Hi,

This thread is the follow on to the hijack of Where to Get Plants, thread http://www.barrreport.com/showthread...t-plants/page2

The big three for plant sanitizers, because they are cheap and (supposed to be) readily available, are Bleach, 19 or 20:1 solutions of 5% Sodium hypochlorite, Potassium Permanganate, KMnO4, dilute solution and Alum solutions.

Potassium Permanganate, KMnO4 in this Evil Plant Monsters opinion is the best general method for sanitizing plants and for that matter, most aquarium equipment such as nets, forceps, scissors gravel vacuums, tubing, glassware and so forth. If covered Potassium permanganate is reusable for quite a while.

Potassium permanganate and bleach are strong oxidizers, be careful with them. Wearing gloves is a good idea; Potassium permanganate will dye your hands as well. Rinse plants after in a tub or bucket of water with three to five times dechlorinator. If there is any bleach smell at all, rinse some more and add dechlorinator if needed.;)

Should you inadvertently dye something with Potassium permanganate, Sodium bisulfate works wonders, not that I have ever needed it. :o

If you use Alum, a good rinse in clean water.

Instructions are available all over the place. http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1445

I then heard wild stories of Potassium permanganate shortages and price gougers getting $US 9.00, plus shipping for 16 ounces of 3% solution http://www.aquabotanicstore.com/Aqua...p/abdis-16.htm.

Being the condescending old gasbag I am, I assumed it was just another newbie ripped-off. :p

Then Dan of Philosophos fame and S the shoggoth43 chimed in that they also had problems purchasing Potassium permanganate, with folks at Sears playing the terrorism card. :confused:

I suspected this may be a case where asking for Potassium Permanganate, KMnO4 may get in the way, asking for 'stuff' for your iron filter on the water softener, is better than being knowledgeable. Stuff to get rid of the rotten egg smell in your well water. Pool supply places as a disinfectant. So on. Alternatively, the aliases TheLoudCreatureWhatSharesMySpace listed; Permanganate of Potash; Condy’s crystals; Permanganic acid or potassium salt.

TheLoudCreatureWhatSharesMySpace also found Potassium permanganate readily available online. http://shop.chemicalstore.com/naviga...l.asp?id=PP100 remembering a pound of this will make 30 plus 16 ounce, 3% solutions, $US 13.00 (another $US 7.00 for shipping). :rolleyes:

Now me being a potted plant with some health issues, I do not get out much, so continuing my condescending old gasbag ways, I figured them youngsters, smart and good-looking fellers they me be, just were not asking properly.

My driver took me out, first stop Ace Hardware, after all my bucket of Potassium permanganate has “Ace Hardware” right on the label. Well the folks at the Ace Hardware are certainly nice people, even gave me a bag of popcorn, put had not a clue where the Potassium permanganate had gone. They called a manager that gave me my first real clue; he opined a shipping related terrorism issue had backed up the supply chain. Nevertheless, he really did not know much more about what was going on and if or when it might be resolved.

Well we made another seven stops, no Potassium permanganate to be had anywhere. The driver drove, I Googled and phoned. I learned about CFR 49 and such, nothing there to stop the shipping of Potassium permanganate. :rolleyes:

Now it is my policy to have high-friends in low-places and low-friends in high places, so I called one of those low-friends. While my low-friend did not know about Potassium permanganate in particular, my low-friend explained the post 9/11 world of transportation to me, uh-huh, sure did.

Those of you here know I am not the brightest bulb and often have a great deal of difficulty with nuances of the English language, so I had to have this explained a couple of times.

Why for instance, a common commodity, such as Potassium permanganate should be so readily available to any numb-nut or evil plant monster, but cannot be purchased locally.

Well.

“They” got rules, that do not have the force of law, “they” say, but everyone has to follow them, that is why reading CFR 49 sheds little light (like 3-umol). :p

My low-friend (in a rather high place) explained that things purchases over the internet are easily tracked and “quantities” out of proportion to “reasonable” and “assumed” uses can be monitored, civilly. :eek:

Then “if allowed” back in the retail market the retailer is expected to “know their customer” and pass along information if it does not “seem right,” all civilly.

At any rate a little more digging and it appears CSX, a very large rail freight company has issued rules that, while they do not have the force of law, ultimately has brought certain commodities, among them Potassium permanganate, to a standstill.

Anyway, I should point out that Potassium permanganate is a high-energy oxidizer and I have no doubt the potential for abuse and/or misuse is real. :(

Potassium permanganate does indeed have many qualities to recommend it, but if you are going to handle it make sure you have a reasonable idea of what you are doing. ;)

Biollante