cleaning leaves
 

Hi,
The leaves on the sick orchid that I bought yesterday seem fairly healthy (maybe a little less than that) but they look very dull. I would like to try to make them healthier and shiny, if poss. What do each of you use to clean and shine your leaves? I looked back on old posts and saw that lemon juice or mayonnaise or milk was recommended. Of these, which do you prefer.....or do you use something else? I would appreciate your input.

By the way, thank all of you so much for helping me treat and repot my phal.....I appreciate your advice.

Vicki

I guess I'm not so fancy, and perhaps my answer also dates me. I use a damp cloth diaper. These are as soft as anything made of cloth, very absorbant, and have no chemicals in them.

I use some weak tea and a babys face cloth :)

I use a paper towel or soft cloth with some milk or a banana peel. Put's a great shine on the leaves and lasts.

I use mayo but you need to be very careful in making sure you buff all of it off the leaves. Don't leave any residue...you'll essentially "fry" the plant ;)

I've used milk and it works pretty good for general dust and dirt but it didn't remove those unsightly white mineral deposits that are often found on nursery grown plants. I had one cattleya with white deposits all over her leaves and pseudobulbs. I tried mayonnaise and milk on numerous occasions but it was fresh lemon juice and some light elbow grease that finally did the job.

If I used majonaise or milk on my orchids my 3 cats would make quick work of them--no more orchids and no more problems! But seriously, I put small amonts of fresh lemon juice in a pyrex cup and dip disposable cotton balls or small pieces of gauze making sure I use fresh pyrex cup and gauze for each plant to make sure I don't spread bugs, disease, etc between plants. I am also very careful not not to use the same gauze pad and lemon juice on the same plant with leaves that look even slightly suspecious.

Thank you
 

Thanks for your help, everyone! :D

Vicki

Great idea, which side of the banana peel do you use?

Lemon juice works great for me....I just squeeze a half a lemon onto a paper towel.
Dan