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Wildlife-friendly greenhouse cleaning

LiriodendronLiriodendron Scariff, County Clare, IrelandPosts: 7,868
in Wildlife gardening
My sister has frogs in one greenhouse and a toad in the other.  What can she use to clean the greenhouse without harming the amphibians?
"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life."  Rabindranath Tagore

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 30
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  • PosyPosy Isle of Wight.Posts: 3,601
    She should take them out and use a pressure washer. If she wishes to use any chemical cleaners to kill off bugs and bacteria, she will need to relocate the frogs and toads.
  • ZeroZero1ZeroZero1 Posts: 577
    I use plain water and a water jet and a very soft broom to dislodge green mould, works here
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,310
    I'd soak the green house inside and out with a hose, leave it to soak in  for about half an hour or so , then come back and use the hose / soft brush to clean it.
    Devon.
  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 28,560
    Patience for a couple of weeks and then a high pressure hose.  Ii find when I go round my pots with the hosepipe, the froglets and toadlets all hop to safety and then come back later as long as I announce my presence with a gentle spray before getting serious
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Scariff, County Clare, IrelandPosts: 7,868
    Thanks very much for your replies!  I'll pass them on and see which one she favours... 
     
    @scroggin, I think she mainly wants to clean the glass, but in all the old "greenhouse gardening" books you're encouraged to disinfect everything to get rid of the pests and diseases which might be over-wintering inside.  That's clearly a no-no when there are amphibians present.

    Thanks again!
    "The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life."  Rabindranath Tagore
  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 28,560
    I have never disinfected a greenhouse.   Hosta's wet and soak and then spray and brush method works for me too and leaves the amphibians fit and well so they can eat nasties.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 21,138
    Obelixx said:
    I have never disinfected a greenhouse.   Hosta's wet and soak and then spray and brush method works for me too and leaves the amphibians fit and well so they can eat nasties.
    Same here, water jet only, never cleaned a flower pot either. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,310
    I'd only ever disinfect a greenhouse if I knew I had  a serious problem in there. To date, that's never happened. 
    I too have never washed a plant pot and some I've been using for over 20 years.
    Devon.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Scariff, County Clare, IrelandPosts: 7,868
    That's nice to know... I don't wash my plant pots either, but I hadn't admitted it before because I thought I was just lazy...   ;)
    "The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life."  Rabindranath Tagore
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