V I R U S !!!!!! Run for your lives..........

[james mickelso]

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.