Washing cactuses?

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astro21
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2015 6:10 pm
Location: Central Europe

Washing cactuses?

Post by astro21 »

Hey, everyone, I haven't posted in a while(I'll post a picture of my seedlings soon). My cactuses have a some dirt on them and I was wondering if I could wash them somehow? Maybe at night, when it's no longer sunny? Do I just pour water on them? Do I find something to spray it on them?
DaveW
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Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: Washing cactuses?

Post by DaveW »

In the UK some used to shampoo the hairy ones with mild soapy water using a shaving brush, but I suppose any soft paint brush would do. Be gentle so as not to remove spines etc and after you have finished just spray them off with clean water. A bit of soapy water getting in the potting soil does not seem to hurt them. Many contact insecticides are soap (fatty acid) based these days I believe anyway. Obviously as with normal watering see they dry out reasonably quickly afterwards.
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Steve Johnson
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Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:44 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)

Re: Washing cactuses?

Post by Steve Johnson »

astro21 wrote:Hey, everyone, I haven't posted in a while(I'll post a picture of my seedlings soon). My cactuses have a some dirt on them and I was wondering if I could wash them somehow? Maybe at night, when it's no longer sunny? Do I just pour water on them? Do I find something to spray it on them?
Use a spray bottle and spray water to wash down the dirt. If misting isn't enough to dislodge it, set the nozzle to stream. Not sure if it matters whether you do this during the day or night, but whenever I need to spray my cacti, I do it at night. Best way to avoid the dirt problem again is put a good layer of gravel top dressing around your plants.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
astro21
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2015 6:10 pm
Location: Central Europe

Re: Washing cactuses?

Post by astro21 »

Thank you, I'll grab a spray bottle and get to work :)
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sundanz
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Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:05 pm
Location: Tyler, Texas, prev. Germany

Re: Washing cactuses?

Post by sundanz »

Whenever my cacti look dirty I use a small makeup brush or small paintbrush to remove the dirt. It works great and is safe for the plants. Maybe I'm weird but I like clean plants. It's my OCD! Lol
Life's a Cactus in the Great State of Texas!!!
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