dan roggenkamp

Hi Sharon,

We live just north of you. We're just north of Istachatta, right on the Hernando/Citrus county line. (Literally. Our property spans both counties.) We're also right on the Withlacoochee Bike Trail. (Literally again. It's east property line.)

We have a number of Moringa trees and Egyptian spinach (which grew from last year's seed). We also have what I'm guessing is a hard to come by but very hardy red yam leaf. It's a wild Taiwan yam grown for the leaf. Very nutritious, and it thrives in the summer heat. I kept some going in the green house last winter. It's a tropical plant. But it may have come back from the roots. I'm not sure because I planted the cuttings in the same bed.

Thanks Ann. Great link!

Thanks for the information Ann. The name on the sprayer is Swissmex, and if I had to guess, I'd say it is the diaphragm type. I took a better look at it after reading your message, and this does look like it wouldn't be cheap to buy new.

I'd use to to spray basic repellent at first. I suppose after a thorough cleaning I could use it to spray around a garden rather than right on plants until I'm (somehow) sure it's OK.

Cheers John. That was my initial inclination, to not use it. I'll keep an eye out for those cheap sprayers. Some little critter just devoured our yam leaves. Who eats yam leaves? (Sorry, just back from living in E. Asia for many years. Nothing ate the yam, aka, diguaye.)

Thanks again.

First off, new to Permie, and there are way too many threads here to be legal, I'm guessing! Well done everybody. I did search for this first, BTW...

We bought a house on property with a lot of promise. Previous owner left lots of stuff, some usable, some not, including a hand pump sprayer (the type you wear on your back and pump as you go, very nice bit of equipment) that he used to load with Roundup.

So my question, how can I effectively and efficiently clean this thing of poison? I'd be using it for pest control (soap, pepper, tobacco, garlic, etc.), but of course I don't want to kill the plants I'm trying to protect, and I certainly don't want to poison ourselves when we eat them.

Any suggestions or experience? The best I can come up with is multiple rinsings and cleanings and testings, but is that even worth the time? Is this equipment toast?