I recently cleaned a roof that had gutters all the way around the home. On one side of the home there was a hibiscus planted right at one of the gutter outlets and there was one other outlet at the back of the home. My assistant was watering the hibiscus heavily and we even covered it to keep any overspray off it. I noticed the 4% mix I was spraying was pooling in a low spot of the gutter before either outlet so I grabbed the gutter cane and kept water flowing through the gutter until I finished spraying that side of the home. There was very little fluid coming out where the hibiscus was. The majority was coming out at the 2nd outlet. Afterward we plant protected the entire area. Two weeks later I get an e-mail from the owner with picture showing his hibiscus died. My thought is that residual came out of the gutter with the morning dew or a light sprinkle strong enough to contaminate the soil at the root.
1) Is my thought about residual correct?
2) If so, what do you do about residual solution on the roof short of hosing the whole thing down with water?
3) What else could I have done to protect this plant?
Thank You for any help you can give me
Tim Teed said
Mar 2, 2015
hibiscus, bouganvilla(unsure spelling),hydrangea, any of the vine like plants are all extremely sensitive to SH. If there is a downspout near one of those plants we attach a disposible pvc drain(Rain Drain) and tell homeowner to remove after 2 weeks or a couple of rains. sometimes we may briefly cover the plants with plastic if its one of the climbing vines.
AC Lockyer said
Mar 2, 2015
Hibiscus will drop every leaf if you gently whisper bleach in its ear. Generally they come back within a few weeks. It is February so nothing is growing right now. The likelihood is it is still alive. Cut the plant at a branch that is the width of a pencil and see if it is still green. On a hibiscus the area of the stem under the bark will be green while the wood of the stem its self will be a white to light green. If so the plant is OK and just dormant until the growing season starts in March.
AC
Mark Fermoyle said
Mar 2, 2015
Was the covered hibiscus in direct sunlight while you had it covered, Ryan? If so, that could be the reason, or a big part of the reason that it got smoked. Covering a plant with plastic in direct sunlight is like steaming broccoli.
AC Lockyer said
Mar 2, 2015
1) Is my thought about residual correct?
Yes and also remember the three D's of plant protection. Divert, Dilute, Decontaminate.
2) If so, what do you do about residual solution on the roof short of hosing the whole thing down with water?
Decontaminate means use SoftWash Systems Plant Wash.
3) What else could I have done to protect this plant?
Plug the gutter downspout with plastic or add a divert-er pipe. Use the gutter cane like you did but now you have completed the first D which is Divert.
AC
AC Lockyer said
Mar 2, 2015
Mark Fermoyle wrote:
Was the covered hibiscus in direct sunlight while you had it covered, Ryan? If so, that could be the reason, or a big part of the reason that it got smoked. Covering a plant with plastic in direct sunlight is like steaming broccoli.
If the plant retained its leaves and did not drop them then likely it was sun burn and the plant is cooked. That is the biggest sign if a plant will survive or not. If it drops the leaves that is a defense mech. If it retains the leaves and they are brown likely the plant will die.
AC
Ryan Harder said
Mar 2, 2015
Thank you all for your replies. I'm pretty confident that I have the dilute and decontaminate part of the "Three D's" down. I will be much more diligent in diverting from now on. There is a possibility we had it covered too long. Being here in SW Florida we are real good at not covering plants for a long amount of time because of the heat and humidity. In this case however the plant turned brown but did not drop it's leaves. This is the first plant I've killed since I starting soft washing back in August so there's a lot to learn from this experience.
I recently cleaned a roof that had gutters all the way around the home. On one side of the home there was a hibiscus planted right at one of the gutter outlets and there was one other outlet at the back of the home. My assistant was watering the hibiscus heavily and we even covered it to keep any overspray off it. I noticed the 4% mix I was spraying was pooling in a low spot of the gutter before either outlet so I grabbed the gutter cane and kept water flowing through the gutter until I finished spraying that side of the home. There was very little fluid coming out where the hibiscus was. The majority was coming out at the 2nd outlet. Afterward we plant protected the entire area. Two weeks later I get an e-mail from the owner with picture showing his hibiscus died. My thought is that residual came out of the gutter with the morning dew or a light sprinkle strong enough to contaminate the soil at the root.
1) Is my thought about residual correct?
2) If so, what do you do about residual solution on the roof short of hosing the whole thing down with water?
3) What else could I have done to protect this plant?
Thank You for any help you can give me
hibiscus, bouganvilla(unsure spelling),hydrangea, any of the vine like plants are all extremely sensitive to SH. If there is a downspout near one of those plants we attach a disposible pvc drain(Rain Drain) and tell homeowner to remove after 2 weeks or a couple of rains. sometimes we may briefly cover the plants with plastic if its one of the climbing vines.
AC
If the plant retained its leaves and did not drop them then likely it was sun burn and the plant is cooked. That is the biggest sign if a plant will survive or not. If it drops the leaves that is a defense mech. If it retains the leaves and they are brown likely the plant will die.
AC
Thank you all for your replies. I'm pretty confident that I have the dilute and decontaminate part of the "Three D's" down. I will be much more diligent in diverting from now on. There is a possibility we had it covered too long. Being here in SW Florida we are real good at not covering plants for a long amount of time because of the heat and humidity. In this case however the plant turned brown but did not drop it's leaves. This is the first plant I've killed since I starting soft washing back in August so there's a lot to learn from this experience.