plant cleaning!!! please!

[reptilover]

I just bought a beautiful umbrella plant from walmart. I know it needs to be cleaned showered well! What's a successful way. I dont wanna kill it.

It's gonna be his free range area for cage cleaning and redesiging and sunny days!

 

[Elizadolots]

Well, you can just wash the visible parts with soapy water and rinse it really well. For the roots, just wash off the dirt you can then repot in clean, organic soil.

 

[xeonic]

I also bake the soil to kill Bacteria. I make sure the soil is wet almost muddy before I bake. You can use dead leaves to fertilize the soil after.

 

[reptilover]

Thank u all! How hot how long do ya bake?

 

[xeonic]

Bake it a 350c
I bake for half an hour. Just make sure its wet or it will burn.

 

[reptilover]

Thanks again! Do I bake it spread out on cookie sheet or piled up like casserole dish? 350c not 350f. 350 celcius seems a little high?

 

[Chameleopatrick]

I can just hear it now.

(Wife mother father)Why are you baking dirt honey?

(noob) Someone told me on the Internet it was a good idea for my chameleons.

(Wife mother father) What? Baking dirt?


(noob) I originally asked about how to clean my plant but somehow we got off topic and now here I am baking dirt!

Hmmmm.

Can't believe everything you read about chameleon care......
Back on topic...

Plants can be sprayed down generously with isopropyl alcohol to kill small pests, let dry and then rinse with water.

Or you can bake dirt.....

 

[xeonic]

Washing the plant with isopropyl isn't going to kill the bacteria + Fungus, and eggs found in the soil. Such as fruit flies eggs. Sorry this Idea boggles your mind

 

[BonnieLorraine]

I posted this on the other thread as well, but please don't bake soil above 180 degrees, it will kill your plants. I baked soil to an internal temp of 170 degrees with the oven set at 200 degrees, and slowly killed about 50 plants over the next month due to ammonia being released from the overcooked soil. For how to properly bake soil, this is a good article. It says anything over 200 is toxic, but I know mine didn't go over 180 degrees and became toxic. http://www.gardenguides.com/110256-sterilize-houseplants-potting-soil.html

 

[reptilover]

I can just hear it now.

(Wife mother father)Why are you baking dirt honey?

(noob) Someone told me on the Internet it was a good idea for my chameleons.

(Wife mother father) What? Baking dirt?


(noob) I originally asked about how to clean my plant but somehow we got off topic and now here I am baking dirt!

Hmmmm.

Can't believe everything you read about chameleon care......
Back on topic...

Plants can be sprayed down generously with isopropyl alcohol to kill small pests, let dry and then rinse with water.

Or you can bake dirt.....

Your a noob! Butt.

And thank you for your input
But my wife will get over baking dirt.. just be offended I'm using her dish/pan to do it

Baking it seems fully logical NOOB and I dont mind being overly safe... NOOB!


THANK YOU XEONIC

 

[xeonic]

This I did not know, thank you for the info.

 

[BonnieLorraine]

Also if you're looking for a good organic plant fertilizer, Dynamite makes a great time release one for tomato plants. It's sold only at this time of year at Home Depot in the funny little tomato shaped containers. It contains blood meal, bone meal, and hydrolyzed feathers, plus micronutrients, and lasts for three months. You just dig some down under the top layer of soil and water like usual, the only downside is it doesn't smell too pleasant for the first couple of months.

 

[xeonic]

Your a noob! Butt.

And thank you for your input
But my wife will get over baking dirt.. just be offended I'm using her dish/pan to do it

Baking it seems fully logical NOOB and I dont mind being overly safe... NOOB!


THANK YOU XEONIC

Welcome

 

[Hoj]

i just put the plant in the shower for a min than wipe all the water off it, trying to cover all the suface area.
than i remove about 1 inch of dirt and replace with an organic soil.
done this with about 100 plants and no issues yet

 

[BonnieLorraine]

The problem with removing only the top layer of soil in the container is that most growers use systemic pesticide granules in the soil. Most systemics only last around 3 months, but I would still rinse off all the soil just to be safe.

 

[Chameleopatrick]

Washing the plant with isopropyl isn't going to kill the bacteria, and eggs found in the soil.

Wow! Good to know.

I'll let the doctors and vets know that alcohol doesn't kill bacteria. I guess they have been doing wrong all those years.

How many years have you used alcohol for plant cleaning? I've used it for fifteen years and it works fantastically .

 

[reptilover]

Who let all the ass holes out?

Mister I'm gonna call someone who's posted more a noob which am but can noobs call noobs noobs? haha all in good informative fun.
Thank you all though. I usually do a thourough rinse with dirt exchange but wanted some opinions. And I got em and I'm happy

 

[xeonic]

Sorry I had to re-read your post. I was hoping I could edit my post in time to take my foot out of my mouth. I how ever was not fast enough and the foot remains.

 

[xeonic]

I posted this on the other thread as well, but please don't bake soil above 180 degrees, it will kill your plants. I baked soil to an internal temp of 170 degrees with the oven set at 200 degrees, and slowly killed about 50 plants over the next month due to ammonia being released from the overcooked soil. For how to properly bake soil, this is a good article. It says anything over 200 is toxic, but I know mine didn't go over 180 degrees and became toxic. http://www.gardenguides.com/110256-sterilize-houseplants-potting-soil.html

Reptilover I would follow these directions. Turns out I have been doing the Baking too high. Though My plants aren't dying this is probably better then my NOOB info.

 

[reptilover]

Reptilover I would follow these directions. Turns out I have been doing the Baking too high. Though My plants aren't dying this is probably better then my NOOB info.

You have it all wrong my friend I was thanking you for your info. Re read a little further another member Chameleopatrick was calling me a noob. Lol I didn't direct it torwards you. I took your method with a grain of salt and ventured to research baking dirt cassoral on my own I appreciate u sending me in a direction as opposed to prior mentioned noob for just criticizeing your method and offering no real help to my topic. And also to Chameleopatrick baking dirt is defiantly part of plant cleaning/preparation and not off topic