Virused Bulbs
Mary Sue Ittner (Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:38:56 PDT)

Many years ago I sent in some bulbs to a lab in Sacramento to test
them for virus. My experience proved that you can't tell for sure
whether something that looks virused is virused. Some things I sent
in that looked virused were and some were not. Some I sent in that
didn't look virused were. Since most people don't wish to take the
trouble to do this, it seems safer just to toss plants that are
suspect even if you end up throwing out something that is suffering
from nutrient deficiencies. But it is not so easy if the plant is
symptomless. I sent in Sparaxis I had purchased because the petal
variation made me worry, but I also sent in some that did not have
those symptoms. They were all virused, even the ones that looked
fine. Nathan thinks the plants shown on the wiki were likely
misdiagnosed as virused but this is not so. It is possible that
plants with petal variation can be virused. It makes it very
challenging for the home gardener.

Mary Sue