Pool unknowingly drained onto citrus trees. It’s been more than two weeks since it happened. Anything I can do to save them? How can I find someone to help assess damage?
Am arborist or horticulturalist but probably not much you can do now that doesn’t involve digging them up and transplanting them as the chemicals and minerals have already altered the soil chemistry and biologicals.
They would need clean dirt and water, otherwise not much to do. Watering them might make them uptake more bad juju.
Not watering them might stress them beyond the breaking point .
Clean water and food is what they would need and they cannot get that in situ without removing and replacing a few tons of dirt at least.
If I was me in this story, if probably plan on replacing them IF they die as the cheapest option, pick something you like and then instead of waiting for something to happen learn beforehand how to take care of and nurture it. Pick out a fruit tree with your kids/partner etc. make into something good not a mistake that was fixed.
But they might live, decide if you want to wait and see, or replace them. I wouldn’t plant there again until probably next year though so that there is time for the soil to clear and rebalance.
So if you really really want them right there in that spot, leave the old trees as they might live and if they don’t then wait an appropriate amount of time then replant when the soil is copacetic.
Not a certified anything and can barely keep myself alive. Wait for answer from pro, I only know what I don’t know.
Tom_Marvolo_Tomato
The chlorine in the pool water is highly toxic to plants. If you could have run a sprinkler over the area to dilute the chlorine, they might have made it. If the pool had leaked in the winter when the trees were dormant (um…I’m a northerner…do citrus trees actually go dormant?), they might not have taken up that much chlorine.
Right now, 2 weeks after the event, there’s not much you can do. I’m assuming that the pile of leaves on the ground means that the damage has already been done. I’d suggest going ahead and running irrigation in the area to try to continue to dilute the chlorine, and then see if the trees leaf out again.
TheRealBaboo
Hope it works out OP, but please update us in a year, for science
comeonmeow2
I think you will be fine
Juskit10around
Idk that is worth saving. I would flood the crap out of the dirt. And keep adding bags of compost. To try to balance out the soil again and add organic material back. If you can’t rent a machine to dig it up and move it. Which is risky also. I just hate seeing such a mature citrus not make it! I don’t know the residual effect of pool water on soil. Or how long its recovery rate is. There will be a paper or some sort of scientific evidence though. Things can be saved! Just figure it out. Let us know what you do. I’m sure this has happened before and will happen again. it could be just stressed and will recover but my gut instinct is flood the soil and add lots of random types of organic compost . All the bags you can buy. To flood into the ground. Get rebarb and hammer holes so the material can get down in there. It’s not proven. I’m a horticulturist and used to have a nursery . Sometimes you just gotta try things.
justsomeyeti
Can anyone confirm that maybe a heavy application of gypsum followed by flooding might be worth trying? Might help with flushing out the soil?
RandomWon
Doesn’t chlorine evaporate after a short time? That’s what I heard.
7 Comments
Am arborist or horticulturalist but probably not much you can do now that doesn’t involve digging them up and transplanting them as the chemicals and minerals have already altered the soil chemistry and biologicals.
They would need clean dirt and water, otherwise not much to do. Watering them might make them uptake more bad juju.
Not watering them might stress them beyond the breaking point .
Clean water and food is what they would need and they cannot get that in situ without removing and replacing a few tons of dirt at least.
If I was me in this story, if probably plan on replacing them IF they die as the cheapest option, pick something you like and then instead of waiting for something to happen learn beforehand how to take care of and nurture it. Pick out a fruit tree with your kids/partner etc. make into something good not a mistake that was fixed.
But they might live, decide if you want to wait and see, or replace them. I wouldn’t plant there again until probably next year though so that there is time for the soil to clear and rebalance.
So if you really really want them right there in that spot, leave the old trees as they might live and if they don’t then wait an appropriate amount of time then replant when the soil is copacetic.
Not a certified anything and can barely keep myself alive. Wait for answer from pro, I only know what I don’t know.
The chlorine in the pool water is highly toxic to plants. If you could have run a sprinkler over the area to dilute the chlorine, they might have made it. If the pool had leaked in the winter when the trees were dormant (um…I’m a northerner…do citrus trees actually go dormant?), they might not have taken up that much chlorine.
Right now, 2 weeks after the event, there’s not much you can do. I’m assuming that the pile of leaves on the ground means that the damage has already been done. I’d suggest going ahead and running irrigation in the area to try to continue to dilute the chlorine, and then see if the trees leaf out again.
Hope it works out OP, but please update us in a year, for science
I think you will be fine
Idk that is worth saving. I would flood the crap out of the dirt. And keep adding bags of compost. To try to balance out the soil again and add organic material back. If you can’t rent a machine to dig it up and move it. Which is risky also. I just hate seeing such a mature citrus not make it! I don’t know the residual effect of pool water on soil. Or how long its recovery rate is. There will be a paper or some sort of scientific evidence though. Things can be saved! Just figure it out. Let us know what you do. I’m sure this has happened before and will happen again. it could be just stressed and will recover but my gut instinct is flood the soil and add lots of random types of organic compost . All the bags you can buy. To flood into the ground. Get rebarb and hammer holes so the material can get down in there. It’s not proven. I’m a horticulturist and used to have a nursery . Sometimes you just gotta try things.
Can anyone confirm that maybe a heavy application of gypsum followed by flooding might be worth trying? Might help with flushing out the soil?
Doesn’t chlorine evaporate after a short time? That’s what I heard.