I tend to use clear water with a hard stream from the hoes or with a cheap
pressure washer. Stuff comes off pretty easy although I often have to make
a second 'spot clean up' pass. If it seems really bad or the crud has been
coming back too quickly, I will use between a 1 and 2 percent bleach
solution blasted from a hose. I do rise off plants that get wet with the
bleach.

Pat


"Rob Halgren" wrote in message
...
K Barrett wrote:

I use bleach at the rate of 1 tsp per gallon in a hose end sprayer, wet
down
the surface I'm trying to clean and then brush it off. On my twinwall I
use
a soft cloth, and have had no damage, on teh walkways and benches and
walls
I use a plastic scrub brush. Rinse again with the bleach from the dial n
spray and I'm done.


But would you do this on a poly covered house? I don't know if
polyethylene film reacts with bleach or not, or if you could scrub off
any UV inhibitors or other coatings... Just curious. I also wonder if
calcium hypochlorite would work as well as sodium hypochlorite...
Hmmm.... I bet those 'oxy-clean' type cleaners would work well too,
somebody should try that experiment.

I agree that the bleach doesn't seem to harm the orchids in any way. It
has never hurt any of my plants. I've even been known to put some in my
water tank to kill various scummy bits. Cheaper than physan and
probably more effective. I probably wouldn't do that all the time, but
three or four times a year doesn't seem to hurt. I don't grow
pleurothallids...

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
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