When you...
...can't get...
...the whole thing...
...into the shower.My Monstera deliciosa has been looking kind of dusty, and some leaves have evidence of what could be spider mite damage*, (though I haven't found any mites on the plant) so I thought it was high time that it had a shower. I dragged it into our 3/4 bath, and that's when I discovered that this was going to take some doing. I had to stop to take some pictures to share. After I post this, I'm off to clean the monster the best that I can. Wish me luck!
*Edited to add: I now think that the problem is sunburn, rather than mites, thank goodness.
*Edited to add: I now think that the problem is sunburn, rather than mites, thank goodness.
2 comments:
Lol, good luck with that monster!
I've often seen the advice given, use a cotton ball dabbed in milk to clean hard-surfaced leaves. As an applied microbial ecologist, I thought, 'surely that can't be good for the plant!'. I've also stopped using Leaf Shine products on my plants, because they left a sticky residue that trapped dust.
I recently bought a Ficus elastica 'Burgundy' - bought it on a whim although I haven't had a ficus in the house in ages. HD had managed not to kill it, despite overhead watering with very hard water. It left mineral residue on the leaves that resisted repeated efforts to remove them with simple distilled water/soft rag wiping.
In desperation, I decided to try the milk. Lo and behold, it worked perfectly. I tried it on my Philodendron 'Black Cardinal' that I've had for about a year, which also had mineral spots (and worse) from the same HD tender loving care.
While I would happily lug my large ivy hanging baskets into the shower for quick splash to prevent spider mite, I'd think twice about moving a specimen plant like yours. You might be better off trying the milk sponging, in situ. It sure seemed to work a treat, despite my misgivings.
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