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lilafter

plants turning yellow after termite tenting

lilafter
17 years ago

hello,

i have a distressing problem. after my home was tented for termites, i noticed the plants' leaves began turning yellow within 2 days.

these are outside plants and were not covered during the tenting process but within 6 inches to 2 feet away from the building.

the ones that seem most affected are the agapanthus and siberian irises- leaves nearing 50% yellow, wilting and drooping. the flower shoots are dying off with blackish mush in the stem. marigolds and geraniums and succulants seem ok except for their drooping.

i tried a search but the only thing i found was that other temite co' reccommended heavily watering the soil/plants to "prevent vikane from entering soil and affecting plants".

my termite co did not mention anything (i didn't water them) and assured me the plants outside would be unaffected. i called today- 5 days post tenting but they are not claiming any responsibility as the plants would of died right away from the vikane

i've been watering them well since, but they aren't looking any better. is it possible the gas entered the soil and is slowly killing them? or is it just a fluke? is there any way to turn them around to be beautiful again?

please advise and wish me luck.

Comments (14)

  • lilafter
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    rhizo1,

    thanks for the reply, the termite co is coming tomorrow to check the landscaping. i wish they would of told me about watering them well before the tenting.

    i realized the agapanthus is suffering the most because of its thick "roots?" - they allow a lot of air pockets to form and must of created air pockets of vicane gas causing them to look so bad.

    do you think they will survive if i remove, rinse and replant them?

    thanks.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    17 years ago

    I doubt they will survive. The chemical has already been taken up into the plant's system. However, I would understand the need to experiment with them.....

    BTW, any plant that is within 2 feet or so of the property can be damaged whether it has been watered carefully or not. I would expect that the fine print on the contract says that they will not be legally responsible for such damage.

  • jannag
    16 years ago

    My Agapanthus plants are suffering after our termite tenting. Some of the plants were 2-10 feet from the tented home (for fumigation). It seems some have already turned completely yellow and are gone BUT some are just turning yellow at the tips of the leaves. Any suggestions on how to help these surviving???

  • Kimmsr
    16 years ago

    If plants 10 feet away are adversly affected by this poison then the pest control company did not properly tent your house and some of that gas leaked out and reached those plants, or maybe they removed the tent too soon and gas drifted over there.

  • calfumi
    15 years ago

    I have a related question, and I think this thread might contain the answer. Here it is:
    I have a couple of climbing roses and my house fumigation is scheduled for next week. I have been told that I can detach them and bend them so that they can insert the tent between the house and the plants. This is a big job though and I was wondering if the cold weather might give them a chance to survive under the tent. It it the gas killing them or the heat. Here in Southern California I would expect any plant to get burned under the tent on a hot summer day. The weather has turned colder recently (California standards) and I was hoping I could leave them under the tent.
    I guess it is the gas killing the plants, not the heat. The water might help to some extent but not in my case. Can you confirm please?
    Thanks.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    15 years ago

    The chemicals will kill your plants if the heat doesn't.

  • gardenerme
    15 years ago

    Roses can take a lot of heat. It may wilt the leaves, but the plants should be OK. I would definitely move them away from the tent.

  • sian_goad
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I just had my tented. I see this is an old thread but I'm interested in finding out more about this. We were told if we could to remove plants away from the house so they would not be under the tent. We were told to water plants. Do this! It helps protect them. I'd water them all very deeply before tenting - even the ones far away. I had 2 bushes die - they were inside the tent. They looked completely dead but now they are coming back and will be fine. They are hearty bushes. I would be worried about flowers or more delicate plants. You'll need to pull vines, etc 10 ft away from the building so they don't go under the tent.


    My bigger problem is I have a row of dead trees in the back patio. Trees on the right/left of those trees are perfectly fine. Right in front of the patio door, the same kind of trees are dead. My suspicion is an improperly vented tent - it blasted the trees on the patio. Looking for help or knowledge of this!!

  • HU-413779985
    5 years ago

    They tented over my big wall of Morning glories. I am so pissed off. They are brown as brown can be. I know they are a crazy weed almost, so does anybody think there is a chance they will come back? i am SO BUMMED!!

  • Deborah Bennett
    4 years ago

    Morning glory is an invasive weed. Very difficult to kill, it will return and smother other plants if you are not careful with it!

  • Elaine McFadden
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND VIKANE KILLED THOUSANDS OF MY PLANTS AT MY HOME NURSERY SPECIALIZING IN MILKWEED. Other pesticide applications are also killing them. I have all the documentation. VIKANE DAMAGE PICTURES ARE BEING BLOCKED ON THE INTERNET! I want to fight this, and looking for more people with pictures of damage this pesticide that was designed as a CHEMICAL WEAPON. My hair fell out, myself and my husband almost died and have had to fight for my life for 2 years after allowed to tent 3x next door in 12 months and then again one month later a couple doors down for 4x in 13 months! Look at this distinctive burn mark on my stems. There were other pictures like this on the internet and now they are gone? Saw them when typed in Vikane damage. Now not there?

    Just found this document that shows the damage when high levels of Fluoride are introduced and shows the same pattern I have on my big green leaves all over the place. The only reason this is accessible is because from Korea. This info blocked from Americans by Terminix and Vikane makers. Read this study: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e82d/c22d2556acedab1158000241e15e13ba1835.pdf


  • Lisa Gentry
    2 years ago

    I have tomatoes peppers and a watermelon plant growing in a garden bed upagainst the house and the exterminion company told me they had to cover it because of where the roof line was and that the plants wouldnt be affected by the fumes just the heat heat. Unfortunately I’m just a renter

  • jayne
    last year

    my house will soon been tented for terminte fumigation. I want to save my mature hydrangeas. Has anyone actually uprooted this plant and place it in a temporarily place away from the house?