Robert and all, Formaldehyde would certainly destroy most of the viruses on the surface of the leaves, bulb scales, soil, pots, etc. It would have no effect on the viruses inside the living tissues of the plants and bulbs. Viruses are reproduced inside the living cells that they infect. This is not going to be a cure for a systemic virus infection. Regards, Jim Shields retired biochemist At 05:22 PM 6/4/2007 -0400, you wrote: >In Peggie Shultz's _Amaryllis...And How To Grow Them_ (1954), she includes >a treatment used by "...Mrs Fannie Heath of Mound, Minnesota..." who has >cured her amaryllises of at least one virus. Mrs. Heath mixes one teaspoon >of formaldehyde in a quart of water and "treats bulb, leaves, pot, also >earth, once every five days for three weeks..." > >The strength of the formaldehyde isn't given. I couldn't find out anything >about what was available OTC in the 50s, so I'm assuming the formaldehyde >used is @37% as is found easily today, though that is pure speculation. > >I couldn't find anything else regarding plant virus treatment using >formaldehyde, so I'm thinking this avenue has been abandonned or >disproved, or has it been "below the radar" since that time? Anyone know >anything about this kind of treatment? > >Robert. > > > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ ************************************************* 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