Home Depot Broms; How Do I Clean Them?

See http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/59987-home-depot-question.html

JBear, here's what I do:

First I wash then in a sink of soapy water. I use a Q-tip to scrub down between all the leaves. Then I rinse them in vinegar water to get rid of the soap. Then I soak them in bleach water to get rid of any critters. Then I rinse them in dechlorinate water to get rid of the bleach.

It sounds like a lot of trouble but it really isn't that bad.

Hey Justin,
One thing to add to what Kris said: let them grow out of the viv for at least a few weeks to let any systematic ferts dissipate. Longer is better.
Congrats on the new frogs!
-Field

I do similar to a combination of Frogface's suggestion and Fieldnstream's. I don't use the soapy water and vinegar though, I just use room temp water. The bleach soak I do a 5% soak (1 cup of bleach to 19 cups of water) for 10 minutes. Then I grow out for 6 weeks for systemics.
Most of that is covered in the thread from Ulisesfrb. All good answers.

would you still do the 6ish weeks grow out if you were taking the plants from one of your vives to plant another? i was thinking about taking some oak leaf pum vines from one of my pum tanks and use it as background cover in two new verts i have started.

i was going to just do the 5% bleach soak then a fresh water soak to clean the cuttings before i put them in the new vives.
ADAM

addam4208283 said:

would you still do the 6ish weeks grow out if you were taking the plants from one of your vives to plant another? i was thinking about taking some oak leaf pum vines from one of my pum tanks and use it as background cover in two new verts i have started.

i was going to just do the 5% bleach soak then a fresh water soak to clean the cuttings before i put them in the new vives.
ADAM

Click to expand...

No, the 6 weeks is to give them a chance for systemic pest poisons to work their way out or wear off.

Ferts and pesticides are not the only chems to watch out for. Most commercial bromeliad growers use a product called Floral to force blooms in bromeliads. This is a nasty chemical, which is also used as a growth regulator to create more compact plants. Residue could very well stunt other plants in the viv. Also, it is known to damage acrylic and other plastics, as well as some metals. It's been awhile since I read the label and msds, but I'm pretty sure it makes a big deal about using it near waterways.