How to sterilize plastic orchid pots?

[papheteer]

Whats your way of sterilizing plastic pots? Would lysol wipes or alcohol, and soap and water suffice? Thanks!

 

[eggshells]

Bleach bath.

 

[papheteer]

Ibn, What concentration of bleach do you use and how long do you soak them?

 

[eggshells]

Ibn, What concentration of bleach do you use and how long do you soak them?

1 tsp per gallon. I leave it overnight as I like clean white clear pots.

 

[Justin]

i scrub them then let them sit in straight bleach for about 20 mins and rinse.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Throw in dishwasher, then soak in bucket with 5% bleach solution 48 hours, then rinse thoroughly (or throw in dishwasher again).

 

[gonewild]

If you want to sterilize the pots bleach is the best.

10% bleach in water and soak pots for 10 minutes.
This will "sterilize" killing virus and other pathogens.
If the pots have much organic matter you should either rinse them off first or just make the bleach solution stronger.

Weaker solutions with a longer time of soaking may not "sterilize" the pots but they will look clean.

 

[Ozpaph]

I do the bleach thing then put the pots into trays and hose them off, thoroughly. Leave them in the sun for a few days - the UV helps.
Remember, the most important part of cleaning the pots is not the sterilant but removing organic matter (adherent roots) which harbours the 'baddies'.

 

[SlipperFan]

I clean the pots first with a jet spray of water, then I soak the pots overnight in a 10% bleach solution. Cleans and sterilizes. Doesn't remove the hard water spots, though.

 

[NYEric]

Physan!

 

[Erythrone]

I clean the pot with water and soap and I sometimes put them on the dish washer. The goal is the remove the organic matter. And after that, I soak them for several hours on a 10 % bleach solution.

 

[Stone]

You can also use a hand held heating element, bring the water temp up to about 80C for 30mins or so. I also use it to sterilize rain water for seedlings out of flask. Use it the next day of course not when its 80 degrees!

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I use bleach spray.

 

[cnycharles]

Physan/rd20 types will work if there is no dirt/soil but if there is it won't penetrate and sterilize everything


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[mrhappyrotter]

If I'm motivated and have the time, I hand scrub the pots. If I'm busy or just not motivated, I'll put them in the dishwasher. This is to dislodge as much dirt, much, algae, detritus, and whatever else from the pots.

Then I soak them at least over night in a bucket with lots of bleach. Probably around 1 - 2 cups per 5 gallons of water (sorry for the non-metric units of measure). I make sure that everything is completely covered. Since plastic tends to float, I'll stack a clay pot or saucer on top just to keep the pots fully submerged. I also try to jiggle and shuffle things around a few times to make sure that all the air pockets are emptied out.

Then after a day or two, sometimes more, I rinse a couple of times. After that, I do another soak, but this time I use dechlorinator (Prime) at several times the amount recommended for treating tap water. One more rinse, and then I set them out to dry.

 

[Catt Mandu]

Disinfectants (such as alcohol) may take care of bacteria and fungi, but not viruses. To disinfect plastic sufficient to kill viruses, you need something that will physically oxidize or otherwise chemically break down the virus.

Once of the cheapest and most effective things is chlorine bleach. I usually wait until I have many pots to sterilize at one time.


Scrub the pots really well to remove as much dirt and attached plant material as possible. Place all cleaned pots in a large covered container (such as a 5-gallon bucket with a lid). Fill with prevoiusly mixed bleach diluted with water (cup of bleach diluted with enough water to cover the pots). Let it stand somewhere (outdoors, garage, etc.), longer is better, probably a few hours is sufficient. Rinse thoroughly afterward.

 

[gotsomerice]

I throw mines in the dishwasher!

 

[papheteer]

Thanks for all the great tips! I've decided to wash them clean with soap and water and soak in 10% bleach solution!

 

[chrismende]

Bleach is terrible for the environment. Physan is more expensive, but works very well.

 

[gonewild]

And you think Physan is not bad for the environment?