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valialee

reusing a spray bottle to water garden

valialee
9 years ago

My husband washed out an empty bottle of Mean Green and then used it to spray the vegetable garden including on full grown banana peppers. I smelled the bottle afterwards and it still smelled like Mean Green and the banana peppers smell like Mean Green too. He rinsed out the bottle well and even used Dawn, but I asked him to rinse it again and he did and now it doesn't smell like Mean Green. Are my vegetables still ok to eat even though they smell like Mean Green? Thank you.

Comments (13)

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    3 things:

    Firstly if you spray the plants thoroughly with a hose or watering can you may be able to wash off any residue.
    Secondly, if the residue is a problem it may well damage your plants before you even have a chance to eat the produce. If they are not affected just wash them thoroughly before you eat them.
    And lastly, a spray bottle is an ineffective way of watering. Plants need a decent amount of water on the soil at the roots, not a mist on the foliage.

  • valialee
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you. I'd love to hear some more opinions on this.

  • Slimy_Okra
    9 years ago

    If you want my honest opinion on this, I think you need to relax. You are at much greater risk driving to work than from some miniscule residue of cleaning product on a pepper or a trace of insecticide from last year.
    You can't lead a chemical-free life unless you move to Alaska and become a hermit. The city is full of chemicals and so is the (farming) countryside. Human life expectancy is longer than it ever has been.

  • loribee2
    9 years ago

    If you sprayed tomatoes you plan to eat tomorrow, I probably wouldn't eat them. If you sprayed the foliage of things that won't be producing fruit for a while, I wouldn't worry about it.

  • loribee2
    9 years ago

    Though, I also have to agree with flora_uk: Is this a pump sprayer you're using to water your garden? If so, that will never give you enough water to sufficiently hydrate your plants. I only use a pump sprayer to water my seedlings while I'm growing them in cups. Once they've been transferred to the garden, you need way more water than that.

  • digdirt2
    9 years ago

    Thank you. I'd love to hear some more opinions on this.

    Then could you provide more information please and clarify some of the points others have asked about? And if we knew where you lived or at least your garden zone we could better guess at what is going on.

    We need info on things like what was put in the sprayer and sprayed on the garden - others are assuming it was water, was it? And for what reason was it sprayed? Are these plants or fruit that was sprayed? And which of the many Mean Green products had been in the bottle so we can find out the ingredients? And if fruit have you washed it and if so was the odor removed?

    Dave

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Dave, the OP's heading implies they were trying to water the garden. So I mentioned, for future reference, that a spray bottle is not the right tool, clean or not.

  • digdirt2
    9 years ago

    Yeah I saw that Floral and agree with you of course but then her mention of the full grown peppers didn't make any sense if it was just water. And who/where has full grown peppers this time of year?

    But then if one reads her other post here too (is soil safe, unused fountain in the corner, chlorine bleach, a spider on the house, some bug spray used last year to kill the spider, etc.) and now the Mean Green bottle and smell.

    When all those 'worries' are combined with the apparent reluctance to provide more info when requested other than asking for more opinions and tacking on more questions, I can't help wondering if we aren't getting punked, getting our leg pulled here.

    It is really difficult to believe someone actually has all these fears about eating food she says her husband grows in the garden. But if I'm wrong, if she does actually have all these concerns then there is little we here can do to help.

    Dave

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    I see your point, Dave.

  • daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
    9 years ago

    Mean Green is pretty non-hazardous stuff, especially if you're just dealing with residual smell. Mainly an irritant. The glycol part is the most damaging, and it's long gone.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Mean Green MSDS

  • loribee2
    9 years ago

    Good observations Dave.

  • valialee
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes, it was water in the spray bottle. The plants with vegetables on them that were sprayed were banana peppers and tomatoes. Other plants that were sprayed were basil, kale, and cilantro, as well as cucumbers and squash that don't have any vegetables on them yet. I don't usually use a spray bottle to water my garden, my husband was just misting the vegetables we just bought before putting them in the ground as it was too hot and sunny to water the garden. We usually water the soil and roots well. I do really have all these concerns and it does drive my husband batty, hence why I am asking these questions on here so I don't bug him about this. I live in southern Virginia and my full grown banana peppers were bought that way at a garden center. I also have a green tomato. The plant I'm most worried about being exposed to the Mean Green is my basil as it's something that can be eaten whenever, but after reading these comments I'm pretty sure it will be ok.

    This post was edited by valialee on Thu, May 29, 14 at 18:10

  • digdirt2
    9 years ago

    Link to your other post since all of these concerns seem to be related.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Your other post

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