Hi - I recently purchased a pothos plant, and noticed a strong chemical odor on the leaves, maybe it is a pesticide? I have one other pothos in the house and some other assorted plants. Should I wash it off? If so, how? The bathtub? Soap? I need to re-pot it soon so a washing would work out to do at that time. The plant very healthy and I wiped the leaves with a damp paper towel but the smell is still strong.
Thanks for answering!
That's exactly what you're smelling - pesticides. Cover the soil with some paper towel or cheesecloth (which you don't mind discarding). This will keep the soil from splattering all over the leaves. Then, put it out in the rain. Or, use the shower, or kitchen sink sprayer. Rain is preferable because who knows what's in your water (minerals, water softener salt) which will leave a residue on the leaves.
Many of the cut flowers you get from florists and supermarkets are dosed pretty heavily, too.
Thanks...so, is there somekind of plant soap or cleanser that will wash the stuff off? Plain water did not work for me, but maybe it is a matter of time. My plan was to do the washing with no soil, since what it came with is inferior to what I will re-pot it with.
On the plus side, this pothos has much more white than others I've seen, which is why I bought it...almost as if it's albino. Strange, since the lack of visible chlorophyll has not impaired the health of the plant.
I live in Alaska, and have great summer sun exposure in our long p.m. hours...but the winter is coming and soon there will be absolutely no direct sunlight available in the house for weeks; we'll see how things go.
Thanks again!
Nooooo....don't do it without soil. No, no, no. Don't.
As far as soap, got any very basic shampoo, without vitamin E, anti-aging ingredients, dye, bleach, softener, straightener. youthener, detangler, protein, eggs, or other crap? Put a few drops in a bowl, add water, swish to make it a little sudsy, and wipe the leaves with cotton balls. You could also try filling a bucket with the stuff, holding the soil in the pot with a towel, turning the plant upside down and dipping it in the water, but I think it's going to need friction. Pesticides contain ingredients to make them stick.
Don't soak the soil with shampoo/water, by the way. I don't know why. Intuition just says it's not such a hot idea. Cover the soil with plastic wrap.
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