Posted:  30 Mar 2013 01:24   Last Edited By: number2211
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Aug 2011	Posts:  64 Reputation:  6 User Rank: 2 - Sprout
I work full-time at a nursery/garden centre and one of my responsibilities is to care for indoor tropical plants year-round for retail. When a new shipment arrives from our supplier, the plants are always covered in a fungicide residue.  It's really dirty looking, and it's time consuming hand-wiping the leaves with warm, soapy water, but it's the only thing I've found to work.  Most of the time, I'm too busy to do this, so I only get a chance to clean them AFTER someone buys them.  I'd like to be able to do it quickly beforehand because it makes for a much better presentaton (and easier sale). I tried out Foli-glo, hoping that would be the solution, but it wasn't.  I applied it all full-strength, half-strength, and 2x strength.  It didn't help. Any suggestions from others who have had this problem would be appreciated.

Posted:  30 Mar 2013 05:38
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Jan 2011	Posts:  798 Reputation:  43 User Rank: 10 - Blossom
Foliglo is my product of choice for those annual/semi-annual cleanings of large trees with a zillion teeny leaves (FICUS!).  You just spray it on to the point of runoff and wait for it to dry before taking up the poly film that protects the surfaces under the tree. Typically, routine cleaning of plants that don't have a heavy buildup of dust can be done with the low rate (about 1 oz. per gallon of water); really tough jobs will require the high rate (about 3 oz. per gallon). Back in the day, the best product for getting rid of very nasty accumulations of grime such as black sooty mold and scale secretions was Tropicare Foliage Cleaner, a mild acid that was sprayed on to runoff and allowed to work for a few minutes before being rinsed off completely.  It cut the gunk, loosened crusty deposits and left the foliage with its natural sheen.  Sadly, it's no longer available.

Posted:  06 Apr 2013 22:45
Registered User Currently Offline Join Date: Aug 2011	Posts:  64 Reputation:  6 User Rank: 2 - Sprout
I guess I'll have to stick to hand-wiping the leaves.  It's a nuisance, but what can ya do?  Great way to pass a rainy day, though.

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