Quick plant question

[FloridaChameleonLiving]

So I was getting my girl flowers for her birthday yesterday (from a florist shop) and noticed this BEAUTY sitting on the floor . In FL I dont see this type often and was gonna spend almost 100$ online to get one . It was only priced 55-60$ here ! Problem is they said they've sprayed this stuff on it in the past to make it shinier . They did say it has been over a month since sprayed and I don't see how some DAWN soap and warm water wouldn't fix it . Just don't wanna hurt my baby Parsons tho as this would be going into her upgraded cage . Here's some pics I took . Just looking for some opinions. Even if I have to wash it multiple times I really want it .

 

[Beman]

Ugg Not something I would use.... but I have a veiled. I dunno what you would be looking at to try to get this off, it has some nasty stuff in it.

@Kaizen @snitz427 @Mendez @Sonny13 any idea or would you not risk having it in a cham cage?

 

[Sonny13]

One thing is for sure, your Parson will by any chance it get lick water droplets from the leaves. They somehow lick everything that holds water droplets on it. That said, IMHO I think you could get it clean with warm water and soap, but you should clean the whole plant and maybe twice. Good thing is this stuff doesn’t stay on there forever and in general plants in stores get watered, by rinsing them with a hose. Do the leaves feel greasy?
Oo, and after cleaning ditch the soil and repot.

Maybe others chime in with their opinion.

On other hand maybe better safe then sorry.

 

[FloridaChameleonLiving]

One thing is for sure, your Parson will by any chance it get lick water droplets from the leaves. They somehow lick everything that holds water droplets on it. That said, IMHO I think you could get it clean with warm water and soap, but you should clean the whole plant and maybe twice. Good thing is this stuff doesn’t stay on there forever and in general plants in stores get watered, by rinsing them with a hose. Do the leaves feel greasy?
Oo, and after cleaning ditch the soil and repot.

Maybe others chime in with their opinion.

No it didn't feel greasy . They said it's been quite a while since they've sprayed it . Other than that tho they don't do anything else to them . I kinda agree with you I feel like if it was cleaned enough it would be fine but still kinda scared. I'll let some others chime in

 

[DonKeesh]

I would be cautious with that... It may not be toxic but who knows what long term effects could be. You should be able to have a local greenhouse or plant shop order you a new one (schefflera amate).

 

[Sonny13]

No it didn't feel greasy . They said it's been quite a while since they've sprayed it . Other than that tho they don't do anything else to them . I kinda agree with you I feel like if it was cleaned enough it would be fine but still kinda scared. I'll let some others chime in

If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it, it isn’t worth it. Use it for decoration next to the enclosure, they also like that view

 

[MissSkittles]

I personally wouldn’t risk anything like that. It’s a gorgeous plant, but maybe the florist can get you one that hasn’t been treated with anything.

 

[snitz427]

Schefflefa Amate! You can find them online from Home Depot, too… but any nursery will have sprayed and applied all sorts of chemicals to the foliage and soil.

I think if you clean it well eith dawn dish soap, a few times, it will remove most. Far worse has been applied to most plants for pests and disease. Always clean it extremely well and change the soil. If systemics were used, then any animal that eats foliage could potentially ingest it (and part of why systemics are banned in my state).

I don’t think that this is any worse than what else is applied to these plants. Even if you can’t see it, trust me the chemicals are there… So repot it and clean it as best you can. They also grow pretty quickly so if it makes you feel better you can trim back some of the foliage

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I would be cautious with that... It may not be toxic but who knows what long term effects could be. You should be able to have a local greenhouse or plant shop order you a new one (schefflera amate).

+1. I'd check the big-box stores as well. You can find out what days they get new shipments.

 

[snitz427]

+1. I'd check the big-box stores as well. You can find out what days they get new shipments.

Big box stores treat their plants almost daily with pesticides, fungicides, virucides, and bactericide. You can almost always see massive amounts of residue on the leaves. The risks are the same on just about any house plant. Even the organic controls require PPE.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Big box stores treat their plants almost daily with pesticides, fungicides, virucides, and bactericide. You can almost always see massive amounts of residue on the leaves. The risks are the same on just about any house plant. Even the organic controls require PPE.

IDK that to be true, but if it were, it would seem a good reason to know what day they get their shipments, so that can be minimized.

 

[snitz427]

IDK that to be true, but if it were, it would seem a good reason to know what day they get their shipments, so that can be minimized.

I can assure you that they are also being treated with the same prior to shipment.

My point being is that you should have the same concerns with any plant you bring home. Even if you can’t see the chemicals, I promise you they are treated with them.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

My point being is that you should have the same concerns with any plant you bring home. Even if you can’t see the chemicals, I promise you they are treated with them.

Thanks for elucidating. I don't disagree with that at all, and didn't mean to imply otherwise.
I think you also have the same chance of bringing home some hitchhikers regardless—we seem to get them as often on greenhouse & plant store plants as on big-box store plants.

The best we can do is raise plants from seed in home-mixed potting soil. Unfortunately, that isn't just impractical (for may of us), it's also nigh impossible to grow a plant that long and not have to contend with parasitic buggos.

So if I'm going to bring home a toxic pestilence-ridden plant anyway, might as well save a few bucks and get first choice.

 

[snitz427]

If ya’ll are on Facebook, there are usually an abhndance of local plant groups and “BST” (buy sell trade). You can often find some really unqiue and well loved plants there, as well as cheap cuttings to buy or trade. Same thing applies re the chemicals, but I have gotten some reallt cool plants while supporting my fellow houseplant fanatics.