Is this color break?

[SJF]

Very big disappointment! Also disappointed that some orchids that were not performing well, from a different area of my house, I kept the new one isolated also tested positive. They were from an e-bay vendor.
I had just put them in new pots with orchiata or other new potting mix . Can I bleach, rinse and then soak the pots in Physan 20 and successfully remove the virus? They are new pots

[NYCorchidman]

Well, I'm sure basically all growers may have virused plants. They grow so many and just can't test every plant they grow. not practical.
so every once in a while, you get virused plants. It's not pleasant but just a reality.

Nonporous pots like plastic pots can be cleaned and reused. I would use regular bleach (following label instruction for disinfecting, I think it says 1/3 cup per gallon of water, soak 5 min, then rinse well) just to be sure. wear protective gloves!

Also, unless your plastic pot is of rare and expensive kind, I would just dumpt it. but your call. I tend to dump things away easily. lol

[Movnhorses]

I wonder what the vendors would say if everyone started bring their test strips with them before buying any orchids... intresting thought...

[SJF]

Originally Posted by Movnhorses

I wonder what the vendors would say if everyone started bring their test strips with them before buying any orchids... intresting thought...

Of all the positive tests I received so far the one that makes me the maddest is the orchid I potted at Dukes Farm. I took an orchid class there two days prior to Superstorm Sandy. It was my second class there. We got to pot either a slipper orchid or an Oncidium. I chose the Onc. amp. They all had a lot of yellow and brown spotting. The instuctor let us know, without us inquiring, that the plants weren't diseased but affected by one of his co-workers overspraying with fungicide on a too hot and sunny day. I asked him directly when he was helping me divide the plant to back up the pseudobulbs for re-planting if he was sure it wasn't more than the spray and he told me, "it is just what I said". Well, something in my gut told me to test it because the new growths were also mottled. I couldn't see how a fungicide could do that. Positive for CymMV!!! I am so mad!!! When we toured the back greenhouses the slipper greenhouse was almost empty, it had looked sickly the visit prior to that, and all of the greenhouses were suffering from black rot. Now I see that the rot and other cultural issues must have been secondary to viruses. I am going to e-mail them tomorrow. They should inform all of the other people that paid for and took the class that they could have (do have, since they were all from the same master plant) virused orchids. I don't think they are unaware of the virus

[NYCorchidman]

Well, as sad as it is, many people just don't want to admit plants are virused even when suspicious symptoms are all over or quite certain. They say things like oh, it might be some fungal, it might sun burn, it might be this and that...but never want to say or admit the possibility of virus.
It happens a lot on this board as well.

I know some people are just not comfortable or feel they might make others feel bad if they said their plants looked virused. but I think otherwise. it can only help. we are here to help each other out and to be well informed not to be sugar coated and feel good about fake truth. well, well,

knowing what the problem is half the solution.

---------- Post added at 10:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 PM ----------

One more example, there's a local orchid vendor who always have oncidiums and catts looking sick (virused to me). I asked him once about why, and the answer was fungus. There you go!
then when I mentioned the word virus, he looked he was VERY uncomfortable. Since then, I stopped using that word in front of him, instead, I just do not buy sick looking plants.
now I want to test plants I got from him just out of curiosity.

[SJF]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

Well, as sad as it is, many people just don't want to admit plants are virused even when suspicious symptoms are all over or quite certain. They say things like oh, it might be some fungal, it might sun burn, it might be this and that...but never want to say or admit the possibility of virus.
It happens a lot on this board as well.

I know some people are just not comfortable or feel they might make others feel bad if they said their plants looked virused. but I think otherwise. it can only help. we are here to help each other out and to be well informed not to be sugar coated and feel good about fake truth. well, well,

knowing what the problem is half the solution.

The worst part of the situation is that they said during the class that they routinely test their plants and always flame everything. They freaked when one participant held her Onc. over the bin of potting media...hmm wonder why . We paid for a class, at least be honest and just tell us that there are health issues and we won't be able to pot an orchid today. I was so excited to have a hard to find variety. Now it is in my garage so that it doesn't infect the rest of my plants. I am careful, but there are some gnats from either plants or fruit. I bought a venus fly trap, pitcher plant and mosquito dunks today to try to get rid of pests.

[Leafmite]

Sorry to hear the results. I try to be careful, plant-wise, what I bring into the home as I grow some exotic plants and some have been with me over twenty years. There are a few that were given to me by people who are now gone, for special times in my life, so they are priceless. I don't think virused or otherwise diseased plants should be permitted to be sold, clear and simple.
I would tell the vendors very nicely that though you absolutely love the plants and you feel they are great vendors, you recently discovered that some of the plants were virused and thought that they might want to know. Just leave it at that. If they thank you and offer a refund or replacement, they are good vendors and trustworthy. If they get defensive or angry, you will know to stay clear of them.
Killing virus (denaturing) can easily be done by temps or pH so I usually either boil plastic pots or soak plastic in bleach. I usually soak in the bleach for a few hours as I am extra paranoid. I bake my red lava rock.
Again, sorry to find you had to toss some orchids.

---------- Post added at 09:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 AM ----------

And, I was also told by someone who has collected plants for many, many years and who teaches botany that the surest sign of virus is a decline in vigor. Sometimes it is subtle or sometimes the symptoms can be masked for a time with high-quality care but stress usually will lead to clear symptoms and a decline. I think this makes sense from my own education. I probably keep a clean collection because my care is less than optimal and virused plants would probably fail rather quickly and be tossed.

[SJF]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Sorry to hear the results. I try to be careful, plant-wise, what I bring into the home as I grow some exotic plants and some have been with me over twenty years. There are a few that were given to me by people who are now gone, for special times in my life, so they are priceless. I don't think virused or otherwise diseased plants should be permitted to be sold, clear and simple.
I would tell the vendors very nicely that though you absolutely love the plants and you feel they are great vendors, you recently discovered that some of the plants were virused and thought that they might want to know. Just leave it at that. If they thank you and offer a refund or replacement, they are good vendors and trustworthy. If they get defensive or angry, you will know to stay clear of them.
Killing virus (denaturing) can easily be done by temps or pH so I usually either boil plastic pots or soak plastic in bleach. I usually soak in the bleach for a few hours as I am extra paranoid. I bake my red lava rock.
Again, sorry to find you had to toss some orchids.

---------- Post added at 09:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 AM ----------

And, I was also told by someone who has collected plants for many, many years and who teaches botany that the surest sign of virus is a decline in vigor. Sometimes it is subtle or sometimes the symptoms can be masked for a time with high-quality care but stress usually will lead to clear symptoms and a decline. I think this makes sense from my own education. I probably keep a clean collection because my care is less than optimal and virused plants would probably fail rather quickly and be tossed.

Thank you for the information. I was sorry about all of them. I was extremely upset about the Onc. amp and the coral Cattleya. I have wanted a coral/orange catt. for a long time