Everyone knows how important it is to stay healthy. We exercise, eat right, get lots of rest, wash our hands and get a flu shot, right? On a good day we accomplish staying well! Eventually, however, we may come down with something. Fortunately most of us fight it off and we are back in the game in a matter of days. The point is that we eventually recover from an attack by microscopic virus cells that are lurking on literally every object we come in contact with. The orchid plants we grow are also susceptible to certain viruses. However, they cannot wash their hands and once infected with a virus they remain infected forever! This is where you, the grower, comes in to play. If you have more than one orchid plant in your collection you should be implementing the following simple procedure.

At any time you cut into any part of an orchid you should always sterilize your cutting tool between each plant. There are lots of different means of sterilizing your tools and it is proven that the most effective method is to use heat in the form of a mild flame. Small hand held torches, gas stoves or candles work very well. The heat from the flame is a guaranteed method of killing the virus cells on your cutting tool. You don't need to get the tool extremely hot, just a few seconds passing each side of the blade through the flame will do the trick.

At our nursery, we use single edge razor blades when cutting expired flower stems or small brown leaves. The razor blades are then disposed of to insure they are never used again on any other orchid plant. At our repotting table we have an assortment of cutting tools including a large butcher knife, two hand held pruners and a metal scissors. These tools are all flame sterilized between each use by a small camping stove with a gas flame. When cutting flower stems in the greenhouse such as heavy thick Cymbidiums, we carry a small hand held butane torch with a self igniter along with a pruner which is again flamed between each orchid plant.

At last report, there are some 30 different viruses that infect the orchid family. When you have a collection of orchids it is always recommended to use the thought process of suspecting every plant in your collection to carry one virus. That way you automatically implement the proper methods to insure these viruses are not transmitted mechanically from plant to plant.

Of course there are other ways these virus cells get from one plant to another and I certainly could write on and on about this subject. Insects, used pots and flower stakes, benches and our own hands are just a few of the many other culprits. Using proper cleaning and sterilization methods on everything that comes in contact with the sap of your orchid will help insure these viruses are not spread. If you would like to have an orchid in your collection tested for one of the many orchid viruses, we highly recommend using the professional services of Critter Creek Laboratory. For more information on sending samples to be tested or articles on orchid viruses and other methods of prevention, please visit their web site at http://www.crittercreeklab.com

Next month is the return of a feature writer from the Orchid Grower's Guild with an article highlighting some cultural techniques for raising mounted orchids successfully in your home!

Happy growing!

Chuck Acker