diseased Cattleya

[VickiC]

Hello,
Does my plant look virused and if so, what do you suggest I do? If not, what do you think the problem is and how should I treat it?

I would appreciate your advice,
Vicki

[Eyebabe]

This is not necessarily virus by any means.
It could represent too much sunlight or nutritional issues with the plant.
It could be damage from water sitting on the plant or even depigmentation from a pesticide spray.
Your plant looks very healthy as well.
If I am concerned about virus I will test the plant for my own peace of mind.

[VickiC]

Thank you very much for your reply and advice!
Vicki

Originally Posted by Eyebabe

This is not necessarily virus by any means.
It could represent too much sunlight or nutritional issues with the plant.
It could be damage from water sitting on the plant or even depigmentation from a pesticide spray.
Your plant looks very healthy as well.
If I am concerned about virus I will test the plant for my own peace of mind.

[DebsC]

Hi Vicki,
I agree, your orchid looks healthy. There are many reasons a cattleya leaf may not look perfect but it doesn't affect the health of the plant.

After testing many catts this spring, one thing I learned is, you might suspect virus but you'll never know for sure if you don't test it.

Some plants look really rough and test clean and others look pristine but have a virus. In other words, looks can be deceiving.

Happy Growing!

[VickiC]

Hi Debs,
This is the reason I didn't reply to your e-mail today.....I was too busy panicing about my Catt.

If a virused plant can look pristine, how would someone know to even suspect a virus? Scary!

Thanks for the tips!
Vicki

Originally Posted by DebsC

Hi Vicki,
I agree, your orchid looks healthy. There are many reasons a cattleya leaf may not look perfect but it doesn't affect the health of the plant.

After testing many catts this spring, one thing I learned is, you might suspect virus but you'll never know for sure if you don't test it.

Some plants look really rough and test clean and others look pristine but have a virus. In other words, looks can be deceiving.

Happy Growing!

[DebsC]

Vicki, you might have a plant in your collection forever and never suspect it was virused. The leaves and flowers could look perfectly normal.

I gather it is stress on the plant that can bring on symptoms, insect infestation, bacterial infection, heat and I would imagine many other factors come in to play here.

Some of the old corsage catts are still blooming flawlessly but many have virus, they just don't show it.

[Eyebabe]

Originally Posted by DebsC

Vicki, you might have a plant in your collection forever and never suspect it was virused. The leaves and flowers could look perfectly normal.

I gather it is stress on the plant that can bring on symptoms, insect infestation, bacterial infection, heat and I would imagine many other factors come in to play here.

Some of the old corsage catts are still blooming flawlessly but many have virus, they just don't show it.

This is absolutely true and why it is important to manage your collection in a "clean" fashion.
Typically, the old cattleya cultivars that are virused have CymMV which in many cases has minimal effect on the plants...this is not the case however for other genii.
ORSV or color break virus usually is much less benign and at least for a cattleya collector is why I test for virus.
These are the two viruses we CAN test for; there are close to 65 others we cannot test for....but as I have pointed out in other threads, this is not a good reason to refuse to test etc.
That is why I said IF I suspect virus, I test for it.
Your plant is NOT one I personally would be thinking needs a test at this time....just my

[VickiC]

I really do appreciate you going into such detail! You have taught me things I didn't have a clue about, so thank you. I've read of CymMV and color break, but not much...I will more, though. A couple of other questions, please (I hope you don't mind!): If a healthy non-symptomatic orchid tests positive for a virus of some kind, would you discard it or continue to grow it as it is among the other plants? Could/Would it infect my other orchids near it if it is, indeed, virused?
Thanks for you help,
Vicki

Originally Posted by Eyebabe

This is absolutely true and why it is important to manage your collection in a "clean" fashion.
Typically, the old cattleya cultivars that are virused have CymMV which in many cases has minimal effect on the plants...this is not the case however for other genii.
ORSV or color break virus usually is much less benign and at least for a cattleya collector is why I test for virus.
These are the two viruses we CAN test for; there are close to 65 others we cannot test for....but as I have pointed out in other threads, this is not a good reason to refuse to test etc.
That is why I said IF I suspect virus, I test for it.
Your plant is NOT one I personally would be thinking needs a test at this time....just my

[Eyebabe]

Originally Posted by Eyebabe

This is absolutely true and why it is important to manage your collection in a "clean" fashion.
Typically, the old cattleya cultivars that are virused have CymMV which in many cases has minimal effect on the plants...this is not the case however for other genii.
ORSV or color break virus usually is much less benign and at least for a cattleya collector is why I test for virus.
These are the two viruses we CAN test for; there are close to 65 others we cannot test for....but as I have pointed out in other threads, this is not a good reason to refuse to test etc.
That is why I said IF I suspect virus, I test for it.
Your plant is NOT one I personally would be thinking needs a test at this time....just my

Vickie,
All I can tell you is how I like to do things.
I am fortunate that virus testing is not financially difficult for me.
About one year ago, I made the decision that I wanted to be more "serious" about my orchid purchases.
(Read as wanting to buy more expensive/historic/uncommon cattleyas)
That is when my research began in investigating "things that kill orchids" other than humans of course
I have an arsenal of stuff to kill just about anything that dare come near my plants! Bugs, fungi, bacteria...my chances are better than theirs

Then there are viruses:
In reading about viruses (and primarily in regard to the cattleya genus) I noted some pics of color break virus (ORSV). Well, some of my blooms looked like that previously
I flipped through old pics etc with a pit in my stomach.
Furthermore, I had several plants that just would not bloom etc.
Many of my collection were in fact NOIDS but they were the first love...and I wanted to keep them even if I was moving onto different habits.
But I was not willing to harbor the risk of virus if I were to adjust my collecting habits to more expensive/historic/unusual plants.

I tested them all over the course of a about a week...all 88 of them. I lost about 15.
I kept ONE plant which I already had that was expensive/historic/unusual: LC.EvaRobinson 'Ingram'
She is CymMV positive and I will not infect any other plants IF I handle her carefully.
CymMV is well tolerated in catts and usually does not cause a problem with blooms etc...but for sure, I am and continue to be selective at keeping ANY plant with ANY virus.
For ORSV, it is highly contagious and most people will not tolerate it in a collection, myself included....these went strait to the dumpster! It is destructive and ruins the blooms of a catt.
Although CymMV is well tolerated in catts, the plant is weaker and more susceptible to other infections and will grow/bloom less vigorously than it's non-virused counterpart. If you keep Cymbidiums instead of Catts, then you would worry more about this virus as it is more destructive for the cymbidiums.

So ultimately, it is a matter of cost, preference, and what it takes to give you peace of mind.

I will be the first to admit that virus testing a $10 plant is not really practical from a cost standpoint.
If my kitchen were full of 50 or so plants like this, I would not very likely spend 5-6 bucks a piece testing them.
At this point, I have as part of my "crap on hand" Agdia ELISA tests in my fridge to test any plant now coming into my collection.

More food for thought, if a viral infection is early, theoretically, the viral load in the plant may be too small to detect any virus and you can get a FALSE NEGATIVE test. So virus testing should be recorded for plants, and repeated periodically. False positives also occurs as well. Fortunately, neither of these happen with great frequency.
Some argue then why test? I have made my points regarding this in other forums.
Virus testing can be approached many different ways imo.
It is a commitment for me

[VickiC]

Hi again!
I am impressed and admire your dedication and desire to become more serious about your orchid selections. As I could see from viewing your gallery, you have very pretty ones.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share such helpful info...and very indepth, as well. You have inspired me to try to be more selective about my purchases, also. Unfortunately, there are absolutely no orchid nurserys in our area (for many miles, in fact), so although I know that big-box stores do not sell quality orchids, it's not been easy for me to pass them up since we have nowhere else to choose from. I should say, though, I have gotten some pretty and healthy- seeming noids...but I'm learning more and more that they may be carrying hidden problems with them (creatures, diseased, and poss. virused), so your point is well taken. I try to buy from reputable online vendors, but I'm one of those "I want it and I want it NOW" kind of people. I know that's not a good trait, but orchids are certainly helping me overcome my character flaw (I have no choice) Patience, patience, patience. I need more of that.

After reading your replies, I am giving viruses and testing more thought than I have in the past. I also see the importance of keeping a 'clean' collection more than I did.

Thank you again for your help....good food for thought.
Vicki

Originally Posted by Eyebabe

Vickie,
All I can tell you is how I like to do things.
I am fortunate that virus testing is not financially difficult for me.
About one year ago, I made the decision that I wanted to be more "serious" about my orchid purchases.
(Read as wanting to buy more expensive/historic/uncommon cattleyas)
That is when my research began in investigating "things that kill orchids" other than humans of course
I have an arsenal of stuff to kill just about anything that dare come near my plants! Bugs, fungi, bacteria...my chances are better than theirs

Then there are viruses:
In reading about viruses (and primarily in regard to the cattleya genus) I noted some pics of color break virus (ORSV). Well, some of my blooms looked like that previously
I flipped through old pics etc with a pit in my stomach.
Furthermore, I had several plants that just would not bloom etc.
Many of my collection were in fact NOIDS but they were the first love...and I wanted to keep them even if I was moving onto different habits.
But I was not willing to harbor the risk of virus if I were to adjust my collecting habits to more expensive/historic/unusual plants.

I tested them all over the course of a about a week...all 88 of them. I lost about 15.
I kept ONE plant which I already had that was expensive/historic/unusual: LC.EvaRobinson 'Ingram'
She is CymMV positive and I will not infect any other plants IF I handle her carefully.
CymMV is well tolerated in catts and usually does not cause a problem with blooms etc...but for sure, I am and continue to be selective at keeping ANY plant with ANY virus.
For ORSV, it is highly contagious and most people will not tolerate it in a collection, myself included....these went strait to the dumpster! It is destructive and ruins the blooms of a catt.
Although CymMV is well tolerated in catts, the plant is weaker and more susceptible to other infections and will grow/bloom less vigorously than it's non-virused counterpart. If you keep Cymbidiums instead of Catts, then you would worry more about this virus as it is more destructive for the cymbidiums.

So ultimately, it is a matter of cost, preference, and what it takes to give you peace of mind.

I will be the first to admit that virus testing a $10 plant is not really practical from a cost standpoint.
If my kitchen were full of 50 or so plants like this, I would not very likely spend 5-6 bucks a piece testing them.
At this point, I have as part of my "crap on hand" Agdia ELISA tests in my fridge to test any plant now coming into my collection.

More food for thought, if a viral infection is early, theoretically, the viral load in the plant may be too small to detect any virus and you can get a FALSE NEGATIVE test. So virus testing should be recorded for plants, and repeated periodically. False positives also occurs as well. Fortunately, neither of these happen with great frequency.
Some argue then why test? I have made my points regarding this in other forums.
Virus testing can be approached many different ways imo.
It is a commitment for me