Sterilizing driftwood?

[Des]

``Wow! great mount and nice piece of drift wood

[jess_hawk]

Originally Posted by shadytrake

My big driftwood won't fit in a pot or in an oven so I just put it out on the concrete slab driveway during a hot spell (with some bleach) and let the sun bake it.

We have been getting 90 degree weather here lately so it seems to work.

Good thing this one is small enough to fit in the oven (but not a pot to boil)... it's done nothing but rain here for ages. It will probably stay wet into July, too, knowing our weather... at which point it will dry out and be miserably hot and muggy but only storm once in a while.

Love your mount!

[stefpix]

Orchids in the wild grow on branches that have not been sterilized...
I think if you take indoors is more a matter of not taking bugs/molds/bacteria in the apt?

what about filling the tub with hot water and adding some bleach? that should kill everything

[Des]

What makes you think tree branches are not sterilized , rain is the ultimate sterilizer, it is highly oxygenated. It maybe better to add hydrogen peroxide to the water, dont make it too hot.
The other alternative is to boil the wood in a drum over a fire I enjoy this method as we have as we usually have a braai (barbecue) at the same time

[stefpix]

I think rain may clean but no sterilize. I imagine on every crack of a tree branch there is a population of bacteria, maybe insects and so on...
actually the sun / UV is a sterilizer...

anyway i think the easy/ safe option is a few hours in a bucket of water with a couple of glasses of bleach.
that will sterilize for sure and get rid of smells too.

[orchidbingo]

Originally Posted by shadytrake

Here is my Den lindleyi (aggregatum) that I just mounted yesterday. That driftwood is over 4' tall and weighs over 15 lbs.

Nicely done! Can hardly tell that your den hasn't be growing there all its life

bingo