Re: Clivia/chlorine solution

Hi folks,

Viruses in plants are a whole different kettle of fish from bacterial and
fungal diseases.  There is no known cure for any plant virus except
meristem cloning.  I strongly advise disposing of the virus infected plant
by either putting it with its pot and potting soil into the trash.

Plant viruses are spread by insect vectors mainly, such as mealy bugs and
aphids.  You might also be surprised to learn that gardeners' fingers are a
major carrier of plant viruses!

To sterilize a bacterial or fungal rot on the crown of an amaryllid (as
Clivia and "blood lilies" are) you can use dilute sodium hypochlorite
solution or hydrogen peroxide solution.

You can dilute Clorox (5.25% sodium hypochlorite) one part by volume to 5
to 10 parts water by volume and wash off the cleaned infected area with
that.  You can also use straight 3% hydrogen peroxide solution form the
drugstore shelf.  Try not to contact uninfected parts of the plant with the
disinfectant solution.

Good luck!

Jim Shields
retired biochemist

At 12:15 PM 6/15/2003 -0300, you wrote:

On Fri, 13 Jun 2003, Claire Peplowski wrote:

  If cleaned with soap and water and the planted dried out for
> while, no harm other than some disfiguration occurs.  I also use a
> chlorine solution spraying it into the center of the plant especially
> the leaf axils (are they axil in a Clivia?)

Could you talk a little more about the 'chlorine soltion' that you use
Claire? (I'm assuming its some dilution of a Javex-type product?)

I am looking for something which will help with a virus problem on Blood
Lilies (same family as Clivia).  By looking at various sites on the
internet, I tentatively identified my problem as "Hypeastrum Virus" (a
virus spred by aphids from Amaryllis to other plants in the same family).
Last year something turned the flower stalk on my Blood Lily to mush.  I
dried out the bulb and kept it in hot sun much of last summer (or at
least, as much 'hot sun' as Nova Scotia offered!)  but after reading your
post I was wondering if dipping the bulb in 'chlorine solution' would help
at all.

I realize viruses (viri?) are inside the cells-  just grasping at any
straw here.  The Blood Lily has a flower the size of a soccer ball and it
was really heart-breaking to loose it!

 MArlene Davis

*************************************************
Jim Shields             USDA Zone 5             Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92              WWW:    http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
Tel. ++1-317-867-3344     or      toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA
Member of INTERNATIONAL CLIVIA CO-OP
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