Bleach Plant Damage - Ask Extension
We recently had our roof cleaned. The company used a 4% bleach mixture. Unfortunately some of the overspray got on our plants and trees. The worse was...
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Bleach Plant Damage #802454
Asked July 22, 2022, 11:31 AM EDT
We recently had our roof cleaned. The company used a 4% bleach mixture. Unfortunately some of the overspray got on our plants and trees. The worse was on our mature rhododendrons. They about 10' high and 20 years old. They already lost a number of leaves and appear to be dying. Can anything be done to save them?
Thank you.
Curt Monhart
Kent County Michigan
Expert Response
Some things to ask yourself: How much bleach actually got on your plants, i.e., leaves only? Entire plant? Did the soil also get bleach?
If the bleach is sprayed on leaves they will turn white and die fairly quickly. Leaves are the primary source of photosynthesis, the process by which plants feed themselves. This process turns sunlight into sugars which helps plants to grow and survive. If the leaves of your plants got affected the plants will die soon. The key is what percentage of the leaves are dying or have died? The plant may push out new leaves is the damage is limited to a small area.
To minimize the damage, rinse your plants immediately with clear water. The water will wipe the bleach and prevent the leaf from scorching. (Possibly too late to do this?) Remove the plant as soon as possible (Yours may be too large?) with a little soil and re-plant them in another safe place. Remove the affected parts of the plants if the plant got affected directly.
Bleach quickly changes to chlorine gas and evaporates, so I doubt that the soil below the plants was affected. But if it was, drench it to dilute and leach the bleach beyond the plant's roots.
Unless the entire plant is affected, I would take a wait and see approach before doing anything (other than spraying and drenching the soil--and it may already be too late for that.).
Another option is to consult a certified arborist. An arborist is a certified and generally insured expert in trees and their problems. He or she can examine your plant and make recommendations regarding its health, any needed judicial pruning, and whether or not (in his opinion) it should be moved or removed. You can find a certified arborist in your area here:
http://www.treesaregood.org/
Click on "Find an Arborist" at the top of the page; then click on United States from the pull-down menu. Then enter your State and City. This should bring up a list of certified arborists nearest to you. Or you may be able to locate one under "Tree Services" in your local Yellow Pages.
It sounds like your rhododendron is large and was beautiful. Good luck!
If the bleach is sprayed on leaves they will turn white and die fairly quickly. Leaves are the primary source of photosynthesis, the process by which plants feed themselves. This process turns sunlight into sugars which helps plants to grow and survive. If the leaves of your plants got affected the plants will die soon. The key is what percentage of the leaves are dying or have died? The plant may push out new leaves is the damage is limited to a small area.
To minimize the damage, rinse your plants immediately with clear water. The water will wipe the bleach and prevent the leaf from scorching. (Possibly too late to do this?) Remove the plant as soon as possible (Yours may be too large?) with a little soil and re-plant them in another safe place. Remove the affected parts of the plants if the plant got affected directly.
Bleach quickly changes to chlorine gas and evaporates, so I doubt that the soil below the plants was affected. But if it was, drench it to dilute and leach the bleach beyond the plant's roots.
Unless the entire plant is affected, I would take a wait and see approach before doing anything (other than spraying and drenching the soil--and it may already be too late for that.).
Another option is to consult a certified arborist. An arborist is a certified and generally insured expert in trees and their problems. He or she can examine your plant and make recommendations regarding its health, any needed judicial pruning, and whether or not (in his opinion) it should be moved or removed. You can find a certified arborist in your area here:
http://www.treesaregood.org/
Click on "Find an Arborist" at the top of the page; then click on United States from the pull-down menu. Then enter your State and City. This should bring up a list of certified arborists nearest to you. Or you may be able to locate one under "Tree Services" in your local Yellow Pages.
It sounds like your rhododendron is large and was beautiful. Good luck!
