Leaf Cleaning Poll

[alanarez]

Sometimes I use a little milk and wipe the leaves with a paper towel.

[nevinsp]

I give the leaves a quick wipe down every time I water.

[pavel]

Didn't really have a category for me. I rarely wipe down leaves. Generally only if I'm taking the plant to a show or -- if I remember -- before taking a pic inwhich the leaves will be visible

[playtime8978]

why shouldn't you use lemon juice? I have on two plants and they seem ok.

[Becky15349]

Since I grow on a windowsill and have to take the plants to the sink, I usually water at the base of the plant and let the leaves stay dry. I know they like to take baths, but since I have to carry them across a wood floor, I can't have water dripping everywhere...

I've heard the milk thing too, but I don't know about lemon juice...maybe people are afraid it will scar the leaf because its an acid? Idk...

[Paphlova]

One of my first orchids was a Paph. philippinense which had a few tiny drops of chalk on them from the grower who carelessly painted his greenhouse. He said it was of no importance to the health of the plants. Seeing it as not-done to leave it on, I carefully wetted the leaves with a damp paper-towel and when then stains had absorbed some water, gently nudged the drops off the lower leaves using a finger-nail. Two weeks later, the leaves had shriveled and died. I vowed never to touch the leaves again with any force, at least the tick ones.
A gentle wipe is all I ever do, like twice a year or so.

[Bill in NYC]

My plants get cleaned everytime they are watered as they all go under the bathroom shower.....all 175 of them

[Ron-NY]

Mine get watered with a hose, never intentionally cleaned a leaf unless I was removing scale and I not doing it so the leaves are clean just as a treatment.

[delphiguy]

I think im one of the minorities here, I never clean the leaves of my orchids, also I always
give them a good shower when I water them, just to let those dust wash out of the leaves
During the dry days, this happens everyday, but the past few days have been raining so
i got a break from watering them.

[Halloamey]

I spray the leaves once a month with either 1ml/litre milk + 0.2 ml/litre liquid soap or 5ml/litre orange juice + soap as above. This is usually followed by clean water spray. This keeps the folaige polished !