Cleaning flowerpots

I have several pots that I need to clean for this coming spring and summer. Does anyone have a recipe that they use to clean their pots? Thanks Tiina

It's best to clean the pots with bleach, that kills any pathogens that might be there waiting to infect the new plant. Sometimes I'm lazy though and just rinse the pots out with water, but you're always taking a chance if you do it that way.

A really deep sink, warm water and bleach. Let them soak but make sure you brush out or wipe out all traces of soil before you wash them. Any kind of scrubbie helps with the cleaning. Rinse well.

A 10% solution of warm water & household bleach .....

Al

Yup, a bleach soak will almost clean the pots without much work. I soak mine overnight in a 2-5 gal. bucket. One -2 cups bleach added to the water. I'm talking clay post but I'm sure plastic would be ok as well.

Yes, it's the same with plastic.

Did anyone try the same cleaning method for the coconut liners? I bought several last year and was wondering how to clean them. I know it was discussed at one time last spring but I don't remember if anyone tried it. Eleanor

I didn't. I have hosed them out but haven't soaked them in water and bleach.

Thanks everyone.

if you didn't have a plant die in the pot do you still need to clean it? i have lots of pots outside but wasn't planning to clean them------won't the cold kill of any germs?

You'd be surprised what can survive the cold, especially when you're in TX where your winters aren't really all that cold. Fungi survive by forming spores which are very resistant to most anything that would normally kill them, then as soon as they're back in favorable conditions, they come back to life and grow again. Bleach will take care of them, but not too much else will. And just because a plant didn't die in the pot doesn't mean there weren't fungal spores in there, if they were there and hadn't had much time to grow they might not have affected the previous plant yet, but if you put a new one in there and they continue to grow it could cause problems. Or if the new plant is a little more stressed and less healthy than the last one, then the fungus can take advantage. And fungal spores can be carried in the air, splashing water from nearby soil, etc, etc so if the pot's been sitting around for a while it could have collected some nasty stuff that's just waiting for some warmth and moisture to grow again. That being said, I'll be honest that I don't always bleach my pots in between plants and I haven't had problems most of the time, but you're always taking some chance if you don't. So it's up to you whether you want to take that chance, or take a little extra time and clean them out.

thanks for a good explanation--

Tina A
A short off topic. My Dad was on the IG's staff when he was in the Air Force and had been to Minot many times. He was also stationed in Sonderstorm, Greenland. He said Minot was colder. On topic, what about
those real light foam pots I have one and am going to put a citris tree in it.
Do you treat them just like any other pot. If you want to throw in some advice on growing an orange tree in a pot it would be appreciated.
Annie

Are you guys tossing your old dirt in the yard when you are cleaning out your pots?

Off topic - I haven't been to Minot, but I have been to Bismarck in January. Windchill was minus 72 degrees. Air temp was minus 40 degrees.

This message was edited Feb 11, 2008 9:05 PM

I always toss used soil into my garden beds (unless I had a fungal problem or something with the plant that used to live there, in that case I pitch it)

Me, too.

Add about 2 capfuls of lemon Ajax and 2 capfuls of Mouthwash (Listerine or something Minty Fresh from your local $1 store) to that 10% bleach & warm water solution, and you'll want to wash every pot you own. The smell is totally addictive!!

I'd be careful adding things to bleach--I don't know that anything bad will happen with those particular products you mention, but anything that is acidic or contains ammonia will create a chemical reaction that releases nasty toxic gases, so it's definitely not something to experiment with. Also adding things like that can make the bleach solution go bad much faster than it would otherwise so it might not be as effective at killing bacteria as plain bleach in water.

The recipe I submitted hasn't killed me yet. And I washed almost every pot I had last summer. The recipe is out of Jerry Baker's (America's Gardener) Tips and Tonics book....

The detergent is a soil softener, and the mouthwash does the same thing it does in your mouth. Kills germs that give the plants bad breath!

This message was edited Mar 9, 2008 10:41 PM

I figured yours was probably OK, I just wanted to make sure other people used caution before just throwing a bunch of stuff in with their bleach!

Excellent point, ercane. I have a large beige ceramic tile kitchen floor and with two dogs (at the time) they tracked in dirt so I was determined to get the floor clean and used straight bleach, scrubbing the grout with an old toothbrush, then followed it with vinegar. Horrible idea. Worked well on the grout but awful for the lungs.

I've since hired a person who steams the tile and does a fine job without getting my lungs (and throat and nose) irritated and damaged.

Ecrane3, you are totally right. Here's a recipe I safely use to wash my pots:

To approximately 1 gallon hot water I add:
1/2 cup Bleach
2 Capfuls of amy brand of Lemon Detergent (aphids don't like lemony stuff); Don't use the anti-bacterial detergent, though. Use the straight stuff
2 capfuls of Mouthwash - any kind will do, even the cheapy stuff from the $1 store. Minty flavored makes the whole concoction smell like fresh toothpaste.

I guarantee, you'll try to find more pots to wash.

I have a TINY mop closet with a DEEP sink, and have done this in the dead of winter with the window cracked just a tiny bit for some cool air. Never have have a problem with fumes.

Thanks Ecrane3 and Pirl for looking out for us.