A Sad Day For Me :(

[Cym Ladye]

Do not forget the use of disposable gloves when following other sterile techniques. Just washing hands in soap and water between plants will not work. One of our Cymbidium club members found he had over 60% of his collection contaminated in this way!

I find it truly sad that vendors continue to sell virused plants and do not care. Any time I consider purchasing a plant at a show or from a nursery, I ask if I can test it first or return it if it tests positive for virus after purchase. If they object, I walk away. This means carrying Agdia strips with me whenever I go shopping but I will not feather these vendor's/grower's pockets with the sale to me of contaminated plants. I may be one small voice, and the plant may develop virus at some future date, but I will have done what I can at point of purchase. Perhaps if more people took more positive steps to walk away, the lack of sales might eventually get through.

I am wondering if show giving clubs can legally state, as part of the vendor participation in the event, that random plants from vendors will be tested after purchase. If they do not make redress on a positive test, they will be asked to leave and will not be asked to sell at any club event in the future. Pretty drastic measure, but it might allow the public to shop a bit more safely, at least at sponsored club events.

CL

[Bud]

Im with Tucker...virus can be a cold or can be ebola ...orchid virus is not airborne. We need to be educated on this and refrain from thrashing mass plants that are healthy. Yes it can be positive for virus but who knows if the plant will overcome it and fight it the way we fight colds or the flu??!!
Of course if it is ebola type of virus then I will isolate and eradicate the virused plant!
We need to educate ourselves and be informed about orchid virus.

[Eyebabe]

The viruses that Agdia ELISA screen for are but only a few of the viruses that are carried by plants.
However, they are lethal to the plant. Maybe not today, but eventually.
Furthermore, one plant that handles virus well could infect another plant which will die from it very quickly.

I have compared this before to the testing of human blood for viruses prior to transfusion.
HIV and Hepatitis C are screened because these diseases are uniformly lethal. Maybe not today.....
Just because we cannot screen for every possible blood bourne virus does not mean we forgo screening for HIV and Hep C as one person can easily live a long life with HIV, and another will not.

This is the same concept we are using for our plants.
Many will argue what is the point of testing a healthy plant...the point is the healthy virused plant can infect your healthy non-virused plants and kill them. Period.

As far as vendors handling this, it is a nightmare of epic proportions.
As a vendor, how can you justify spending over $5 to test a plant that might have cost you even less?
And how does one recoup that expense? Pass it on to the consumer who struggles to pay $5 at Home Depot for a NOID? They will shop elsewhere!
And across the Pacific where these plants are mass produced and imported by our vendors, virus is not even considered. The attitude there is that it is a minor consequence for the availability of volume and variety supplied to our massive consumer market.
How does your business survive?
I guess a bad economy wasn't enough stress on orchid businesses

I call vendors and quietly and honestly tell them about my testing and collection preferences. I have had some very notable people request that I don't buy their plants.
Others, work with me and have become friends.
Either way, I respect their struggles in a business with (usually) very small profit margins.

[Leafmite]

I am very sorry to hear you found a virus infection in your collection. I always worry that one of mine will turn out to have a virus. I haven't been daring enough to buy tests and test anyone though I have my lone oncidium in very complete isolation because of uneven leaf coloring. It may not have gotten the best care last spring so I plan to observe it to see if there is a change with better care and less sunlight. The plant grows like crazy but it is Sharry Baby and I doubt even a virus would stop that one. I wish you luck and hope you don't find any further plants with virus problems. Again, I am sorry to hear the bad news.
Leafmite

[sii]

I've never had any viruses affect my 'chids. Maybe because I grow indoors.
Can anything be transmitted from plants being grown outside?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by sii

I've never had any viruses affect my 'chids. Maybe because I grow indoors.
Can anything be transmitted from plants being grown outside?

Outside, the risk of transmission comes from insects. Say an aphid feeds on an infected plant, and then moves to a healthy one to feed, it will inject the virus when it injects saliva.

Yu may think you don't have virus, but anyone with a sizable collection probably does have a handful of infected ones. The plant doesn't need to have symptoms to be virused. Symptoms appear only in certain plants, or at more advanced stages of the disease.

Personally I don't think about it too much, other than the orchids that visibly seem to have a problem. For me growing orchids is supposed to be fun, so I'm not going to get myself worked up worrying about the status of every single plant that comes in. I just apply the preventative measures and that's it.

[Eyebabe]

Originally Posted by sii

I've never had any viruses affect my 'chids. Maybe because I grow indoors.
Can anything be transmitted from plants being grown outside?

The most common cause of virus transmission is people and their handling of the plants.
Also be aware ladies if we are in the kitchen preparing vegetables, they will contaminate our hands and sink with plant virus as well.

I agree with Camille that testing plants should be something practically related to your preferences of collecting orchids.
If the expense and worry suck the fun out of it...then I wouldn't do it either.
For me, it increases the challenge a notch and fortunately I can handle the expense.

[orchidsamore]

If you try to save money by buying Phalaenopsis or Dendrobium in discount stores you will probably get virus.

The USDA has destroyed several shipments of Dendrobium from Thailand. Most of the Phalaenopsis from Thailand have virus.

Keep in mind that seed grown orchids are genetically immune from getting a virus from their parents, even if both are virus. They can get it later with bad handling.

[Gage]

Originally Posted by orchidsamore

If you try to save money by buying Phalaenopsis or Dendrobium in discount stores you will probably get virus.

The USDA has destroyed several shipments of Dendrobium from Thailand. Most of the Phalaenopsis from Thailand have virus.

Keep in mind that seed grown orchids are genetically immune from getting a virus from their parents, even if both are virus. They can get it later with bad handling.

Good to know. Thanks!

[Kelo]

Originally Posted by sii

I've never had any viruses affect my 'chids. Maybe because I grow indoors.
Can anything be transmitted from plants being grown outside?

Yes, most certainly! You have to be a ware of what it looks like though e.g. strange patterns on leaves, deformed growth etc., fungal spores are easily transmitted too. These spores etc are everywhere. A dog of mine died from botulism after licking something out side. I even caught ringworm from working outside in my garden!

So, yes, you can transmit from outdoor plants to indoor plants of any description.