A friend told to use olive oil

[bettyespana]

My friend has a lovely white phal & it is thriving.
He does everything with it that I have seen you advise on here but someone has told him to polish the leaves with a light smear of olive oil.I really am not sure if this is good advice even though I have little experience.
Surely olive oil is not needed especially as it is quite a heavy substance. Can you advise please.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I personally wouldn't know about using olive oil to clean the leaves. I have never tried it.

You'll often find that people in the US will not use olive oil so freely. Here in the US, olive oil is expensive!

I have used vinegar to clean the leaves before. I've read other people using lemon juice as well.

[bettyespana]

Thank you for that here in Spain olive oil is so expensive also.I can understand that maybe using vinegar or lemon juice maybe fine but I am rather worried that the olive oil treatment on my friends phal would tend to clog the leaves up.The plant is beautiful & he would be devastated if he lost it.

[keithrs]

I think he using it as a leave shine more so than to clean the leaves. I have heard of people using milk and apple juice as a leaf shine before presenting there plants at shows.

[camille1585]

To clean water marks lemon juice or milk are good. For shine, use olive oil or mayo. The trick is to use very very little ( really very little!), then buff the leaves well with a cloth/ paper towel.

[bettyespana]

Ah! thank you for all your tips.I will make sure if my friend is not using too much o.oil.& only for a leaf shine.
This is a really helpful forum,I am ever so glad I found you.

[james mickelso]

Camille, I know that any oil whether olive or vegetable will not hurt the top of the leaf as this is made of non pourus cells, but is the lemon juice too acidic for the plant? It is a pH of 3 I think. Thoughts please?

[WhiteRabbit]

I have used lemon juice - just lightly moisten a small spot of a paper towel, and wipe/gently rub foliage.

I'd be careful with oil - foliage can burn easily in the sun.

Check out First Rays 'home remedies' First Rays' Home Remedies, scroll down to 'leaf shine'

[james mickelso]

Thanks WR. Will do.

[Kelo]

Originally Posted by camille1585

To clean water marks lemon juice or milk are good. For shine, use olive oil or mayo. The trick is to use very very little ( really very little!), then buff the leaves well with a cloth/ paper towel.

I used to use milk and water to clean the leaves of a cheese plant and it work great!