Questions tagged [safety]
For safety questions in gardens.
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Is it healthy to consume pumpkin flowers with its vines diseased affected by Squash Bug?
Is it OK to eat flowers of Pumpkins Vines affected by Squash Bug? The vines are dying but not the flowers or Pumpkins, Missouri.
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Safe consumption timing of basil after cypermethrin application
I recently treated my basil plants with cypermethrin insecticide to control pests. While the product label indicates a waiting time of 3 days for tomatoes, it doesn't specify the waiting period for ...
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Is there any way to have soil (humus) tested by a lab for toxins and pesticides? [duplicate]
I'm running a leaf compost. It's a pretty big scale. I pick up leafs from all the neighbors chop them with a special purpose tool and then store them for a year in multiple 250 gallon bins. The end ...
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Is roundup and pesticides a concern when composting?
I'm running a leaf compost. It's a pretty big scale. I pick up leafs from all the neighbors chop them with a special purpose tool and then store them for a year in multiple 250 gallon bins. The end ...
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Is it safe to place Emerald Green Arborvitae next to house?
I'd like to plant an Emerald Green (Thuja occidentalis "Smargd") about 2-3 feet away from my house's foundation, in the midst of a trio of redosier dogwoods. Is the proximity to the wall of ...
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Is this grow light (GE BR30) harmful to your eyes?
Can the GE BR30 LED grow light could pose harm to one's eyes, especially if they are used in somewhere like a high bedroom shelf where the bulb itself is visible from below?
Here is an image of the ...
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How long for kids to play after spraying
How soon can kids play on lawn if roundup was sprayed? I just sprayed roundup on the perimeter of my lawn, my 4 year old wants to go play in the yard, how long until it's safe also how long will it be ...
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How to prevent slugs from invading the alley and stairs?
The end of the rainfall season and the rising temperatures do not prevent them from taking a walk on the paved alley and even climbing the stairs! Even after watering the garden and keeping the alley ...
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Safe options for sandfill for synthetic turf?
I purchased some synthetic turf, just for a small area (approx 2x1m), and when reading the instructions it mentioned about needing to use dried silica sand as the sand infill.
Because I was having ...
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Plants that will thrive under LED grow lights and are also cat-friendly
I recently bought two grow lights to utilize a particular indoor growing space in my house where everything perfectly fits. The only trouble is that I'm now discovering that the plethora of things I ...
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Garden space in a basement with dirt space
My house was built in 1952 and the basement was dug out from under the house at a later date. The way they did this left a perfectly sized (approximately 12"x40", about 4' from the floor) ...
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What is this seed like build up on my grape vine?
What is this seed like build up on my grape vine?
Is it safe to eat the grapes still?
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How can I be sure chains are suitable for hanging baskets?
I have moved into a new home, a fourth floor apartment (third floor in British/European English). There are two chains are hanging from the ceiling of a veranda (covered balcony) area.
The chains are ...
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Huge Ammonia in compost danger?
Is it safe to use a sealed container to compost the raw chicken manure? Because as far as I know, these nitrogen-rich materials generate huge ammonia when decomposing. If I use a sealed compost bin it ...
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Is contaminated soil safe to handle?
After digging a dry well and taking soil samples for testing, I have a bunch of excess soil from my garden, just sitting in a bucket in my garage. It occurred to me to use it to make some hikaru ...
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Pine tree root blocking my waterfall stream
60 foot tall pine has a 4-6 inch root traversing my stream. The water will not flow over the root (too high) and going under the root will also cause problems. Is it safe to cut the root? Perhaps ...
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Remove stagnant water safely
We have a bay laurel tree in the back garden. We have noticed the pot is no longer draining. It’s been filling up with rain water for months now. I’ve been too worried to go near it! Too much googling ...
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Safe to use dirt with a dead possum in it?
So I just bought some bagged topsoil and a week in I'm covering my compost with it and I discover what looks like the hide and fur of a possum or racoon. I shoveled it out and there's no wet anything ...
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LED grow lights in living space cause eye damage?
I'm setting up a 3'x 6' space in my living room to grow citrus trees. I'd like them to be able to fruit year-round.
I'm trying to decide between a few 200-400 watt CFL grow lights or LEDs.
LEDs are ...
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Can the bacteria in compost bin be dangerous for kids?
During the process of composting, is it dangerous for kids to play with? I mean to say is it okay if a child plays close to a compost heap or touches the material with their bare hands? I heard about ...
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What is this plant, please help
What is this plant? It just started showing up in my yard. There are now 5 between me and my neighbors houses. I have a neuro atypical nephew that stays with me and loves to eat leaves so I need to ...
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Worried about personal health after dealing with houseplant potentially infected by fungus
I've just pruned the leaves that have died off of my Dracaena Massangeana houseplant. I covered its ailments in two previous questions:
Dracaena leaves yellowing: too much water?
Dracaena ...
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Help identify this plant please
I was given this which is a small bush in a pot. I was told it was a climber but the giver doesn't remember what it is. However my puppy got hold of some earlier and ate it and since then has been ...
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Concerns with breathing in fine particles from soil
I've been filling planter boxes (PB5s to PB12s) with organic soil mixes, with a tiny amount of synthetic fertlizer.
Is this bad for my lungs? The environment wasn't windy, and the soil was moist ...
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Is this poison sumac?
Was just pulling this stuff out of the ground all over my back yard, and then got suspicious about the red leaves.
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Is it safe to eat veggies grown in soil that has soured?
If soil smells sour will it make garden vegetables inedible? the pot my peppers were growing in didn't drain well. I fixed it, but every time I water them it still smells sour. Are the peppers going ...
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Is Plant Still Safe to Eat If Mysterious Mushroom Grew in the Same Planter?
Two days ago I noticed a mysterious and short-lived mushroom in my planter that is housing a flowering "Carnival Blend" bell pepper plant.
Yesterday it looked like this:
Today the mushroom is dead ...
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Are my hoses safe? [duplicate]
We recently got some Apex 25-foot long (½-inch in diameter) blue hoses from Walmart that are supposed to be safe for drinking purposes. However, when I first turn it on in order to water my plants and ...
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Is it ok to cut tree branches with a jigsaw?
I know it probably sounds silly. The idea is to cut the branch off the trees with proper tools (tree pruner, pole saw or whatever), that's easy, takes a minute. What is not so time-friendly, is ...
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Can you eat lettuce that your dog pees on
I planted some leafy greens on a space of dirt where my dog likes to pee and poo. She has almost certainly pee/pooed on the lettuce, or near the lettuce, a couple of times.
The plant was perpetual ...
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How to safely use Baby Bio house plant insecticide spray?
I've got a Dracaena plant; that has what appears to be white scale or something like it (see attached photos); I don't know much about plants, I bought this one in Vauxhall Flower market in London a ...
punkbit
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How can I safely keep snakes away from the compost in a community garden?
I managed a small community garden with a small orchard and farmland. Lately, there are snake sightings in one of my cold dead leaf compost (the snake is a juvenile Ptyas mucosus). Apparently, the ...
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What is the best way to channel an electricity cable under the lawn?
I need to channel an electricity (and network) cable under the lawn to an outbuilding.
I understand it would be best to shield the cable to stop anyone from danger when digging in the future, but ...
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Drinking Water Safe hose reel - what to look for?
I've read this well-researched post Garden Hoses: how safe are they?
But it focuses on hoses.
My question is about a hose reel. I've seen enough "drinking water safe" hoses (usually polyurethane and ...
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How long do I need to stay off the lawn after applying weed killer?
I have a 17 month old boy that loves to play outside. I just put weed killer down and I didn't see anything on the label saying when it would be safe for kids or pets. How long should I wait before ...
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Is it safe to grow vegetables in a container made of stained wood pallets?
I made a couple of containers for my garden out of pallets. I wanted to protect them from rain, so I stained them with an exterior waterproof seal.
But later I read someone mentioning to avoid using ...
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What is the safest weed killer to use around a toddler?
I have a grass lawn, a vegetable garden, and a strawberry patch. The garden is in a raised bed, but no fabric under the soil or mulch on top. The strawberries were in a nice bed to themselves, but ...
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Can I eat carrots with wormholes in them?
I started cleaning up and cutting two big carrots to make a soup when I realized worms had dug galleries in them. Is it safe to eat them even if I clean them? So far I have not found any worms but can ...
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How does the "Ketchup 'n' Fries" plant produce both tomatoes and potatoes? Is it safe?
A recent article has left me quite amazed at the possibility of producing tomatoes and potatoes from the same plant.
The article describes a technique called "grafting". How does it work, and are ...
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Does Pachysandra cause algae to grow on the concrete foundation of my house?
I live in Massachusetts and have a swath of pachysandra approximately twelve inches wide growing against the foundation around my house. It's healthy and produced a lot of pretty, sweet-smelling ...
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Are aquarium-water nematodes harmful to plants?
I water my houseplants and potted patio plants with the water drained from my aquarium filter as part of its routine maintenance. The canister filter is full of fish waste and nitrates that would ...
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What happens when a chainsaw chain meets a nail or piece of steel wire when cutting through wood?
Assuming any of the following:
there's an unnoticed steel nail in a log used in some structure or
there's an unnoticed steel nail in a tree body (often happens when people attach illegal ads to trees)...
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What are the uptake and decay rates for Spectracide® Weed Stop® for Lawns?
Once a lawn has been treated with Spectracide® Weed Stop® for Lawns how long are the active ingredients 'active'? Do some decay faster then others?
Following the links from the Manufactures site ...
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How can I save my garden from an unknown critter that destroys everything?
I decided to start a garden of my own this summer and I got seeds from all areas to plant. No sooner had I put the seeds in the ground, but there came some critter at night, which dug up the seeds and ...
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How can I discourage venomous snakes from living in my property?
I noticed that a copperhead has made his home under my front porch. He has been spotted two days in a row, and, yesterday, I nearly stepped on him. I prefer not to mess with him as I have read that ...
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How close should a maple tree sapling be to marked utilities?
Last summer I planted a maple sapling in my yard. I foolishly did this without calling 811. This month I have other work to do and had my utilities marked.
When the marking was done I discovered that ...
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How deep are electrical lines near pad transformers?
I want to plant some tall grasses about 3 feet from an electrical pad transformer in my yard. Do I need to call the utility companies before digging? I will only be digging one foot down. Are the ...
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Is it safe to use pressure-treated wood for raised beds that have been lined with plastic?
I have been advised not to use pressure treated lumber to build raised beds, but I just read your idea of lining them with pool plastic. If you did that, could you then use pressure treated lumber, ...
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How to safely remove poison ivy
What is the best way to remove poison ivy from a yard or trees without getting it all over yourself? I figured that even with an herbicide that the dead poison ivy would still need gathered up, and ...
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Personal Health: Garden Labor and back injury
Hopefully on-topic enough:
What guidelines should gardeners follow in order to avoid back injuries and other health problems that could crop up in old age?
Are all intensive gardeners doomed to some ...
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