so many things. You can't know if a plant has a virus unless you test it. Not all plants that carry viruses have symptoms either. I wonder how much money people have wasted by throwing away orchids that they think have a virus but probably don't. I bet more money is wasted by throwing away plants that they are paranoid about than loosing money on actual plants that have viruses.

[tim abbott]

I have soaked all my orchids(various types)many times in the same water solution and never had any adverse circumstances. Not recommending it, just saying it has worked for me.

Tim Abbott