The Gardening Moose’s Sanitation Station

(Where germs come to die and dahlias stay dapper)

At Dapper Dahlias, we don’t just grow flowers—we run a full-blown plant protection program worthy of its own action movie. Think Mission: Impossible, but instead of Tom Cruise dangling from a ceiling, it’s Moose dangling over a bleach bucket. Why? Because viruses, bacteria, and pests don’t get free rent in our greenhouse.

Sanitation isn’t just a side project here—it’s the whole foundation of keeping our dahlia stock clean, virus-free, and thriving. And trust us, we go to extreme (and sometimes hilarious) lengths to keep things that way.

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How Moose Keeps It Clean (The Ten Commandments of Dahlia Sanitation)

1. One Plant, One Blade.
Every stock plant gets its own dedicated pair of scissors and its own razor blade. Sharing tools? Not on Moose’s watch.

2. Pre-Clean, Then Soak.
Before blades take their bleach bath, we wipe them down with Lysol wipes to remove sap and organic gunk. Then they go for a 30-minute soak—handles and all—in disinfectant.

3. Rotate the Potions.
We don’t just rely on bleach; we also rotate with Virkon S. Because some germs laugh at bleach alone, and Moose does not tolerate laughing germs.

4. Glove Swap Like a Surgeon.
Every plant is handled with a fresh pair of disposable gloves. Before Moose moves to the next plant, the old gloves get tossed faster than a soggy salad.

5. Cutting Surfaces Get Their Own Spa Treatment.
Each variety of cuttings gets its own prep surface, which is bleached (or Virkon’d) for 30 minutes between varieties. No cross-contamination invited to this party.

6. Fresh Bleach, No Stale Stuff.
Bleach solution is replaced every 2 hours in sunny greenhouse conditions or every 4 hours if we’re out of direct sun. Because yes, bleach ages like milk, not wine.

7. Container-Only Stock Plants.
Every stock plant lives in its own container. No soil-sharing, no viral gossip circles.

8. Cuttings Stay in Their Lane.
Each batch of cuttings gets its own container. No touching, no mingling, no accidental virus handshakes.

9. Ruthless Culling & Isolation.
Any plant that looks questionably sick? It’s gone—or sent to our isolation bench for observation. Even if that means canceling orders or losing sales, we never gamble with clean stock.

10. Moose the Pest Detective.
Moose himself scouts stock plants and cuttings twice a week with magnifying glass in hand. We also hang sticky traps to monitor and catch pests. Plus, we release beneficial insects early to build strong populations before trouble starts. Organic solutions are our next defense, and non-organics only if absolutely necessary.

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Beyond the Basics

It doesn’t stop there. We keep greenhouses weed-free inside and out, manage pests outside before they sneak in, and clean everything (again…and again). The Gardening Moose doesn’t just grow flowers; he polices them like the world’s most glamorous bouncer.

We believe in doing everything possible to protect our dahlias—from sanitation to scouting, from bleach baths to beneficial bugs. It’s a lot of work, but it means you get the healthiest, happiest, cleanest dahlias possible.

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🌸 Bottom Line: If germs, viruses, or pests want a piece of our dahlias, they’ll have to get through The Gardening Moose first. And trust us—they don’t stand a chance. 🫎💪