do you worry about virus?

[Tim P.]

Hi everyone!
Was wondering where you stand with viruses. Do you check your new plants or just not worry about them? As you know I recently went to an orchid show and picked up a few orcids. Im just scared at some point there will be a straw that breaks the camels back I really don't want to throw out any of them I water by dunking the pots I'm an ice cream bucket of water. They all share it. Is that a problem?

What got me worried was I have a nobile dendrobium that has a little veining on the leaves but the leaves are thin, so I was thinking it was just the structure very possibly. Also have my new white Catt that has some black spotting... Doesn't go through the leaf though. My prize is my after dark. The day I lose that will be a sad day I'd give them all away before id lose that one. I'm pretty impartial to my white Catt also both amazing orchids.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I treat all of my orchids AS IF they are virused, old or new. This is not because any of my plants are known to be virus-infected; instead, this is sort of a "mental precaution" for me not to do anything that might spread a virus, or other disease, from one plant to another. I feel that being extra cautious with my plants keeps the chances of spreading a pathogen to a minimum.

Precautions I take:

All cutting tools are cleaned and flame-sterilized (to glowing red) before and after working on a plant, or they are chemically sterilized with an extended soak in a strong oxidant (like full-strength bleach) before and after use.

All pots are either discarded after use, or (1) plastic pots are scrubbed then bleached for an extended time, or (2) terra cotta pots are scrubbed, bleached, rinsed, dried, then slowly raised to 500 degrees F in the oven and held at that temperature for a half hour.

All plants are watered individually. No communal baths in a bucket, which can spread viruses and other diseases.

I do check leaves and flowers for signs of diseases, including viruses. This is especially true of new plants.

By taking these precautions, I have some plants that have been in my collection for 29 years.

[james mickelso]

I treat all of my plants as if they are virused. I have around 150 now and all came to me fungused/virused/bateriaused. So I'm not too particular. I dunk mine at every watering. The fear of virus is wide spread. Virus is wide spread. It all depends on how you view your plants. This is a hobby for me. If I lost every single one.... I'd have to start over. I pay very little for my orchids. Most are bought at shows off the donation tables. Some are found by trash cans and dumpsters. Some are given to me. I've had probably a couple 1000 in my orchid life. Seldom have I bought one that cost over $20 and I can't remember which one it was. So I don't fear virus and have found that not many show any outward signs or symptoms of the virus. I grow orchids for fun. I get a lot of satisfaction out of "growing" orchids. Flowers are a big plus. But I enjoy more the growing strategies to get a nearly dead or dying plant to produce good healthy growth. I get lots of pretty flowers so must be doing something right. I understand the need to be cautious when handling them. But I don't get carried away being super careful. It depends on what you grow orchids for and how large or expensive your hobby is. I've known lots of good, careful growers who got viruses anyway. They were very cautious and careful. I espouse the pleasure of growing orchids for pleasure. I say do your best to stay clean but don't obsess over your collection unless as stated your collection is expensive or old or important to a business. Each to their own. Ya got a few phals and cattleyas, don't sweat it. Ya got a couple thousand in orchids....sweat it.

[Ordphien]

I don't care about virus.
My collection isn't big enough or expensive enough to care really.


I don't buy suspicious looking plants.

I do have three small collections that I would be sad if they got virused. They, out of personal convenience rather than good practice, don't come into contact with anything from my other orchids.

If I had a greenhouse filled to the brim with every orchid on my wishlist. I would definitely care.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[AnonYMouse]

I don't actively worry, I don't test. I DO practice good hygiene.

[Optimist]

I have too many other things to worry about. I usually don't worry about something unless it actually happens. My orchids are not a main source of income or livelyhood or anything, and although I like them a lot, and spend many hours with what I have, I have many more higher responsibilities, and they are low on my worry list.

[Ray]

I'm with AnonYMouse.

Sharing a dunking bucket is very bad hygiene.

[dounoharm]

virus's just ARE! I have heard that almost all the big factory grown plants you find in the box stores carry a virus....but, that being said, does that effect the average home grower? NO! I think that virus testing and prevention is very important IF you are propagating to sell, by using cloning processes or seed propagation....if you are just growing for your own pleasure, and propagating by cuttings for your own use, WHY WORRY!? a severe virus infection in a plant will show itself in deformed growth patterns and color break/deformed flowers....that is severe! toss that baby right away! as far as spreading ANYTHING including virus, be clean in handling your plants! that is basic horticultural habit that any grower of anything must abide by...do not share a water tub to water your plants....you can put them all in the shower and turn it on....just as easy, and you don't spread infections....you can put them all in there to fertilize too...always sterilize you cutting instruments....I keep a mixture of physan in a tub and dip everything in it many times even when using them on one plant, just swish them in after every cut...heat sterilize between plants....keep your plants clean...in the greenhouse, I had a steady routine of physan spraying and phyton spraying to clean benches tools, anything and everything....bleach your pots before reusing....and enjoy your plants! they are for your enjoyment above all! its kinda cool to be able to keep a plant going for decades, I must admit! don't sweat the small stuff, and everything is small stuff, lol....good luck!

[lotis146]

Bleach, physan, burning...is 91% alcohol suitable or is that null and void? (Maybe it's too late for me! But I will switch to bleach & burning now if this is not strong enough.)

Thanks for this post, good to know.
Lotis

[Leafmite]

Viruses. I really hate that it is legal to sell plants with viruses to agricultural areas where it might risk the food supply. For a while, I was convinced I wouldn't buy more orchids because of this. Then I realized, I've never really had an orchid that has shown signs of a virus. Fungus, yes, but virus, no. I have always been very careful when buying my plants and orchids. I even avoid plants with variegated leaves!
I try buy all my orchids/plants from places with a good reputation and to watch the plants for a few months after. I do read through reviews pretty closely, looking for the word 'virus'. Most of my orchids are bought as seedlings which means that their chances of having a virus are usually less as they have been handled less. I carefully boil, bleach or bake my pots, mounts and red lava rock after giving away an orchid so that the next orchid can start fresh. I don't fertilize heavily or take impeccable care of my orchids (which can mask symptoms or delay them) and if there are any markings on the leaves, they are kept apart from the other orchids. I also quarantine new orchids. Other than that, I have decided to relax a bit about the virus thing. If, after a few months, the plants are growing vigorously, I figure that they are likely virus-free. I then soak them in the same water and keep them together. So far, I haven't had any problems. I have some other, non-orchids, that are renown for showing virus symptoms quickly and I have never seen any problem with those. I think I'm good.

I do take the virus thing seriously because I grow fruit trees, hard-to-find herbs, a chestnut tree (that has been fighting the American chestnut disease) and many indoor plants that are more likely to be harmed by virus than the orchids...and that I value more than the orchids.