What to do when dust on orchid leaves cannot be washed off

When orchids are kept for a long time in an environment with poor ventilation and insufficient humidity, dust tends to accumulate on the orchid leaves. Usually we can rinse the dust clean by letting rain fall on them or spraying them with water, but orchid leaves have an oily characteristic, so their adsorption capacity is strong, and sometimes the dust is hard to wash off. Directly rinsing with a shower head risks root rot, and slowly wiping with soft paper towels is fine when there is only a little, but troublesome when there is a lot. So what should be done about this dust on orchid leaves?

Why clean dust off orchid leaves

1. When dust accumulation on the leaves is very dirty, it affects the function of the leaves. After cleaning the dust off the leaves, photosynthesis can be enhanced. With high photosynthetic efficiency, the orchid plant becomes strong, and the leaves become deep green, thick and glossy. Also, once the orchid leaves are clean, the stomata open, and their absorption and release of moisture in the air are good. The more sufficient the nutrition, the more sufficient the nutrients transferred to the orchid pseudobulbs, and the stronger the root system develops.

2. There are many stomata on orchid leaves. Once there is dust, the stomata become blocked, which affects respiration. Respiration is the transformation method for carrying out metabolism, so after cleaning the dust off orchid leaves, the stomata can open and the respiration of the leaves can be enhanced, thereby promoting the orchid's metabolism. Enhanced metabolic function will speed up the growth of that year's new shoots, making it easy to sprout and bloom. For newly transplanted seedlings, it is easier for them to establish in the pot.

3. The dirtier the orchid leaves, the more prone they are to pest problems. If pests such as scale insects and red spiders occur, and their excrement is not cleaned off in time, it can easily cause the fungal disease sooty mold. Sooty mold causes the loss or reduction of leaf function, so cleaning the leaves thoroughly can reduce the breeding of pathogens. With less dust deposition, relatively speaking, the pathogen spores carried by wind through air movement also attach correspondingly less, so the probability of disease occurrence will also decrease accordingly.

4. Orchid leaves that are deep green, thick and glossy are very good to appreciate even without flowers. The cleaner the leaves, the more the ornamental value can be improved. There is no need to say more about this. Put two pots of orchids together, one dirty and one with deep green, thick and glossy leaves; everyone's choice is obvious without thinking. So cleaning them thoroughly better matches our aesthetic standard of loving cleanliness.

How to clean dust off orchid leaves

The cleaning of orchid leaves should be continuous, not done only when you think of it. You should not wait until the leaves are covered with dust before starting. Let the dust be dealt with before it takes hold; this saves time and effort. When we normally water, spray moisture, and fertilize, we should rinse the leaves at the same time to keep them fresh and clean. Orchid leaves are relatively delicate, and too much force can easily break them, and the back side more easily accumulates dust and is harder to clean, so be careful when cleaning. The commonly used methods are carrying them to the bathroom and rinsing with a shower head, or rinsing with a spray bottle. If they are too dirty, slowly wipe them with a soft cloth.

What to do when dust on orchid leaves cannot be rinsed off

If too much dust has accumulated on orchid leaves, the leaves are too dirty, and the dust is too thick and oily, then it is very hard to rinse off. Besides slowly wiping it clean with a cloth, what good methods are there to clean it quickly?

1. Add beer

When spraying and washing, you can add some beer to the spray bottle. Beer contains a large amount of organic components, and after rinsing and soaking, it is very easy to wash off the dust accumulated on the leaves. Beer also contains a large amount of nutrients such as amino acids, which are easily absorbed by orchid leaves. After spraying and washing several times, a layer of dust will come off, and afterward the leaves will easily become deep green, thick and glossy.

2. Add white vinegar

Everyone should be familiar with the cleaning effect of white vinegar. In fact, when spraying and washing orchid leaves, you can also add white vinegar. Remember, choose pure white vinegar, not white vinegar containing salt, because salt easily breaks the surface layer of orchid leaves into wounds. When the dust is very thick, cleaning several more times will get it done.

Finally: after rinsing the leaves, we should promptly disperse the moisture. The usual practice is, after rinsing with a shower head and spray bottle, to use an electric fan placed a few meters away from the orchid and blow toward it, which can quickly dry the water on the orchid leaves and in the leaf centers without letting water accumulate and rot the heart. Also, each time you rinse, do it in the evening. After drying the leaves, leave them for a night, and the water in the orchid potting soil will also drain away, keeping the potting soil moist but not wet.