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Can exhaust fumes kill foliage?

PiersPiers Posts: 2
in Problem solving

There is a 12 foot Yew hedge in the garden of one of my clients, and some mystery brown patches have appeared. Most of the hedge is very healthy but there are large contained areas of dead foliage. 

I was initially baffled by this but have come up with a theory I would like to run by people... There is currently a company here at the property installing a swimming pool, and the brown patches have appeared at the end of the pool hole, and nowhere else. I think they may have been caused when the digger was parked in a spot to dig that end of the pool, and was emitting fumes directly onto the hedge, causing these patches of dead foliage. 

a) does that sound likely?!

b) is there anything I can do about it, or shall I just cut the damaged areas back - there are green shoots further back, but this would mean leaving big holes in the hedge?

Any help greatly appreciated!

Posts

  • treehugger80treehugger80 Posts: 1,923

    how close was it to the hedge? as exhaust fumes are very hot as the exit the exhaust, it could have burned it rather than poisoned it.

  • PiersPiers Posts: 2

    Thanks for replying. Less than 2 metres, I've just checked the digger and the height of the exhaust pipe correlates to the areas on the hedge so I think it must be that

  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949

    I'd look at the hedge being scorched by the heat from the exhaust OR  have the contractors been using chemicals and splashing /pouring excess away near the hedge?

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    Yew is very forgiving and if you cut out the brown bits it will re-grow.  

    Or is there a leg-lifting dog in the equation?

  • frizneckerKUDwtP5kfrizneckerKUDwtP5k Posts: 2
    Piers, I realize I'm about 5 years too late, but I have noticed evergreen die off as well, back from the early 90s when we went from leaded gasoline to alcohol extended fuel. However, I just found a report from California that there is significant die off of broad leaves as well as evergreen trees due to ozone. A combination of car exhaust, carbon monoxide, in the presence of bright sunlight.

    Here in Western New York I have noticed and die off along certain stretches of highway and even in driveways where the needles are exposed to automobile exhaust. I suppose the broadleaf vegetation has an easier time overcoming this particular poison because it regenerates its leaves every spring. But I'm wondering if it is all simply due to ozone, not something else. The evergreens would be dormant in winter, so go figure...

    By the way, you have some lovely yews over there. Am I mistaken in observing that some of them reach tree size?

    Take care and God bless ❤️
  • frizneckerKUDwtP5kfrizneckerKUDwtP5k Posts: 2
    https://www.hcn.org/issues/102/3169

  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    :)


  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    Is resurrecting a topic from 5 years ago a record?
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