The little guy grew well in his pot on my sunny patio. I transplanted it this spring when Husband and I made a raised garden bed and filled it with plants.
The front yard shortly after we planted the garden bed
Husband took over the hand weeding and watering duties. It is his moment of zen after a long workday. Blitzkrieg likes to supervise. It’s their Guy Time.
We’re amazed that the majority of front yard garden grew from tiny seeds. The transplanted lavender and chive love their new roomy bed.
I took this photo of the same garden bed yesterday. It's growing!
The pine tree is another story.
It’s dead.
Dupont killed my Christmas tree to be.
My condo community’s lawn service is an accessory to the murder.
My community’s lawn service, Five Seasons, like most of the lawn care services in central Ohio started using Dupont’s Imprelis herbicide this year. Dupont said they thoroughly tested Imprelis. They convinced lawn care companies to try it because Imprelis is supposed to fight weeds more effectively. Unlike other herbicides, Imprelis doesn’t wash away during a rain because it works its way into the roots which means less is needed.
And that’s the problem.
At first husband and I thought the spring rains watered our little tree too much and that’s why all the needles turned brown and fell off. According to local news articles, the massive spring rains allowed Imprelis to leach past my brick garden borders, into my flowerbeds, and attacked the roots of my pine tree. Imprelis didn't affect the crab grass. I had to yank that by hand. Oh the irony!
That explains why the plant next to the pine tree is struggling too
“Norway spruce, blue spruce and white pine have the most damage, Ahlum and others said, but they also report problems on honeylocusts, maples, oaks, walnuts, redbuds, cottonwoods, birches, viburnums and taxus.” reports The Columbus Dispatch in Is Weedkiller Killing Trees?
Of course, I would prefer it if my lawn service did not use herbicides at all. However, they are a necessary evil. Five Seasons has a horrible habit of not rising off their mowers after each job unlike our previous lawn service. It didn’t take long for Five Seasons to introduce a swathes of weeds and crab grass to the once weed free lawns of our neighborhood.
Husband and I are extremely disappointed our tree died and more than a little ticked. We don’t know what to do about it either. Do I contact my lawn service? My Condo Association? My Association will tell me that keeping things alive in my flower beds is my responsibility. Which is what were were doing until Imprelis reared its ugly head.
Dupont isn't admitting to any wrongdoing or lack of testing. The only thing they did after the face was to advise lawn companies is not to spray Imprelis around trees. That’s just a little too late Dupont and BS advice at that.
I am not the only person who is mad. A Michigan Golf Club is suing Dupont for not testing Imprelis thoroughly or issuing warnings until it was too late.
Notice how the other plants are growing like gangbusters in the same flower bed? All of those plants are not near grass. They are on the sidewalk side of the flowerbed.
Five Seasons says Dupont isn’t taking responsibility for killing client’s trees. If I contact Five Seasons they may reimburse me for the cost of my tree but it was free, remember?
What does this mean for the vegetables and herbs that are growing in my flowerbeds? What about next year’s new plants? Am I screwed out of planting herbs I want to eat in that garden bed thanks to Dupont?
I have no idea what to do or where to turn. What would you do?
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So sorry about your tree. Maybe you could contact your county extension agent for more information about whether or not it's safe to consume your garden edibles exposed to the herbicide.
ReplyDeleteOhio State's extension office concurs that Imprelis is killing trees. Thanks for the idea of checking with them on food bearing plants.
ReplyDeleteI would put Gasoline in their sprayers and light a match. Other than that be vocal about it with your HOA- they bear some responsibility, as does the lawn service. As a last resort... Sue everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy electric company killed a tree in my backyard and at least one other plant. I told them not to cut down or spray my trees and they said they wouldn't (they legally can trim the trees but that is all). I was VERY sick when they were doing all of this and went in the backyard when I heard chainsaws and they had already cut down to the fence line two trees so I told them they didn't have permission to cut anything on my side of the fence. But because the people behind me allowed them to they were spraying at the fence line and even though they said they wouldn't do it right at the line and wouldn't spray my trees, they sprayed a couple because they are dying or dead.
ReplyDeleteThe stuff as a really long half life so I have to keep my dog away from the fence line. So sad.