Clean Tools?

[OrchidFairy]

Just wondering how important it is to use sterilized cutting tools when separating an orchid?

I've seen a video on youtube where the guy used a flame to sterilize a knife before cutting into an orchid to separate it and redid it for every cut.

This seems over the top, is it? Do I need to be that cautious when I finally get around to separating mine?

Thanks

[fred]

It is very important to sterilize cutting tools when working with orchids
I have seen however a person use an Axe on the root ball of cymbidiums
Sterilized tools can stop the spread of Diseases from one orchid to another.
please see link below also
New Hampshire Orchid Society - Viruses

The answer to your question do you need to take care when you do separate your orchids is yes for you may damage the roots also any new young growth may be broken off also

I hope this helps you

[joan gero]

Let's see. Isn't the rule that you can sterilize tools for working on a single orchid, but you don't have to resterilize as long as you're still on that one plant?

[mayres]

I take more of a pragmatic approach to the need to sterilize tools. If you have just a few run of the mill hybrid plants and have no intention of obtaining a large collection the need to sterilize is probably not that important (some on this forum would disagree with even this statement). You go to separate your first orchid of a small collection and your pruning tool has never seen an orchid before it is probably not going to be an issue. I have found that many pruning and separating processes of orchids don't require any pruning/cutting at all, but can be simply pulled apart and/or "snap" apart by bending fresh crisp tissue. On the other hand, the more orchids you obtain and the more you will want to be careful. People with thousands and tens of thousands of dollars and years of their lives invested in plants certainly will tend to be significantly more diligent in being careful - keeping all tools clean and sterile between plant activity.

[Hummer344]

I am with Mayers on this one. I have a small collection (60 plants) and I do not sterilize between cuts much less between plants. I do carefully look over the plant(s) that I am working on & if there is the slightest hint of disease I will spray my tools with alcohol between plants.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Virus is VERY common in orchids. I would guess that one out of every 10 to 20 plants you buy has virus. If you have 60 plants and are not taking the necessary steps to prevent virus spread, you probably have 60 virused plants. Having said that, the down side is that over the years, the virus will likely degrade the plants, making them less and less vigorous. I made a mistake 25 years ago. I had such a bad infection of bush snails, I was desperate and soaked all the plants in a metaldahyde bath (which didn't work). The stuff was expensive enough, and my collection large enough, that I unpotted each orchid to do the soaking, creating open wounds on all the plants. This transfered virus to all the plants, as I had in my collection a number of plants that were from a friend who sold flowers to florists and never sterilized his tools for cutting the flowers. After 20 years the plants looked awful. After a lot of money was spent on virus testing, almost all of the early plants were positive for virus and were tossed. It is this period of virus testing that gave me the number of likely virused plants in commerce mentioned above. I have gotten virused plants, those that were divisions, from just about all the big name orchid houses. Seedlings fair much better.

I keep a half dozen shears soaking continuously in a saturated solution of TSP, the real thing with phosphate. I change shears with each plant, but don't change for each cut on the same plant.

[OrchidFairy]

Thanks so very much for all your replies.

I actually went with the advice of pulling my orchid apart to separate and found that this was really easy to do.

I've potted them up and I'll keep a close eye on them and see how they do.

I actually even took some photos of the process to show you what I was doing so you could advise me for future whether I did it oK or not.

I'll try and get organized to transfer it to the computer in the next few days because I would love the wisdom of you brilliant people here.

Thanks again for the feedback I really appreciate it.

[fred]

look forward to seeing the pics OrchidFairy and your welcome that is what we are all here for is to share our knowledge with all the friendly orchid people also known as orchidgeeks

[pikevi]

I am with mayres on this one as well.

If one has an oviously infected plant and for some reason it has to be poked,sliced or cut and then the tool has to be used somewhere else in another plant , sterilization may be warranted.

If not just cleaning with soap and water would be fine , I'd think. Wiping the tools with alcohol (methyl or "dettol") may be adequate.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I was told by Aaron Hicks that regular alcohol from walmart, etc. not only does not kill virus, but acts to stabilize the virus to keep it infectious. You would need the high purity alcohol (95%?) to do some good. I have to tell you that most of the plants that registered positive for virus showed no symptoms what so ever, so your plan of only treating tools for visibly poor looking plants is quite ineffectual. Only the very long time infected plants showed low vigor. But low vigor is not necessarily obvious as a problem.

[pikevi]

yes, I think only a few viruses will respond to alcohol at any concentration except by 'mechanical' removal by the agent.

Thanks for clearing that up, Cynthia.