Q: I did something stupid in my backyard. The water in my swimming pool was very cloudy, and a pool company told me that it needed to be pumped out and replaced with fresh water. So I decided to pump it out a little at a time using a sump pump. Then I drained the water over some shrubs and plants in the yard and now some of the leaves are falling off. What do I do now?
A: It’s unlikely that you have severely damaged your plants. Some of the foliage may have been slightly burned due to contact with the chlorine in the water. Larger plants like mesquites and oleanders shouldn’t suffer any serious damage. You wouldn’t want to run the water into flower beds or vegetable gardens, however. You can probably bring back the damaged plants by giving them a long, slow watering using the regular water from your outdoor irrigation system.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call
888-767-4348.
