I have a lush and beautiful Calathea in my bathroom, which has fabulous velvety leaves. The trouble is that, like velvet, they trap dust. And since the leaves are a dark, rich colour, the dust is very obvious, especially once it starts to build up. I can't find any way of cleaning the dust off. I've tried gently brushing with my fingers, pouring water over the leaves -- even pouring a lot of water over the leaves, but it seems to make no difference. I've been told I should wipe them with milk, but I'd have thought the milk would get sticky as it dried and probably make the problem worse. I can't be the first to encounter this problem. What's a good way to clean the leaves and restore them to their original soft, rich green?
Hmm I've never grown Clathea but for my african violets I've used paintbrushes to clean the fuzzy leaves of dust and dirt. Not sure if that'll do it though =/, good luck! Ryan
Yes, a soft paint bush will clean those fussy leaves up ok. You can also rinse them off with "tepid water" either in the shower, or from the dish sprayer over the kitchen sink, something I do with Avs all the time. As long as the leaves are allowed to dry completely away from any direct sun, they won't get any ugly spots.Then they can go back to their original locations.
Hey Cactus Jack...have you got a photo of the Calathea with hairy leaves, I'd be interested to find which one?? I grow a few at home but the ones I have are all smooth leaved variety. Ed
I use generic facial cleansing tissues made for ultra sensitive skin so they are mild on plant skin as well. They work just as well on delicate hairy leaves as they do on stiff shiny jade pieces.
