How to clean a palm tree, and how to treat sticky leaves on palm plants.
It doesn't take long for dust to accumulate, as anyone who has gone away for two weeks knows.A speckling of soil on lower leaves is inevitable when a fan or AC unit is turned on.It is important that you clean plant leaves on a regular basis.Dust on the leaves of plants reduces the plant's ability to photosynthesize.The plant feeds itself through photosynthesis.
A clean plant that is photosynthesizing at optimal levels will be a healthier plant and healthy plants don't get diseases.It will make your house look better if you periodically clean the leaves of your plants.
Products like Leaf Shine can interfere with a plant's ability to breathe and photosynthesize, even though they seem like an easy way to clean plants.Stick to the grease.
How often you clean your houseplant's leaves depends on the amount of dust in your air.People with dirt roads, construction, and a lot of wind will need to clean their plants more often.Rub your fingers on the leaves to tell if a plant needs cleaning.If you see more dust than you can blow off, it is time to clean.
There are a number of ways you can clean your house.There are some options that include the following.
If you want to clean medium to large houseplants, you can move them to the kitchen sink or shower and hose them off with a sprayer nozzle.Before spraying, make sure the water pressure is low.The plant can be injured by both hot and cold water.As you spray, hold the leaves or leaf stems.
A spray bottle is a great solution for plants who can't use a spray nozzle.Some plants would prefer this method.
If you want to clean small plants, you can hold the base of the plant at the soil level, put it in a bucket of water, and rinse the leaves.The soil will fall out if the pot is inverted.The base of the plant could be covered with plastic wrap to keep the soil out.Again, be sure to use warm water.Before moving the plants back, let them dry out.
If your plants are dirty, you can spray them with a soapy water mixture and then wash them in the sink.Use a quarter of a quart of water for dish soap.Plants that can't handle being sprayed in the sink can be washed off with warm soapy water.
If your plant is too large to move, you can wipe the leaves off with a damp cloth.The method works well with plants with few leaves.Dust can build up on leaves if you don't use a soft duster after the initial cleaning.
Some plants don't lend themselves to easy cleaning because of sticky or fuzzy leaves.African violets don't like getting their leaves wet, so spraying or wiping is not the answer.For fuzzy-leaved plants, a soft brush such as a mushroom brush can be used to gently remove the dust from the leaves.