# fusarium



## Tintin (May 13, 2022)

Anyone has photos of fusarium infection on orchids?
How is it more deadly than garden variety fungus?


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## Ray (May 13, 2022)

Please tell me you didn’t get this idea from a Miss Orchid Girl video. She made one about fusarium and the infamous “purple ring” in the rhizome of cattleyas, and suddenly every novice grower out there started “seeing” purple rings and “knew” their plants were infected - most of which were plants that naturally had such pigments in them.

Fusarium clogs the vascular tissue, leading to desiccation of the leaves.

It has been quite rare in hobby orchid-growers’ plants, but some contaminated stock from Taiwan has come in. In 50+ years of growing, I’ve never seen it.


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## Tintin (May 13, 2022)

No I didn't even know about an association with a purple ring. Is that the symptom?
So it is rare that's why nobody has photos on their own plants? 
What makes it so scary? Is it highly infectious like most viruses?


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## My Green Pets (May 13, 2022)

Good photos here and good information.



https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944501317307218


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## Tintin (May 14, 2022)

My Green Pets said:


> Good photos here and good information.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944501317307218



Very helpful. Thank you!


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## Ozpaph (May 15, 2022)

it is rare, so no photos. Have plenty of 'Erwinia'...................


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## Tintin (May 15, 2022)

Erwinia is not fun! 
Do you think orchid infections can infect humans too, especially those who are elderly or immunosuppressed?


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## Ozpaph (May 15, 2022)

no


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## Ray (May 16, 2022)

Generally, no. However, people have been known to experience sporotrichosis, an infection carried by a fungus sometimes found in sphagnum moss.


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## Happypaphy7 (May 16, 2022)

Yes, rare but it potentially can. Fusarium solani I believe is the one I read about while back.
It is common in the soil and the elderly or immunosuppressed individuals are advised not to engage in garden work in fear of breathing the spores in. 
With that said, having a few orchids that are well kept and not showing any of thoese red orange colored spores on the surface of the potting medium, should not present a big problem. 
If you are the type who pile up on plants everywhere in the livingspace and they are badly overwatered, then there might be problem potentially. Just a thought.


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## Happypaphy7 (May 16, 2022)

By the way, fusarium is very common. 
I bet most people do not realize what they have or see. Unlike sudden rots like Erwinia, fusarium generally progresses slowly and depening on the type of fusarium (there are many species), the damage is either gradual or not fatal. People will think nothing of it or have no idea.


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## orchid527 (May 16, 2022)

Tintin said:


> Erwinia is not fun!
> Do you think orchid infections can infect humans too, especially those who are elderly or immunosuppressed?


I have read that Oomycetes (water molds) can infect both plants and humans. Mike


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## Tintin (May 16, 2022)

Happypaphy7 said:


> Yes, rare but it potentially can. Fusarium solani I believe is the one I read about while back.
> It is common in the soil and the elderly or immunosuppressed individuals are advised not to engage in garden work in fear of breathing the spores in.
> With that said, having a few orchids that are well kept and not showing any of thoese red orange colored spores on the surface of the potting medium, should not present a big problem.
> If you are the type who pile up on plants everywhere in the livingspace and they are badly overwatered, then there might be problem potentially. Just a thought.


My biggest "infection" involves white fungi, and only on plants from South America. They keep returning no matter how carefully I repot.


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