Orchid Culture: Diseases, Part 3

Among the diseases that can strike an orchid collection, viruses are the most feared. Bacteria and fungi will do their damage. But if you catch them early enough and take measures to eliminate their impact, you can bring them under control. Once a plant has been infected by virus however, there is no practical cure. Yikes!

In this final installment in his series about orchid diseases, Stephen Batchelor looks at victims of orchid virus. If you’ve ever wondered what an orchid virus can do to your orchids, Stephen’s got photos that illustrate some of the symptoms a virus may cause—leaf mottling, streaking, flower color-break, plant yellowing, stunting.

Lucky for us, Stephen also describes what we can do to fight back. The best defense against viral attacks is good cultural habits. Don’t give up!

Download the lesson in PDF format below...