Symptoms: Chlorotic and necrotic spots, streaks, lines, and rings on leaves. Flowers may show necrotic spots, streaks, and color break. If present, the virus is spread throughout the entire plant.
Treatment: There is no treatment for a virus-infected plant. You must destroy the plant to prevent it from infecting others. If the plant is particularly valuable, completely isolate it and take precautions to avoid transmitting the infection.
Prevention: Strictly follow good hygiene practices (see sections below).
1. Use of sterile cutting tools
Viruses are transmitted through plant sap, often mechanically. The primary means of spread is the use of improperly sterilized cutting tools. To keep your tools sterile:
- Use sterile disposable razor blades and discard them after each use.
- Sterilize tools with a hot flame after each use on a plant, exposing them to the flame for 15–20 seconds on each side.
2. Controls during repotting
Viruses can spread when the sap of an infected plant comes into contact with another, even through simple rubbing of leaves. To reduce the risk:
- Latex gloves: Wear them during handling and discard immediately afterward. Bare hands can transmit the virus to the next plant.
- Newspaper on the repotting surface: Place it under your work area, and once finished, wrap up and dispose of the newspaper, gloves, and debris before touching the next plant.
3. Disinfection of pots before reuse
- Plastic pots: Wash with soap to remove organic residue, then soak for an hour in a 20% bleach solution.
- Terracotta pots: Being porous, they cannot be completely sterilized with bleach alone. After standard disinfection, bake them in the oven at 200°C for two hours to eliminate any residual viruses.
4. Controls during routine activities
Viruses can spread anytime mechanical transmission of sap occurs. Additional precautions:
- Cutting flower spikes: Use a sterile disposable razor blade for each flower spike and discard it after each use. If using shears, sterilize them with a flame between each cut.
- Removing flower spikes by hand: Avoid! If a virus is present, it can be transmitted to your hands and then spread by touching other plants. Always use a sterile razor blade.
