Plants and insecticides

[davelin315]

I bought a number of plants the other day for various herp enclosures, including my daughter's new veiled, and realized that all of these had been sprayed with insecticides. In speaking to the botanist, the pesticides are Talstar and Avid. Neither appears to be one that is absorbed by the plant from a brief review of the product info, but they generally last for up to 3 months. My main concern is with 2 small ficus I bought as these are probably the only ones destined for the chameleon enclosure and I know they enjoy eating the leaves. Right now I'm essentially quarantining the plants - they are in a shower with lighting and are sprayed down every day or two and getting steam as well. The last time the insecticide was applied was on 11/10, I'm just trying to figure out how long to keep these in quarantine for before they are considered safe to eat.

Anyone know insecticides well enough to advise?

 

[sandrachameleon]

You could try thoroughly spraying the leaves (not just the tops, but undersides also) with water to rinse off as much as possible. Then use a soft cloth with dish soap and gently run each leaf. Then rinse well again.

 

[davelin315]

Might be a little bit too labor intensive - have too many kids to spend that much time washing a plant!

 

[pigglett79]

I usually put dish soap on a spray bottle and spray it down real good, then rinse with a hose and repeat.

 

[Deevo]

I have my IPM license to spray pesticides (herbicide, insecticide etc). I would advise to not use those plants for your chameleon.
They are relatively safe but it will linger in the soil for a period of time and there is nothing to stop your feeders from chewing or eating/drinking from the soil and getting in contact that way.

edit: From the date you gave the trees are fine to use, however I would repot them in some organic potting soil or some other medium like vermiculite. The tree may show some stress but if it doesn't spring back up in 2 weeks you can add some 0-0-10 fert which is nitrogen and phosporus free. It is just plain potassium

 

[davelin315]

I have my IPM license to spray pesticides (herbicide, insecticide etc). I would advise to not use those plants for your chameleon.
They are relatively safe but it will linger in the soil for a period of time and there is nothing to stop your feeders from chewing or eating/drinking from the soil and getting in contact that way.

edit: From the date you gave the trees are fine to use, however I would repot them in some organic potting soil or some other medium like vermiculite. The tree may show some stress but if it doesn't spring back up in 2 weeks you can add some 0-0-10 fert which is nitrogen and phosporus free. It is just plain potassium

Thanks for the info, good to know...

I will repot them, spray them down with some soap, and then quarantine them for a few weeks and then use them in the enclosure.