How to disinfect glazed orchid pots

[james mickelso]

Bleach is inert after a good rinse. Clay pots need to soak for a few minutes but the bleach won't do anything to the orchids in such low doses. The glazing on glazed pottery was fired at over 1000*f and whatever is used in the glaze is fixed for good. Plain water will not leach it out. The acids in wine take years to leach out lead from wine bottles. You breath in more heavy metals/pesticides/asbestos/formadihyde every day than your orchids will be harmed by any bleach solution you use. TSP is a poor bactericide/fungicide/viruscide(?) in the time needed to wash anything in it. Bleach is 100 times quicker. For tools, a flame is best and is quick.

[kindrag23]

My glazed pot is specifically made for orchids. I used the bleach solution then dawn a scrub brush and hot hot water to clean it well then allowed to air dry for another 2 hours on a day that we had a really nice breeze. I have since placed my chid in there and other then a light scare from a thought "fungus attack" has been growing very well for me.