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Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [poisons]

For questions about poisons - both animal and plant.

A poison is a chemical that can cause harm and possibly death to an organism. This tag should be used for horticultural questions about poisons of all kinds, including both plant and animal poisons.

A poison might be deliberately used to control a particular pest, but care should be taken so that they do not poison other desirable plants and animals (including humans). Similarly, some plants produce their own poisons (e.g. nightshades) and these would be on-topic for this tag.

Finally, most poisons are relatively benign in very small quantities; but a few are actually considered essential nutrients. For example, copper is an essential, if minor, plant nutrient; but it is often employed as an effective tree poison.

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How long before poisons like Round-up become inert?

If I spray some grass with a poison like Round-up or Kills All, how long before that spray is not dangerous to plants? So for example, if after spraying, I walk through the sprayed area and then onto my lawn, how long until I am not going to be…
Vaccano
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Is it safe to grow food plants near the road?

I have been told that debris/pollution from the road will find its way into my plants, but I don't know how much to be concerned about this. We have a nice porch which could be used as a vegetable garden, but it is near a side street. It is,…
Alex Feinman
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Nothing will grow where tree was

Back in the spring we cut down a fruitless mulberry and hired someone to come grind the stump. When they were leaving they informed me that they poured a chemical into the hole where the remaining roots were to keep it finish killing the tree and…
Shane
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Garden Hoses: how safe are they?

After noticing that some garden hoses carry a warning, "Not to be used for drinking water", I recently switched to one labelled "non-toxic". Does this only mean that the hose is lead-free, or also that it is free of the other chemicals in PVC that…
Mancuniensis
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Will dumping paint destroy a nearby tree?

One of my neighbors complained that another neighbor killed a tree in front of her home by dumping paint in the soil. (Never mind that his trees are fine and there seems no way the paint could be transported from in front of his house to the soil…
Jon 'links in bio' Ericson
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Paint dumping to kill tree stump, will it affect my nearby arborvitae or raspberries?

My neighbor must be advising her home painters to dump their leftover paint, for several days now, on a tree stump that she just last week said might need a pick axe to remove. This stump is along our property line, 3 feet from my newly planted…
C Lyons
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How long does chemically fertilized grass remain poisonous?

Here's my situation: I have a lawn that I've refused to use chemicals on because I have a dog who likes to graze. The lawn is now a mess of weeds and very thin grass. I've tried organic fertilizers with no luck. So I've investigated, and many…
EmmyS
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Can snail pellets be safely used in a vegetable garden? If not, any safer alternatives?

Is it safe to use snail pellets in a vegetable garden bed or will these slowly leach into the soil? Is there a safer alternative that will keep snails out, but won't be absorbed by the vegetables?
going
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What is the risk of soil contamination via leaf mulch/compost?

Soil in the city I live in is quite often contaminated with nasty things like arsenic and lead. Levels are sometimes twice or more what's considered acceptable. For this reason, people usually garden in imported soil in raised beds rather than…
intuited
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Is it a good idea and how to introduce frogs in my garden?

I am trying to sustainably get a grip on the flies, mosquitoes and other such insects' population. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have a decent sized backyard (about 3000 sq ft of garden/landscape space). We have a bird feeder and a…
perennial_noob
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Paint dumped into our garden, how bad is it?

We recently had some work done on our house and it included painting a room. After the contractors left we discovered, through our security cams, that they had been using our backyard to clean their painting equipment, over a 3 day period. They were…
gardendale
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Treating Azaleas without harming Bees

I'm trying to treat my azaleas for lace bugs without harming my honeybees. I'm especially concerned since it's not just wild bees. I've started a hive. I've been looking into it and my local AG Extension website shows three chemicals I'm interested…
Dalton
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Damaged Bay Laurel: are the leaves safe to use?

Three months ago, my bay roof was re-felted. While the roofers were sealing the felt, they spilled hot pitch onto the leaves of my Bay Laurel which is in a tub, on the ground below (see photos). I’ve gradually removed most of the damaged leaves,…
Mancuniensis
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How poisonous is Oleander?

I know that Oleander ( Nerium oleander ) is poisonous. Almost every book and webpage about this plant warns the readers. But how poisonous is this plant? I can touch the leaves without any skin irritation. I can prune it without using gloves. What…
asalamon74
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What is this caterpillar?

I found this caterpillar and was wondering if anyone could identify it. Is it poisonous/dangerous? Would it be good or bad for a garden soil? This was found in Australia. Here is a photo.
user16579
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