Can pool leak damage ornamental trees

[gazerbeam]

Hi Folks, I had a serious leak at the skimmer (quickly fixed with A&B). Pool is inground gunite with chlorine based chemistry. I believe the leak was there most of the season, but went unnoticed with all the rain. Towards the end it was leaking several hundred gallons a day.

Now I notice a nearby ornamental willow tree is not looking well and hasn't all summer. Its a large mature tree (30+ ft). IDK of any way to "fix" this, just hoping it recovers. I'm curious if others experienced something similar and what the outcome was.

TYIA
Ken

 

[1poolman1]

Hi Folks, I had a serious leak at the skimmer (quickly fixed with A&B). Pool is inground gunite with chlorine based chemistry. I believe the leak was there most of the season, but went unnoticed with all the rain. Towards the end it was leaking several hundred gallons a day.

Now I notice a nearby ornamental willow tree is not looking well and hasn't all summer. Its a large mature tree (30+ ft). IDK of any way to "fix" this, just hoping it recovers. I'm curious if others experienced something similar and what the outcome was.

TYIA
Ken

Not likely damage from chlorine, but overwatering from a leak is not a good thing.

 

[jark87]

Hi Folks, I had a serious leak at the skimmer (quickly fixed with A&B). Pool is inground gunite with chlorine based chemistry. I believe the leak was there most of the season, but went unnoticed with all the rain. Towards the end it was leaking several hundred gallons a day.

Now I notice a nearby ornamental willow tree is not looking well and hasn't all summer. Its a large mature tree (30+ ft). IDK of any way to "fix" this, just hoping it recovers. I'm curious if others experienced something similar and what the outcome was.

TYIA
Ken

I can only report anecdotal info. We have a neighbor a few houses down whose pool used to flood often. All of the trees on drainage side died, some of which were very mature. I used to use those PVC sprayer things to try to cool my pool and the wind would blow the spray onto a tree and landscaping. The tree developed a large split in the bark and looked sickly, barely growing, while another of the same variety planted in another area did very well. Landscaping plants also looked bad. Once I stopped using those things, all of the plants improved and are now healthy. The split in the tree’s bark is almost completely closed now.

So yes, I’d say that pool water can cause damage to trees and plants.

 

[ckh1980]

My neighbor lost a good sized windmill palm from a broken line.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The excess water washes away most nutrients and leaves behind highly alkaline soil with a lot of calcium. Calcium (and magnesium) with high alkalinity will greatly reduce iron absorption at the roots. This can lead to chlorosis and withering.

I suggest letting the area dry out and apply some mild fertilizer to the area. Don’t overdo it. You could also get some chelated iron (Fe-EDDHA) to help boost available soil iron levels. Make sure the fertilizer has a good level of phosphates in it.