I'm CymMV Positive - Page 2 - Orchid Board

quiltingwacko · #11 05-03-2009, 09:03 AM

You really are teaching us here Nichole. You have sent me off to my orchid books to read and learn more. Yikes! Where did you get those strips? CArol who is very suspicious of her Odontioda's little speckles now.

Gin · #12 05-03-2009, 09:36 AM

Here you go .. there is a drop down for more strips .

https://orders.agdia.com/InventoryD....K+13300&loc=IN

quiltingwacko · #13 05-03-2009, 09:49 AM

Thank you Gin! Carol

MuscleGirl'sHobby · #14 05-03-2009, 02:28 PM

Thanks for posting the link Gin

You beat me to it.

As for how multiple plants were infected... I'm suspecting flying insects. I use physan and bleach on my tools, and plants get doused with physan when re potting. I never re-use media, and rarely re-use a pot. If I do re-use a pot, I bleach it.

I've been doing battle with little fruit fly/gnat like critters. Most of my plants are putting out "happy sap" and I've found flys stuck in it. I think maybe they land on the sap of one, then fly to another... and then there's transfer of the virus. This is the best explanation I can come up with for why plants not exposed to one another ended up with it. I do believe it all started with the one plant. But, there is of course always the possibility that there was another infected plant not showing symptoms in the collection.

I've treated the whole area for insects.... yet again. And did a physan spray down. I hope that keeps it a bay until my tests are here. Anything showing the slightest sign, has been pulled out and segregated. It's a hard thing to do when you're growing area is a spare room in your house. I'm limited as to where I can put things.

For those looking to buy the strips... beware, it's not cheap! I'm only going to test plants most important to me, and any new ones coming into my collection. Hubby agreed to suck it up and order a greenhouse. All the plants which test negative will go out there. This would leave me with the possibility of having two growing areas with separate tools for each. I just don't know if I want to keep any infected plants period.

I'll admit it, I cried yesterday. As I went through my near daily routine of inspecting, misting, and watering as needed, I looked at all the "possible" signs and it was just depressing.

Gin · #15 05-03-2009, 03:20 PM

hang in there it is probably not as bad as you fear it might be .. Pests that pierce an infected plant can spread it like aphids and others it is passed on direct into the plant tissues like some of the human virus are, blood borne, fluid to cut tissue . The plant may of been infected way before u got it. .. Hugs Gin

quiltingwacko · #16 05-03-2009, 04:28 PM

Nichole
Did you know WE could have CMV virus ourselves? It is Cyto Megalo Virus (I think I remember how to spell it) and it is a particularly nasty pneumonia. So things could be worse. My chids are in quarantiine and Physan is being used more than it ever has before around here. Not that anything will help this, but it makes me feel calmed. Ooooooooooom Carol

and yes I did order some strips.

Florida_guy_26 · #17 05-03-2009, 06:14 PM

Actually Nicole, I was trying to post more critter specific biting and sucking insects yesterday, but even snails can pass the virus to plants because they have chewing mouthparts and so do earwigs. People were saying that physan 20 is not antiviral, but it says on the bottle it is a virucide as well as bactericide, etc. As far as the virus being passed, the little fruit fly type flies you see could be a type of fungus gnat- they lay eggs which hatch into these nasty little worms and are barely visible unless you have a magnifying glass to make them easier to see. My point is, the larva of those gnats with feed on orchid roots and they can even pass the virus from plant to plant. Try spraying with alcohol and physan 20 to at least limit the number of infected plants and spread the virus any further. The main thing I am dealing with here is trying to stop all those pests like earwigs, snails, mites and fungus gnats from really doing damage to my collection. It is a battle but if you win, you can be sure that viruses and other infections will be limited.

orchids3 · #18 05-03-2009, 10:41 PM

Have had a few test positive this spring - it sure is a sickening feeling to have to discard nice (usually my favorite plant) but it has to be done. This spring its
ORSV that I am finding. At least after you see a few of the plants confirmed - you can begin to spot problem plants. Insects? Maybe - but believe most viruses are spread by humans. Plants in the wild dont get Virus. "I have seen the enemy and the Enemy is us" (pogo cartooon) according to Dr Zettler - a U Fla virolagist that we had as a speaker recently. Good cultural practices - paticularly potting practices, avoid overcrowding (my problem) and yes try to keep the insects under control.

Bloomin_Aussie · #19 05-04-2009, 05:30 AM

So can plants ever be cured of viruses? OK so maybe CyMV and ORSV are incurable but can plants overcome other viral infections?

calvin_orchidL · #20 05-04-2009, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quiltingwacko

Nichole
Did you know WE could have CMV virus ourselves? It is Cyto Megalo Virus (I think I remember how to spell it) and it is a particularly nasty pneumonia. So things could be worse. My chids are in quarantiine and Physan is being used more than it ever has before around here. Not that anything will help this, but it makes me feel calmed. Ooooooooooom Carol

and yes I did order some strips.

Luckily CymMV stands for cymbidium mosaic virus and not cytomegalovirus, so you're fine.