Virus question

8 years ago

Hi folks, I bought a H. striatum offset on Ebay and when I unpacked it I discovered spots on the leaves. I immediately brought the whole parcel outside, the pot is now in the hall. The seller brought some bulbs from Hawai some years ago. I asked him about the virus and he had a look at his other plants. He says that some of the offsets have a few stripes but not the motherbulb. They are all grown in a greenhouse where it was very hot in the summer.

If I compare my leaves to any pictures here in the forum I'm quite sure that they are virused. There is no sign of insect damage. What do you say?

I'm not sure what to do. I tend to keep the bulbs in the hall far away from all my other bulbs. Maybe I can self the flowers when they finally bloom and get some seeds that are virus free? It is my first striatum and of course I woulkd like to keep it.

Thank you for any advise!

Anja

Featured Answer

everado

8 years ago

Yes, you do have the virus. Striatum is very susceptible to it unfortunately. Heat seems to bring out the mottling of the leaves. There is a treatment you could try, as a last resort - the hot water treatment. I have read that it may kill the virus. I tried it once and it did not work, but I hadn't figured out a good way to control the temperature at the time. Since then I have used it with good temperature control on bulbs with red blotch and it ends the infection. Temperature must be between 105 and 115 F for at least 30 minutes, and the entire bulb, roots, and leaves need to be submerged. Seeds will be virus free but don't use the pollen from these on non-infected bulbs because it can spread that way too. Did you try to get a refund from the seller?

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Comments (11)

dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Unfortunately Anja, that is a classic case of virus for sure!! So sorry... if you can't keep it far away and I mean really far away, get rid of it now!!

If it were mine, since striatums are not rare, I 'd get rid of it immediately, wash your

hand really good after touching it too!!

Shame on whoever sold that to you!!!!

I've had several plants in the past, here are a few.

These should leave no doubt in your mind, sorry....
catsandhippies thanked dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
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dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
8 years ago
Everado,

I'm glad that the hot water treatment worked for you but how can you actually be sure as new leaves always come up clean and if taken out of the heat and hot sun they will remain green until they go outside and are stressed once again. Have you put your treated bulbs back in a hot and stressful situation? I hope so; it would be good for some of us to give this a try!

Donna
mariava7
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Donna...Those are Maguires’s Hippeastrum Farm (Australia)hybrids that are virused. I am not surprised. Most if not all of the bulbs I imported from them before were virused and burnt. This is my honest feedback as a customer and I can prove this with pictures also. NEVER again will I buy a Maguire's hippeastrum. My collection will be me much happier and safer without them. This was an expensive but much learned lesson for me.
catsandhippies
Original Author
8 years ago
Well, I decided that I don't want to take the risk to keep those bulbs in my house. The seller doesn't want them back but he will send back the money.

I feel lucky that the virus was visible at first sight, I really saw it when the pot was still in the box. Well, I've learned something at least...
dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Good, I'm glad this all worked out for you. You were lucky that the leaves were in full blown virus mode. Most times you don't know it for nearly a year when they go out for the summer; actually, you were very lucky!!

I have to say that when I saw that picture of you handling those leaves I had the desire to go and wash my own hands!! Yuk!! ;-)))))))
everado
8 years ago
Donna,

Sorry if my post was unclear, but the hot water treatment removed the red blotch from the bulbs that were infected with that, but not the virus from the bulb that had HMV. I think it might work if the temperature was controlled better than I was able to do at the time. Perhaps if I pick up a cheap one this year that has it I can experiment...
haweha
8 years ago
MY experience over decades is, that Mosaic on Hippeastrum is not very contagious. Had I a precious- yet virused bulb, then i would Keep it separate, indoors, at its "own" windowsill.
catsandhippies thanked haweha
catsandhippies
Original Author
8 years ago
This is good to know, Haweha. I must admit if this were a precious bulb I would do the same. But I just got it and never saw it flower and this certainly was a bad start for our relationship :-) Another problem is that I don't have so many windowsills...
Luca B.
8 years ago
I bidded on the same ebay offers ( I thinks)
The seller is from Germany?
catsandhippies
Original Author
8 years ago
Yes, he is from Germany.