V I R U S !!!!!! Run for your lives.......... - Orchid Board

james mickelso · #1 06-23-2012, 09:09 PM

For the newer collectors, hobbyists, addicts out there. This is one of the tell tale signs of a virused orchid. This is called color break. This happens to be C. intermedia in a lavender flavor. It came as a throw away. It blooms reliably every season and apart from the color break it is very healthy. Since most of my collection is tainted in some way or another, it doesn't bother me. What lives, lives. What dies, dies. None of these would be alive if I hadn't wanted to see if I could make them better. But if you see anything like this in your collection, throw it away immediately. If not sooner. There was a thread on this board by RJ Squirrel and his pal BJ Moose about virus testing. If you have a decent collection going, test your orchids. It's getting cheaper. It is never fun to get a good collection going and then poof!!! All gone. Fini.Here's another virused orchid. This is BLC Greenwich elmhurst. A nice yellow with a wonderful fragrance. This was one of my favs for yars. Now slowly dying. I'm too much of a softy to throw it on the trash heap of lust. So I keep it. Blooms ever year. Flowers are more like Frank N. Stein. Still smells good though.

WhiteRabbit · #2 06-23-2012, 11:46 PM

aw - such a shame

SydneyH · #3 06-24-2012, 12:01 AM

Thanks for posting this. I wouldn't have realized the color breaks in the C. intermedia were due to a virus if you hadn't posted this.

Sydney

trdyl · #4 06-24-2012, 12:17 AM

Thanks for posting. But somtimes to get curtain cultivars, you have to get a known virused plants.

RedOrchid · #5 06-24-2012, 01:25 AM

Had a Blc. George King "Serendipity" a couple of years ago that bloomed for me and was just beautiful. It had the color break in the flower, but nothing else, I sent it in to be tested and sure enough it was virused. I threw it away, pot and all.

james mickelso · #6 06-24-2012, 02:03 AM

If you don't mind the color break then you can keep it. But virus' spread very quickly and can devastate a collection you spent a good sum o money on. When you buy on the net make sure you have some sort of guarantee like another plant or money back. Yeah, good luck with that.

camille1585 · #7 06-24-2012, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by james mickelso

If you don't mind the color break then you can keep it. But virus' spread very quickly and can devastate a collection you spent a good sum o money on. When you buy on the net make sure you have some sort of guarantee like another plant or money back. Yeah, good luck with that.

Virus doesn't spread at all, if you use excellent hygiene with tools when dividing/trimming, disinfect pots before reusing, don't share bath water and if your collection is insect free. Plant viruses are not airborne like animal viruses are, they only spread through direct sap contact.

Rowangreen · #8 06-24-2012, 06:51 AM

I keep hearing you can only get certain plants with virus. It would be really useful if someone would actually say which...

camille1585 · #9 06-24-2012, 06:57 AM

A lot of the old heirloom Cattleya species are virused. Unfortunately the only way to get hold of some of the rarer plants is through divisions.

Rowangreen · #10 06-24-2012, 09:05 AM

If it's species I guess they might originally have been collected that way. I also seem to remember reading that a high percentage of wild orchids are carrying viruses quite happilly.

It does make you wonder if, instead of trying to eradicate viruses, we should instead be keeping and breeding those plants that test positive without showing signs.

Time for a heated debate *G*