Max Gilley,
Technical Sales Representative
There are many ways growers can use BioSafe Systems’ GreenClean® PRO, which is one reason the product has been around for more than 20 years. “GreenClean PRO is a versatile product that can improve production. It’s easy for growers to find uses for it,” says Max Gilley, a Technical Sales Representative for BioSafe Systems.
GreenClean PRO, which contains the active ingredient sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate, is a reduced-risk product mainly used for fast-acting control on a broad spectrum of algae types, including filamentous and planktonic blue-green algae. It can be used on hard surfaces throughout the greenhouse, including walkways, floors, walls, on and under greenhouse benches, fan blades, tanks, coolers, and more.
Growers also need to know that GreenClean PRO can eradicate liverwort and nostoc, two greenhouse pests that are on the rise and, like algae, can cause various problems in the greenhouse, including for worker safety (slipping).
“Liverwort and nostoc have become more common in greenhouses and nurseries, and growers might think they don’t have a solution for controlling them,” Gilley says. “But that’s typically because they haven’t looked at using GreenClean PRO to control them.”
Liverwort can grow on floors, in pots, and on liners, Gilley adds. It’s difficult to control because it’s a bryophyte (land plant), and it can spread quickly, he explains, noting that typical disinfectants growers use will not control liverwort.
OMRI-Listed GreenClean PRO’s alkaline formulation makes it especially effective on liverwort, Gilley adds. Thanks to GreenClean PRO, growers don’t have to use herbicides to control liverwort, thus avoiding drift and volatilization issues.
Gilley says nurseries located outdoors on gravel beds can become “a breeding ground for nostoc” because of heat and frequent watering.
“Nostoc will grow on soil the gravel is on top of, and then it permeates to the top. It can become a huge issue if it becomes widespread,” Gilley notes. “But using GreenClean PRO on it is an easy way to prevent it.”
Because GreenClean PRO has a zero-hour REI (restricted entry interval) for granular applications and a one-hour REI for liquid and foam applications, its use doesn’t get in the way of daily greenhouse production, Gilley stresses.
“Having a zero-hour REI product to kill your algae where it doesn’t disrupt your production schedule is almost unheard of,” he adds.
Gilley also points out that if there’s no algae in the greenhouse, then there’s likely to be fewer insects to feed on it.
“While GreenClean PRO is not labeled as an insecticide, controlling algae will help with insect pest pressure,” he says. “You’re creating a cleaner environment by integrating GreenClean PRO into your pest management program.”
Because of its REI and because it doesn’t require applicators
to wear full personal protective equipment, it’s easy to implement GreenClean PRO into a greenhouse sanitation and cleaning program, says Gilley, who advises growers to use it preventatively, especially since it takes a higher rate to treat for heavy algae infestations.
“Ideally, you would want to prevent algae because then you can use a lower rate of GreenClean PRO,” he adds. “Weekly or biweekly applications of a very light rate of GreenClean PRO is the best way to prevent algae and maintain a clean operation.”
One GreenClean PRO user said the product provided the best results among several products tried for controlling nostoc, algae, and moss. Another user said GreenClean PRO “provided long-term efficacy against algae and moss, resulting in a cleaner growing environment and safer working conditions.”
Because it can eradicate liverwort, nostoc, moss, algae, fungi, and other organic deposits without damaging plants, GreenClean PRO is a powerful tool for growers to have in their cleaning and sanitation programs. In addition, it can also be used to treat algae and other pathogenic organisms in canals, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs.
