Leaf Cleaning Poll

[Diane]

Hi again all! I wanted to get some input on leaf cleaning. I'm one of those who hates to see water spots, fertilizer buildup, etc. But I know folks who never bother, or who think it is bad for the plant. So please participate in the poll!

[bench72]

I've actually just begun doing this. And I'm finding that it benefits the plants as well as me. There are less pest esp scales and mealies and I like it because the leaves are shinier (is that a word?).

I use a mix of Eco-carb and Eco-oil which are foliar fert and pesticide respectively. it is also suppose to be environmentally friendly and non-toxic (which is weird for a pesticide but ).

Oh and I do this regularly, like once a month so I've done it twice so far hehehe...

cheers
tim

[Ennui]

I can understand how some of those waxy "shiners"
or crazy home concoctions might damage leaves
(note to self Never use lemon juice again, no matter hard the water scale),
but a little water on a rag will get off the dust,
and allow the plant to get more light.
And light is good, right?
So yeah, everyonce in a while,
I give a good cleaning to get off the dust,
and I try to mist with DI water to keep water residue to a minimum,
cause that stuff is tough to get off if you let it build up.

[LJA]

I do a total cleaning of the plant when I repot, or before one gets shipped out somewhere. I personally don't like the shine that a lot of oils can put on leaves (I think it makes them look plastic and phony) but I've been using this sun oil stuff mixed with water for years to do leaf cleanup, and it works great without leaving the oily residue. (Does that sound like a commercial, or what? "No oily residue!" He wipes his gloved finger across tabletop, holds it up, and beams at camera.... ).

Milk works well to get rid of water scale too.

[Gin]

I drown mine weekly and do a bug check , I don't have hard water build up on the leaves because of the Ro. or rain water .
Yes indeed ! Sun Oil is an excelent product ,purses lips , adjusts cat eye glasses, and curtsies .

[Brutal_Dreamer]

They get all cleaned-up when we repot and just before we ship something out.

Cheers!
BD

[Alicia]

Milk works well to get rid of water scale too.

I do a quick wipe with milk when things get dusty. I grow indoors so I can't just hose them all down.

[orchidaddict789]

I like to clean off leaves...can't stand the dust/water marks. I use water and a paper towel to wipe. Easy, really. Or wash the leaves if I really can't get the dirt off.

[wildorchid]

I was starting to get really happy cuz finally I'll be able to contribute by saying, use paper towel with milk... but then LJA said that, then Alicia.

but ya, I read these are good to remove stains, and keeps leaves shiny, but not plastic kinda shiny. Just a healthy glow.

[Diane]

I'd never heard that before - so I tried it today on a rescue Phal that had very bad hard water stains. A lot came off. I wasn't sure what the exact practice is - so I wiped with a clean towel and water after the milk. Kinda worried about milk protien residue on the leaves???

WildOrchid - you can contribute any time, your opinion is just a good as someone elses. And it's nice to see when several people do the same thing, because then you know it's probably a good idea.