14-07-2004, 05:02 PM
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Gas and Plants
In article ,
ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:
OK, anyone know what gasoline will do to plants?
I was chainsawing something and the cap vibrated off the saw and dumped
a small
amount ot fuel on the ground above two valuable plants.
To hose down, or leave alone and hope it all evaporates?
Opinions? Experiences? Help!
Small spills probably won't do more than some immediate contact-damage.
Since the initial contact with plant and/or its roots does the most harm,
it should've been hosed clean instantly, but too late now to make a
difference. What remains in the soil takes a few months to break down
(into nutrients) so it's possible to end up with a spot of dead soil that
could be dug up & replaced with undamaged soil. If you do nothing
eventually the spot will recover on its own; if the plants there are
harmed there's little to be done to reverse that; a mulch of rich compost
will hasten the soil's self-repair by increasing bacterial action. If the
amount spilled was little enough, you may never notice any harm.
-paghat the ratgirl
--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com
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