Knowledgebase
Power washing chemicals seem to be killing plants #852247
Asked October 05, 2023, 11:43 AM EDT
A week ago our house was power washed. There was a strong bleach smell. Smaller garden plants have died, or are dying. A large Japanese maple has burned leaves. Hydrangea is also dropping leaves. What can I do to prevent further damage? Do I need to do something to get the chemicals out of the soil?
I have taken pictures but don’t know how to share them.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi,
If you can try to send photos, that would be helpful. https://extension.umd.edu/resource/tips-submitting-photos-ask-extension You can visit the link to see if that works, and if you still have trouble, let us know.
It sounds like perhaps the concentration was too high for the bleach and it may have burned the foliage of the plants. The good news is, it shouldn't have harmed the roots. There isn't anything you could do to remove it from the soil anyways though. When the soil is dry enough and it should be by now, you can try to give each of the plants in the area a good soak to try to leach out the bleach or other cleaning chemicals. The plants should leaf out again next spring and be fine. Since it is the end of the growing season, if any start to push new growth, that could have the potential of getting frost burn since it will be tender and not have time to harden off. You can wait until the spring though to see when new growth comes out if any dead tips need to pruned back.
If you had any evergreens or boxwood that are showing damage and can send a photo, that would be helpful, but you could also see if the tips turn brown and by next spring prune those back.
Let us know if you need more guidance with the photos.
Emily