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Plant damage after a mosquito spray treatment #762102

Asked July 16, 2021, 11:48 AM EDT

We use the company Mosquito Joe to spay our yard using what they call their natural spray. This is the 3rd summer we have used them without any issues. They sprayed on Wednesday and then within 2 hours, some of the plants in our yard were appearing to have been damaged by the spray. I am uploading some of the pictures of the damaged plants. I understand it might be hard to tell from a picture and I would love it if someone could come out and look at it in person. I don't know if that's possible. I walked through our yard right before they sprayed and everything was fine. When I returned 2 hours later after they had sprayed, this damage appeared on our plants.

Summit County Ohio

Expert Response

I am uploading a few more photos.  It also affected the grass in a few places.

The Question Asker Replied July 16, 2021, 11:53 AM EDT

and my sage plant....

The Question Asker Replied July 16, 2021, 11:54 AM EDT

Hello from Lake County.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to help you.  I can tell how upset you are and I would be also discovering all the problems you are having.  Unfortunately, I must tell you that Master Gardener Volunteers are not allowed to make house calls.  

There could be many causes for problems besides whatever your pest control person used.  Personally, I have had my yard sprayed since we moved here in 08, and have never had anything like this occur after the spraying.  I did do something similar myself, just this year, after applying both a 3 in 1 product for roses, and some ironite on another bush.  it was overcast and then the sun came out when the leaves were still wet and ‘sun scorch’ occurred because of the salts is the chemicals. Could that have happened to you?   We have also had a LOT of rain and the fungus diseases are running rampant like leaf spot and blight. What about animal urine damage, or fungus on your lawn?  We have both.  Animal damage is not only from dogs, deer and or coyotes can also cause the same spots that will eventually cause the grass to die. please find some fact sheets on all subjects I brought up below.

I would suggest trimming out the dead pieces of your plants and sterilizing your implement with a 10% bleach solution between each cut.  I find a spray bottle works best.

I would also take samples of each problem plant into your local extension office and ask them to look at it for you to rule out disease.

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/leaf-scorch-2-911/

https://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/PSEP/11pests2diseaseo.html

https://ag.umass.edu/greenhouse-floriculture/fact-sheets/leaf-spot-diseases-of-floricultural-crops-caused-by-fungi

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ay/ay-327-w.pdf

Thank you for your response.  The ODA is coming out tomorrow to look at everything.  The Medina County Extension Office looked at some of the samples yesterday and said the ODA would have to make the determination.  Thank you for all of your suggestions.  I find it odd that all of the damage across several species of plants and the lawn appeared in the same 2 hour period.  My security cameras were up and running and there were no animals that came in my yard.  The only entity in my backyard at that time was the mosquito sprayer.

The Question Asker Replied July 20, 2021, 10:53 AM EDT

Thank you for your response.  The ODA is coming out tomorrow to look at everything.  The Medina County Extension Office looked at some of the samples yesterday and said the ODA would have to make the determination.  Thank you for all of your suggestions.  I find it odd that all of the damage across several species of plants and the lawn appeared in the same 2 hour period.  My security cameras were up and running and there were no animals that came in my yard.  The only entity in my backyard at that time was the mosquito sprayer.

The Question Asker Replied July 20, 2021, 11:55 AM EDT

Hi Sally,  I’m glad you have the ODA coming out.  Hopefully they can make a determination for you.  Animal urine damage takes awhile to show up.  It isn’t instant.  More like several days at our house (dachshunds and deer). Have a good afternoon

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