AusBonsai

Hi All
I have had a couple of bad experiences with diseases so have been sterilizing my tools religiously .A friend who grows Orchids recommended using bleach .However this is causing some bad reactions in my tools. .The steel ones can be cleaned up but the stainless ones are starting to get a little pitted. Any ideas on another alternative . I am using the bleach strait from the bottle , I am starting to think this is to strong .

Another question about some cheap pots I picked up , they have some very low spots were the feet have been pushed through .I need to fill them but am unsure what to use. Any advice on both questions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks John.

boom64 wrote:Hi All
I have had a couple of bad experiences with diseases so have been sterilizing my tools religiously .A friend who grows Orchids recommended using bleach .However this is causing some bad reactions in my tools. .The steel ones can be cleaned up but the stainless ones are starting to get a little pitted. Any ideas on another alternative . I am using the bleach strait from the bottle , I am starting to think this is to strong .

Seen this on a few gardening shows over the years, they usually suggest using methylated spirits

Hey mate, 70% methylated spirits solution, using a spray bottle should do the trick. That's what they use in commercial nursery's

A metho and water mix that is

I also use neat metho on my cutting tools which does not seem to have any reaction on the tools.

Another question about some cheap pots I picked up , they have some very low spots were the feet have been pushed through

I can't work out what this means so can't offer a solution.

The low spots in the pots are probably depressions left when the pot were slip cast . The liquid clay shrinks as it dries . Fill them with anything that is waterproof , silicone , cement and tile grout all work . Ask youself first if the pots are worth the effort and don’t let a decent frost get near them !
Cheers
Graham

I use diluted Dettol.
Good advice from Graham, el cheapos have too many problems.
Cheers Marie

The alcohol based solutions should deal with bacteria but I have often wondered how effective they are against viruses. Diluted bleach certainly will do the job but as mentioned above, it is corrosive. The orchid folk recommend “trisodium phosphate”. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks for the great feedback . The pots come from a mate who picks up these at auctions ,sales etc. Have been using these for growing on .Amazing how bad some of these can be...

Interesting information about the sterilizing of tools. Metho seems the best option and readily available. I will ask around about "Trisodium phosphate " Terry. I am particularly concerned about Mosaic Virus ,i think it might be around the neighbor hood as there are a lot of figs in town.
On a side note I have pots from both Graham and Marie and cannot fault them in any way. They are for the good trees .Cheers John.

I had lovely roses before I pruned them last year and now they’ve got mosaic. Does it go away?

Beano wrote:I had lovely roses before I pruned them last year and now they’ve got mosaic. Does it go away?

Unfortunately no. There are ways to treat material for propagation but these are generally industry based approaches. Likely caused by “Prunus Necrotic Ringspot Virus” so be careful if you have stone fruit trees also.

terryb wrote:

Beano wrote:I had lovely roses before I pruned them last year and now they’ve got mosaic. Does it go away?

Unfortunately no. There are ways to treat material for propagation but these are generally industry based approaches. Likely caused by “Prunus Necrotic Ringspot Virus” so be careful if you have stone fruit trees also.

Rats. There’s an ornamental cherry right next to them.

So do you all just fill up a container and put the blade ends in to soak for an hour or just dip the blades and wipe them dry?

Beano wrote: Rats. There’s an ornamental cherry right next to them.

So do you all just fill up a container and put the blade ends in to soak for an hour or just dip the blades and wipe them dry?

If your pruners are clean (no bits of old plants, sap etc), then keeping the blades for a few minutes in diluted bleach should be enough. Rinse with water afterwards and wipe dry. A light oil after use will stop them from rusting. Steel wool is good for keeping the blades free of plant sap.

Hi all
What is prunes neurotic ringspot virus. What are symptoms and is it fatal
Cheers PeterB

peterb wrote:Hi all
What is prunes neurotic ringspot virus. What are symptoms and is it fatal
Cheers PeterB

The internet says it’s this :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_ne ... spot_virus