I suspected this would happen and told my customer beforehand.
She has some tropical plants she calls ‘hostels’ out front, tall and big leaves. I told her they might get burned some but I would do everything I could to prevent it, we agreed to go ahead. I did the housewash after watering everything down thoroughly, rinsed a couple times after.
The leaves were curling at the edges and I was mortified. She got back from out of town today and was super nice but did inform me they were singed. I apologized and offered compensation but she just said to use it as a learning experience as someone else may not be so forgiving😬
Have you guys tried using some sort of light colored tarps for this? I know clear plastic is not good.
I don’t know why clear plastic would not be good, just don’t leave it on there long. I’ve used that over rose bushes that customers are very particular about (even though I know my mix won’t hurt them). I only cover them for a few minutes when doing that area. The real thin stuff is so cheap you can use it, then wad it up and throw it away
Wow….we’ve worked around those Japanese maples and they are sensitive. I just prewet then apply chem on that side of the house then immediately rinse the plants well….seems to do the job. I wouldn’t think hw mix would do that type of damage? I guess if you never rinsed at all….maybe you’re pulling a little bit hotter mix?
I think setting proper expectations beforehand, rinsing before/during/after is all you can do. It might be just my experience but it seems like tarping off plants even up here has killed/harmed more plants than my mixes have.
Could always set up a sprinkler right on them. What more can you do besides that ya know?
I wouldn’t use a tarp on a plant, just too heavy and you could damage it just trying to spread it out over the plant. I rarely need it, but when I do I use these plastic drop cloths. Very thin, light and cheap. Use it once and throw it away. I only use it if the customer mentions their prized plants and asks they be covered. I also use them if they have fixed planters under a window that would get soaked in sh and I don’t want to flood them.
Do you have sodium thiosulfate and a way to spray it? Might not hurt for you to explore that as a possibility.
I have a 21 gallon tank on board that I carry 5% sodium thiosulfate in, which is an OK strength to downstream .5% at gun and also a decent amount to recycle through a pump back to tank for a minute or so after doing transfer.
Just as a sidenote, I’ve been reading this forum back years past and your name always seems to pop up mentioning using hot mixes on houses. Why do you do that? I’ve washed the nastiest houses and gutters with downstreaming. In NC we get em reallllllly nasty and gummed up with organic growth. Just get a telescoping pole for gutters and brush them, there’s no reason to bust a 12v out to wash gutters…
I use painter’s plastic, 12’x400 roll. On sale it is like $25 a box or so. I’ve also used it on bushes, double it up, wrap and pull bush, stake it, then tie it off. It pulls bush away from house/fence/deck and covers it. Sometimes I just use a bed sheet, wet plant, put sheet on, wet sheet, soap away. But I think your mix might be too hot.
Hostas are tough, they don’t look like hostas to me. My hostas don’t grow vertically like that. I wash my back deck every year and I don’t even pre wet the hostas anymore, they laugh at SH and mock me saying is that all you got?
She had a mix of Hosta in the front and taller canna in the middle.
I like the idea of that thin painters plastic, will have to pick up a roll.
As for the ‘hot mix’, it’s not hot per se, it’s just ‘normal’ now, probably closer to 1% that it should be. My last system had me soaping multiple times just to see any results so probably closer to .5%,.
The gutters here are hardcore dirty, most haven’t been cleaned in decades. Some are so bad I was having to break out the 12v. Using a “telescoping pole” isn’t always feasible as many houses are 3 stories or blocked by some stupid tree or holly bush.
I remember one house a couple years ago had multiple layers and ‘seasons’ of dead algae on the siding. Housewash didn’t even phase it, made for a long afternoon.
if it is like 200 degrees out, after you pre wet the plant don’t wait like an hour to remove the plastic. I get that you get it, just putting it out there for a newby. This way we don’t get the post “stupid plastic killed the plants”, then they say how they left it on dry plants for 3 hours then didn’t water the plants after removing it.
Since you do some sealing you might need to use it to pull bushes and stuff back from walkways. When you kind of wad it up it gets a lot stronger. I use it every time I stain or paint. You can see the oil overspray on the plastic and you have to be careful how you remove it (roll it into itself) or the plastic can flick little droplets all over.
