how many times did you have to wash your plants?

whysoez420

New Member
this is the third time washing my schefflera to get all the white stuff off which i assume is pesticide and yet once it drys, white stuff is still there to be seen. how many times did you have to do this before it was clean? i don't have a hose or anything like that to wash the leaves so i am using my mistking to wet them and then rubbing each leaf with my fingers. it's a bit aggravating as i feel like i am getting nowhere but i refuse to stop until the plant is safe enough for my cham. any help is greatly appreciated.
 
I usually just add a small amount of dish soap to a spray bottle of water and spray the plant down. Then I hose it off and re-pot it with sand and organic potting soil. Then top off with large river rocks and that's it. I add the sand to increase drainage and i have a lot of water going through my cages.
 
I usually just add a small amount of dish soap to a spray bottle of water and spray the plant down. Then I hose it off and re-pot it with sand and organic potting soil. Then top off with large river rocks and that's it. I add the sand to increase drainage and i have a lot of water going through my cages.

i already have repotted it into organic soil, but i plan to repot it again into a bigger pot. it would be nice to have a hose but sadly i'm in a apartment. i hope it's just the deposits you were talking about because at first i showered the plant then mistkinged it 3 times, rubbing the leaves every single time.
the weird thing is some of the top leaves seem clean but some of the lower ones are ridiculously covered in white.
 
you could fill up the bath tub and submerge it in there and let it soak. I know you already potted it, so maybe for future plants. I use a bucket and turn the plant upside down in it and let it soak outside for a few minutes before I pot it. I use soapy water also.
 
i should mention the schefflera is at least 1-2 years old. about 3.5' tall.
its hard to do things with it in small spaces :p

other than that should i just keep trying to get the residue off?
the plant is nice and I'm really hoping my cham will love it. lots of coverage for him. only problem is this damn white residue :(
 
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