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It looks like chemical drift but...

by Robin
(Cherokee Iowa )

this strange phenomena has been going on all spring and summer. Tomatoes, marigolds, petunias, potatoes, cosmos, impatiens etc. all have some degree of problems but my question is.. is there something in cat litter that can cause harm to plants? I had used empty litter buckets for planting and empty jugs for watering. Can that be a source of chemical drift?

Comments for It looks like chemical drift but...

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Aug 05, 2016

No picture
by: Jacki

You didn't add a picture to your submission, so it's almost impossible to give you advice on this.

Depending on the type of cat litter, I'm going to say that generally, it's not got anything in it that would cause any issues, however, if it's used, the ammonia in the urine could be an issue to certain plants.

Just using the containers should not be a problem, especially when it's rinsed out.

It's been a funny year for weather, so that can cause some strange symptoms too.

Sorry I can't pin it down more than that, but a picture says a thousand words. If you send a picture of the kind of damage you're worried about, that would help.

Aug 06, 2016

thanks, it has been a funny
by: Robin

weather year. I am just hoping that whatever this is does not carry over to next year. All dirt is getting dumped and containers sterilized or rid of.

Aug 06, 2016

Every year is different
by: Jacki

Next year it will be something else. The best thing I find is to use compost to grow the plants in, that tends to buffer any issues. As always, crop rotation of any susceptible plants, and pasteurizing soil to remove pathogens.

There's more about that here

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