Chris H wrote:
Hi,

snip


A few weeks ago though I had been using a weed killer at
work called Sodium Chlorate(ide?) I think. I bought some home and made
up a solution to kill off a couple of particularly persistent unwanted
plants at the back of my garden. I vaguely remember seeing a small
amount of water in said watering can a few weeks ago and I now believe
I must have assumed it to be collected rainfall and poured it over the
two trees without thinking.

Both trees have been growly slowly more sickly looking over the past
couple of weeks. They both still have signs of life over most of their
growth. With this in mind can anyone tell me if it's possible to still
save them?

Having literally only realised what I must have done a few minutes ago,
the only action I can think to take, is to remove both trees from the
soil they're in and keep them overnight in a bucket of water. Then
tommorrow, when I can purchase some more compost, I'm intending to
repot them in fresh soil.


You can remove all the soil on the ficus at this time of
year (assuming you are in northern hemisphere) and soak and
repot, but . . .

The pine will not stand for a summer repot.

Most weed killers are taken up quickly into the plant
tissues and do their work from inside; they don't stick
around in the soil. If you truly did water them with weed
killer, I don't think there's a lot you can do but hope that
it was diluted enough -- by rain, or whatever -- that they
got a small dose.

You CAN submerge both pots, let them drain, and repeat --
just in case, but I think whatever damage that is gonna
happen has been done already. KEEP THEM OUT OF THE SUN!
That makes herbicide damage worse.

At any rate, it was NOT the MiracleGro. And, if either tree
survives, I recommend you start using it rather than that
"bonsai fertilizer" (ain't no such animal). It'll be a lot
cheaper and it gives the same stuff to the trees.

Good luck. And henceforth reserve a SPECIFIC container for
herbicides ONLY.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - When we
see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to
use it with love and respect - Aldo Leopold - A Sand County
Almanac

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