Advisability of cleaning mounts w/ Sprite (TM)?

[gnathaniel]

A number of my treefern mounts are showing signs of salt build-up, which I know quickly becomes toxic and seems to be one of the major reasons a lot of people avoid treefern...

Anyway, I mentioned this to one of the guys at the local gardening store where I get my orchid supplies, and he recommended that I try soaking the mount and plant in Sprite (TM). I guess the mild acidity is supposed to dissolve the salts from the mount without hurting the plant?

I think the sugar in the soda would be good nutrition for the plants, but I'm a little concerned that if I don't rinse it out of the mount well it might encourage fungal or bacterial growth. Can anyone else think of possible drawbacks to doing this? Thanks!

--Nat

PS no I don't work for whoever makes Sprite (TM)

[Gin]

I think I would rinse the plant and mount with R.O or rain water after using the Sprite if you decide too . This is a new one I have not heard of .. Happy Growing .. Gin

[lycaonpictus]

Before I tried Sprite (TM) I think I'd give the plant a good half-hour soak in distilled water (to soften any mineral salt build-up), then rinse it really well with said distilled water.

[gnathaniel]

Thank you both! After reading the ingredients of several bottles of fizzy lemon-lime drink I've decided I'm a little skeptical of this idea. All the brands seem to have sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, or both. I think even if it does help dissolve some of the mineral deposits from my mounts I might just be trading calcium and magnesium salts for sodium salts, sure to be even MORE toxic to a plant.

Is there anything else I could add to a distilled/RO water soak to help solubilize minerals better? Would a little bit of acetic acid (vinegar) help with this? And why does tree fern seem to accumulate so many salts anyway?

--Nat

[Gin]

I have a question do you water with tap or rain or R.O. water? reason I am asking is I have several tree fern mounts and don't have a problem with build up but I don't use tap or well water to much mineral in it where I live it will turn the leaves pots ect.white .. Gin

[johnblagg]

what would just plain seltzer water do?It being carbonated should be a little acidic ...right?But no sugars ect.

[isurus79]

I think a good soak in clean, soft water should do the trick. If the buildup is really bad, try doing it over the course of a few weeks with one good soak per week. Then just make sure you soak the plants on a regular (1x per month?) schedule in the future. Also, ask that nursery guy about why he mentioned sprite. Seems like an odd thing to do!

[Erce]

i wash i a solution og bleath, works for me

[gnathaniel]

Thanks for all your replies! Gin, I do water primarily with tap water. The water in my area is slightly hard but not so much that I've had problems with any plants other than those on treefern mounts. I have a filter (not RO) that reduces minerals a bit but this time of year it comes out so icy cold that I've been using warm tap water to not shock the plants. I think I will start doing a distilled water soak every week as you and several others have suggested.

Steve, my best guess for the Sprite suggestion is that the mild acidity (carbonic and citric acids) would help solubilize alkaline minerals like Ca and Mg wihtout damage to the plant. The guy who told me this designs a lot of hydroponic systems and mineral build-up is apparently a common problem in these. Next time I get back to that store I'll quiz him a little more.

John, that's a good suggestion, I might try using some low-sodium seltzer water to see if it works any better or worse than plain distilled. I don't think the sugar content of Sprite would be directly harmful to an orchid; my Dad (a botanist and orchid grower) has told me a few times that a sugar water soak will induce some plants to initiate new growth by giving them an energy boost. Of course any that's not well rinsed off could induce a similar explosion of fungal and bacterial growth...

Erce, do you use bleach to clean mounts that have plants on them? How well do the plants tolerate this? I'm a little scared of bleach!

Thanks again everyone!

--Nat