Cleaning orchid leaves

[tim_r95]

Can you use store bought leaf shine, if you're just making them look good for your own enjoyment? Are there any chemicals or anything that will harm the orchid?

[blanco20]

Just wipe with fresh squeeze lemon juice makes them clean and shine.

[Cym Ladye]

As an AOS and CSA judge, what I find offensive is overly glossy leaves, which is the usual result of using a commercial formula like Leaf Shine. It also can plug the stomata to some degree if left on.

Phals can have more of a sheen than other genera and it will be acceptable. Put the same gloss on Cymbidium leaves and they look very artificial. Judges look for a "natural" but clean look. The secret is to be sure the judges look at the flower and not be distracted by either super shiny or super dirty leaves.

I knew an exhibitor once who used pineapple juice. The upside was nice, shiny leaves; the downside was the ants loved it if it was not washed off and attracted every errant ant on the show bench!

Cym Ladye

[WhiteRabbit]

Milk, mayonnaise (diluted? I'm not sure), lemon juice all will clean the foliage. FirstRay's website (free info - home remedies section) has more info

[PaxTea]

From what I've read, it seems like the main key is acid. Mayo and milk both have lactic acid, and lemon juice has citric acid. Orange juice and pineapple also have citric acid, but they have more sugar than lemon juice, which is why lemon is preferred.

I have been wondering about diluted vinegar (acetic acid). For a basic household cleaner, I make a simple spray of 50/50 vinegar and water, with a drop of baby shampoo.

I googled to see if people use vinegar to clean plant leaves, and there's no mention of it. Does anybody here use vinegar? Is it too strong?

[Petterss]

I agree that acidity is the key component...

Last week I cleaned the white mineral deposits from the inside walls of my orchidarium. I spent 30 frustrated minutes using plain tap water on a cloth with lots of elbow grease and there were still tons of white mineral deposits. Then I added a few drops of "pH down" solution (a hydroponics additive that is a pure pH adjuster) to the water... The mineral deposits melted away (dissolved) with no elbow grease, and the orchid case looks great.

I will start using this on my orchid leaves too.

[terryros]

I have to champion "Rise and Shine" that you can purchase from First Ray's. You can get nice bottles of concentrate and spray it as you need to. It smells nicely, is clean and not glossy, and may even be partly an insecticide as it is like a soap.


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