Response of Foliage Plants to Industrial Cleaners

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University of Florida, IFAS,
Central Florida Research and Education Center - Apopka
CFREC - Apopka Research Report RH-92-13

R.T. Poole and C.A. Conover*

Maintaining foliage plant quality in interiorscapes is usually guaranteed in maintenance contracts. Maintenance technicians are trained to recognize insect, disease and/or cultural problems in their early stages so that damage is contained and the problem is corrected quickly. Sometimes plants at a specific location decline for no apparent reason, and must be repeatedly replaced, putting the company a into negative cash flow situation on that contract. Some interiorscapers have wondered if foliage plants could be damaged by industrial strength cleaning solutions used in commercial buildings. The following experiments examine the effects of three industrial strength cleaning products on seven foliage plants commonly utilized by interiorscapers.

Materials and Methods

Seven popular foliage plants maintained in an interior environment were treated with Sprays, drenches or fumes of three industrial strength cleaning solvents. Research started when excellent quality acclimatized foliage plants, growing in 6 inch pots in Vergro Container Mix A (Verlite Co., Tampa, FL 33610), were placed in interior rooms on 6 February 1987. Plants tested were Chamaedorea elegans Mart. (parlor palm) Codiaeum variegatum (L.) Blume 'Norma' ('Norma' croton), Dieffenbachia maculata (Lord.) G. Don 'Anne' ('Anne' dieffenbachia), Ficus benjamina L.(weeping fig), Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott. 'Compacta' ('Compacta' Boston fern), Schefflera aboricola H. Ayata (dwarf schefflera) and Spathiphyllum Schott. 'Tasson' ('Tasson' peace lily). Rooms were maintained at 70-80°F with 125 ft-c 12 hours daily and plants were watered by hand once or twice a week as needed.

The industrial strength cleaning products used in this experiment were Square One, a heavy duty stripper, Glass Cleaner, used as name implies and BH-38, an all purpose cleaner. All three cleaning products were manufactured by Spartan Chemical Company Inc., Toledo, OH 43607. Application rates tested were in the middle of the range recommended for cleaning, so that Square One was applied at a 1:5 dilution rate (1 part Square One to 5 parts water), Glass Cleaner was diluted 1:2 with water and BH-38 was diluted 1:5 with water. Three tests were initiated on 11 February 1987.

In Test 1, plant foliage was sprayed to the drip point with dilutions of Square One, Glass Cleaner or BH-38. Test 2 plants received 100 ml/pot of cleaning product applied as a medium drench, and Test 3 plants were exposed to cleaning product fumes in rooms where 2L beakers full of cleaning solution were placed, 4 per 10 x 10 x 8 ft room. In each test, a control group of plants placed in interior rooms were not treated with cleaning products. Plant quality was rated based on a scale of 1 = dead, 2 = poor quality, unsalable, 3 = fair quality, salable, 4 = good quality and 5 = excellent quality plants on 23 February and 2 April 1987.

Results and Conclusion

Plants reacted more quickly to the Spray treatments compared to the fumigation or drench treatments. When plants were graded for quality on 23 February, no damage was visible on foliage receiving cleaning solution fumes (Tables 1 through 7). Damage from potting medium drenches was observed only on 'Compacta' Boston fern and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum (Tables 5 and 7, respectively).

Three foliage plants sprayed with Square One solution, weeping fig, 'Compacta' Boston fern and dwarf schefflera showed marked decrease in quality grades on 23 February (Tables 4, 5 and 6, respectively). Damage from sprays of Glass Cleaner was not apparent, but some spray damage caused by BH-38 was found on foliage of 'Compacta' Boston fern and dwarf schefflera (Tables 5 and 6, respectively).

When plants were graded 2 April 1987, Square One fumes had damaged parlor palm, 'Anne' dieffenbachia and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum (Tables 1, 3 and 7, respectively). Fumes of Glass cleaner reduced plants grades of 'Compacta' Boston fern and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum (Tables 5 and 7, respectively) and BH-38 fumes caused appreciable damage on 'Anne' dieffenbachia and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum foliage (Tables 3 and 7, respectively).

Parlor palms, 'Anne' dieffenbachia, 'Compacta' Boston fern and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum were damaged by drench treatments of either Square One or Glass Cleaner (Tables 1, 3, 5 and 7, respectively). BH-38 drench damaged foliage of 'Anne' dieffenbachia, 'Compacta' Boston fern and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum so that plant grades of affected plants were at least 0.5 lower than the untreated control group (Tables 3, 5 and 7, respectively).

Parlor palm, 'Anne' dieffenbachia, 'Compacta' Boston fern, dwarf schefflera and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum foliage were damaged by Square One spray treatments (Tables 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7, respectively). Glass Cleaner sprays reduced plant grade only of 'Tasson' spathiphyllum (Table 7). Parlor palm, weeping fig, 'Compacta' Boston fern and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum sprayed with BH-38 all purpose cleaner received plant grades at least 0.5 lower than control plants on 2 April 1987 (Tables 1, 4, 5 and 7, respectively).

The cleaning solutions tested caused the quickest damage when sprayed directly onto foliage. Susceptibility to injury varied greatly for the seven plants tested, with parlor palm, 'Anne' dieffenbachia, 'Compacta' Boston fern and 'Tasson' spathiphyllum (Tables 1, 3, 5 and 7, respectively) being most sensitive to damage from exposure to the cleaning solutions tested.

Table 1. Reaction^z of Chamaedorea elegans (parlor palm) to various industrial cleaners. Experiment initiated 11 February 1987.

^zplants were graded using a scale of 1 = dead, 2 = poor quality, unsalable, 3 = fair quality salable, 4 = good quality and 5 = excellent quality plants.
^yPlants were placed in 10 x 10 x 8 ft interior rooms with 4 full 2L beakers of cleaning solution.
^xPlants received 100 ml/pot cleaning solution poured over growing medium.
^wPlants were sprayed to the drip point with cleaning solution.
^vDilution ratio with H₂0.

Table 2. Reaction^z of Codiaeum variegatum 'Norma' to various industrial cleaners. Experiment initiated 11 February 1987.

^zPlants were graded using a scale of 1 = dead, 2 = poor quality, unsalable, 3 = fair quality salable, 4 = good quality and 5 = excellent quality plants.
^yPlants were placed in 10 x 10 x 8 ft interior rooms with 4 full 2 L beakers of cleaning solution.
^xPlants received 100 ml/pot cleaning solution poured over growing medium.
^wPlants were sprayed to the drip point with cleaning solution.
^vDilution ratio with H₂0.

Table 3. Reaction^z of Dieffenbachia maculata 'Anne' to various industrial cleaners. Experiment initiated 11 February 1987.

^zPlants were graded using a scale of 1 = dead, 2 = poor quality, unsalable, 3 = fair quality salable, 4 = good quality and 5 = excellent quality plants.
^yPlants were placed in 10 x 10 x 8 ft interior rooms with 4 full 2 L beakers of cleaning solution.
^xPlants received 100 ml/pot cleaning solution poured over growing medium.
^wPlants were sprayed to the drip point with cleaning solution.
^vDilution ratio with H₂0.

Table 4. Reaction^z of Ficus benjamina (weeping fig) to various industrial cleaners. Experiment initiated 11 February 1987.

^zPlants were graded using a scale of 1 = dead, 2 = poor quality, unsalable, 3 = fair quality salable, 4 = good quality and 5 = excellent quality plants.
^yPlants were placed in 10 x 10 x 8 ft interior rooms with 4 full 2 L beakers of cleaning solution.
^xPlants received 100 ml/pot cleaning solution poured over growing medium.
^wPlants were sprayed to the drip point with cleaning solution.
^vDilution ratio with H₂O.

Table 5. Reaction^z of Nephrolepis exaltata 'Compacta' ('Compacta' Boston fern) to various industrial cleaners. Experiment initiated 11 February 1987.

^zPlants were graded using a scale of 1 = dead, 2 = poor quality, unsalable, 3 = fair quality salable, 4 = good quality and 5 = excellent quality plants.
^yPlants were placed in 10 x 10 x 8 ft interior rooms with 4 full 2 L beakers of cleaning solution.
^xPlants received 100 ml/pot cleaning solution poured over growing medium.
^wPlants were sprayed to the drip point with cleaning solution.
^vDilution ratio with H₂O.

Table 6. Reaction^z of Schefflera arboricola (dwarf schefflera) to various industrial cleaners. Experiment initiated 11 February 1987.

^zPlants were graded using a scale of 1 = dead, 2 = poor quality, unsalable, 3 = fair quality salable, 4 = good quality and 5 = excellent quality plants.
^yPlants were placed in 10 x 10 x 8 ft interior rooms with 4 full 2 L beakers of cleaning solution.
^xPlants received 100 ml/pot cleaning solution poured over growing medium.
^wPlants were sprayed to the drip point with cleaning solution.
^vDilution ratio with H₂0.

Table 7. Reaction^z of Spathiphyllum 'Tasson' to various industrial cleaners. Experiment initiated 11 February 1987.

^zplants were graded using a scale of 1 = dead, 2 = poor quality, unsalable, 3 = fair quality salable, 4 = good quality and 5 = excellent quality plants.
^yPlants were placed in 10 x 10 x 8 ft interior rooms with 4 full 2 L beakers of cleaning solution.
^xPlants received 100 ml/pot cleaning solution poured over growing medium.
^wPlants were sprayed to the drip point with cleaning solution.
^vDilution ratio with H₂0.

*Professor of Plant Physiology, and Center Director and Professor of Environmental Horticulture (retired 7/96), respectively. Central Florida Research and Education Center-Apopka, 2807 Binion Road, Apopka, FL 32703-8504.