Routine or annual greenhouse cleaning is essential. Regular maintenance will prevent unwanted pests and diseases from growing alongside your plants. Here are a few steps that are necessary to clean your greenhouse properly:
- Empty your greenhouse of all plant matter including any weeds. Take note of any existing diseases or pests and dispose of them into compost away from other susceptible plants.
- Spray down and wash all pots and accessories. Thoroughly wash all pots with soapy water and let them sit in an oxygen bleach solution of 3/4 cup oxygen bleach to 1 gallon of water.
- Replace old soil that can contain pathogens with clean disease-free soil. This includes the soil in your pots and beds as well as the soil between paths and under benches.
- Rake out or sweep out any debris and treat the entire exposed area with diatomaceous earth at the very end of the cleanup procedure when your greenhouse will sit dormant.
- Disinfect irrigation and holding tanks. Irrigation lines and holding tanks develop algae that can host thousands of gnats. Flush the tank with hot water and bleach and scrub the holding tanks.