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Re-using clay pots/pellets after virus

13 years ago

I lost several plants to virus this past summer when I got careless. Some of them were growing in very sturdy old clay pots. I set them aside at the time and now have them along with the clay pellets soaking in a 1-4 bleach solution in a large bucket. Once they've soaked, then rinsed thoroughly, can I safely pot other orchids in them? I've soaked and scrubbed some plastic pots....but I was just concerned because of the porosity of clay. Any thoughts???

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Comments (5)

Gotsome Rice
13 years ago
I put them in my Dishwashing Machine. No virus survived that.
petite_orange
13 years ago
If you have a self-cleaning oven, put them through a cleaning cycle. Virus, bacteria, fungus, mold, algae, slime, roots and medium - all will be converted to a fine layer of ash. And nothing horrific can survive 2+ hours of 600F temps.
Just let everything cool on its own before handling.
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Sheila
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow, good plans . Thx so much.
Sheila
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow, good plans . Thx so much.
jank
13 years ago
BE SURE everyhting is completely DRY. Did this successfully once in a reg oven at 450 for several hours.
The next time the clay pellets were still damp and fumes went into oven and clouded/ruined the thermostat.

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