anyone do this?

tjg911 · May 22, 2009

i need to spray my crw tomato cages with clorox in the next couple of days. this is an effort to reduce foliar disease that i think reside on the cages causing bad foliar disease the past 2 or 3 seasons on my tomatoes.

i use the same sprayer for foliar feeding plants with nh fertilizer.

if i use 1/3 clorox 2/3 water to spray the cages and clean the sprayer and spray thru the nozzle to clear the whole sprayer with water several times will the sprayer be safe to use to foliar feed my plants?

tom

gssgarden · May 22, 2009

Yes. Just make sure you REALLY rinse it good. I only have one hand held pump sprayer used only for my garden but I have several backpack sprayers that I use for various reasons for work related projects. From herbicides to complete vegetation killers. Rinse, pump out hose, repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Reapeat again. Since you're using bleach, the smell should be easy to pick up so you'll know if you got it.

Blueaussi · May 23, 2009

Household bleach actually out gases itself pretty well. Rinse it well, and leave it open to air for 24 hours or so, and you should be fine.

ContainerTed · May 23, 2009

As the CRW rusts, the iron-oxide crystals provide a lot of hiding places for things like bacteria and virus critters. Have you thought about painting the CRW with something like Rustoleum or other paint with rust inhibitors??? Rustoleum can be purchased at Lowes in a brush-on or spray can with a choice of a few colors.

The paint will fill in those hiding places in the wire and, because they halt the rust, will also greatly extend the life of the cages you have built.

Ted

tjg911 · May 23, 2009

i know that chlorine breaks down fast in the sun so i figured putting the sprayer into the sun for a day or 2 would help also but washing it out, i think, is still important. this is good news as the sprayer i wanted to use is not spraying a fine mist just a stream and it'd take 2 gallons to do 1 cage! this is why i was thinking of using my sprayer i use for fertilizing as it throws a good mist. i can really spray the cages well with it but i just worried i might kill my plants even tho i thought this would be safe to do. thanks.

tom

May 22, 2009	#1
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	anyone do this? i need to spray my crw tomato cages with clorox in the next couple of days. this is an effort to reduce foliar disease that i think reside on the cages causing bad foliar disease the past 2 or 3 seasons on my tomatoes. i use the same sprayer for foliar feeding plants with nh fertilizer. if i use 1/3 clorox 2/3 water to spray the cages and clean the sprayer and spray thru the nozzle to clear the whole sprayer with water several times will the sprayer be safe to use to foliar feed my plants? tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

May 23, 2009	#4
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	As the CRW rusts, the iron-oxide crystals provide a lot of hiding places for things like bacteria and virus critters. Have you thought about painting the CRW with something like Rustoleum or other paint with rust inhibitors??? Rustoleum can be purchased at Lowes in a brush-on or spray can with a choice of a few colors. The paint will fill in those hiding places in the wire and, because they halt the rust, will also greatly extend the life of the cages you have built. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 23, 2009	#5
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	i know that chlorine breaks down fast in the sun so i figured putting the sprayer into the sun for a day or 2 would help also but washing it out, i think, is still important. this is good news as the sprayer i wanted to use is not spraying a fine mist just a stream and it'd take 2 gallons to do 1 cage! this is why i was thinking of using my sprayer i use for fertilizing as it throws a good mist. i can really spray the cages well with it but i just worried i might kill my plants even tho i thought this would be safe to do. thanks. tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

May 22, 2009	#2
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	Yes. Just make sure you REALLY rinse it good. I only have one hand held pump sprayer used only for my garden but I have several backpack sprayers that I use for various reasons for work related projects. From herbicides to complete vegetation killers. Rinse, pump out hose, repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Reapeat again. Since you're using bleach, the smell should be easy to pick up so you'll know if you got it.

May 23, 2009	#3
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	Household bleach actually out gases itself pretty well. Rinse it well, and leave it open to air for 24 hours or so, and you should be fine.