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Plant pot sterilising

PalustrisPalustris Posts: 3,188
in Problem solving
I need to really clean a lot of plastic plant pots before re-potting my Auriculas. (See the question about root aphids).
Was thinking of bleach, but at what strength?
tia

Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Billericay, EssexPosts: 4,875
    According to this article - 
    https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/1994/3-16-1994/clean.html

    9 parts water to 1 part bleach
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • philippa smith2philippa smith2 Posts: 7,943
    If the pots are undamaged, surely a hot wash using a liquid soap, good scrub, left to dry properly before re using should suffice?

  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 3,188
    We are talking of hundreds of pots here so a hot wash would be a bit difficult. Mind even bleaching them is proving a bit difficult. 9 litres of water and 1 litre of bleach does not make a particularly deep binful. I have done about 1/3 of them so far. Then it rained so I stopped.
  • philippa smith2philippa smith2 Posts: 7,943
    Ah.........hundreds of pots........a bit of a job on your hands then ;).

    However, if you are filling a bin with water and bleach, what's the difference between that and filling a bin with hot water and soap ( other than the electric to heat the water and a bit of elbow grease).
    I'd assume you would still need to rinse off the bleached pots just as you would the soaped pots ?
    I guess it is up to you really - best of luck anyway :)


  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 3,188
    Either way it is going to be a long job. but necessary. The root aphids cling to the side of the pots and infect any new compost.
    Once these pots are clean I can begin repotting all my Auriculas in clean compost. A fairly big job.
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