I Planted Arborvitae Trees Along My Fence While My Neighbors We Gone For 5 Days. At 20 Days After They Were Planted I Noticed The

Question

trees were looking off. Also noticed that the neighbors had poisoned their yard on other side of fence along entire fence line. After closer look, every plant I planted had damage all on the same sides where the wind blows. I believe my neighbor accidentally over sprayed onto my trees. His grad and weeds and my trees all started to show signs of damage at same time. My neighbor is insisting that he sprayed poison prior to us planting our trees. We planted 28 trees and everyone has the same damage on the same side and the opposing side is bright green and healthy but every day I can see it start to wrap around and effect the rest of tree. Are is there anyway to prove that the poison was the cause of the Damascus.

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Answer 1

This is definitely a tale-tell sign of herbicide damage. You can try and remedy this, but normally the tree will not recover fully any time soon. Contacting your local arborist will be the best solution.

This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/herbicide-tree-injury.htm

Answer 2

There are herbicides that work by touching leaves and being absorbed. There are others that are more of a soil drench that directly poisons roots. Some of these are persistent in the soil and may be causing damage as your tree roots reach the affected area. Ask you neighbor what chemical he/she used then do some research. If it is one that persists in the soil for months, it may have been applied before you planted. On the other hand there may be restrictions on where this type of herbicide can be applied.