Happypaphy7
Paphlover
It can be done. It is just a lot of effort and expense and most orchid plants don't have the monetary value to justify the process.
Here is one pdf on it...
https://www.researchgate.net/profil..._selection/links/544724380cf2d62c305057ea.pdf
Thanks for the paper.
So, clearly it is possible.
Well, orchids in general, yes, but phalaenopsis is a huge market now. It has been for a few years now generating millions of dollars. It was right up there near Poinsettia, which is the number one selling pot plants in the U.S.
The problem is that virused plants still make flowers and in the case of white and other solid colored flowers, the symptom is barely visible, like uneven cut marks along the petal edges and stuff that most consumers don't even know or care. After all, almost all of these pot phalaenopsis are bought for flowers and to be thrown away.
Now, I don't understand then why they keep saying things like "Certain old classic cultivars of Cattleyas only exist as virused specimen"?
Many orchid hobby growers have "good" life enough to be easily able to afford this kind of lab procedure.