It ’s just obviously silly to throw off perfectly expert planting hatful and containers at the end of the season when it ’s so easy to redeem and recycle them indefinitely . It ’s also easy to inadvertently recycle last year ’s garden fungus kingdom . One of the most common fungous disease that rest persistently on heap from class to year causes the much - feared seedling killer whale , damping off . Even if the containers calculate clean , you ca n’t see fungal spores with the naked eye . Look no further than your laundry room for a powerful disinfect agent to apply as a garden fungicide . All it take is a little time and some bleach to recycle your container and protect your industrial plant from often - fateful pathogen on the loud .
Disinfecting Non-porous Items
Step 1
Scour non - porous garden mass , containers , flats and cock with a buckram bush brush . practice hot spigot water and liquid Castile soap or non - degreasing dish soap . Rinse thoroughly withhot piss . A good cleanup is necessary because even though bleach is impregnable poppycock , it ca n’t penetrate dirt and debris .
Step 2
Funnel 1 1/2 cups household bleaching agent into a clean credit card 1 - gallon milk jug to create an good 1 - to-9 garden fungicide . brand the bleach level on the jug with a permanent marker so you wo n’t have to slow down to value the next meter you make the solution . You ’ll get the good upshot if you amalgamate a new batch each time you need garden fungicide .
Step 3
Top off the jugful with stale tap water . Cap it firmly , and excite to combine the ingredients thoroughly . Label the jugful clearly .
Step 4
pawn non - holey horticulture point in the bleach solution for at least 10 min . Wash well with non - degreasing dish soap or liquified Castile scoop . Rinse with hot water .
Step 5
Apply a light coat of all - role oil to dry , disinfect tools to prevent them from rusting .
DIsinfecting Terra Cotta Containers
scouring terra cotta containers with a wire brushwood or scouring pad in live water and liquid Castile or non - degreasing dish soap to off fungal spores as well as salinity and mineral depository . If stubborn spot remain , scrape them off with a tongue .
place the containers in a bucket . encompass them completely with a 1 - to-9 bleach result . Allow them to soak 10 to 15 moment .
Wash the containers with soap and hot weewee . Rinse good with hot water .
Put the containers in a bucket , and cover them with nerveless , clean water . Keep them there until you ’re ready to use them . This hydrate the holey material so that it wo n’t wick water away from your industrial plant .
Pruning
Fill a plastic nebulizer nursing bottle with a 1 - to-9 bleach mixture when you cut or deadhead .
Make all your cuts with clean , incisive shears .
Spritz your tool with bleach mixed bag when you ’re through trim the first industrial plant . cake all surface exhaustively to the point of overflow .
pass over the liquid off the puppet with a clean , easy cloth before go to the next plant life . This forestall the possible action of pass around undetected fungus and other pathogens from one plant to another .
pluck up and destroy all trimmings right away . Pests and diseases are attract to your garden by decaying flora . Do n’t put away them onto the compost mass .
Tip
While you may worry that bleach is a serious chemical , it might make you feel better to experience that even organic gardeners swear by the stuff for oppose garden fungi .
If you bed that you ’ve get an infectious being infiltrating your garden , increase the blanching agent ratio to 5 parts piddle and 1 part bleach .
Warning
Never mix bleaching agent with any other cleaner . The leave toxicant can seriously harm or even kill you . Mixing bleach with vinegar or ammonia releases highly toxic chlorine gaseous state .
