There’s no question on the damage pests can do to our household, let alone the many health risks they can impose on the members of our family. But aside from that, pests can also cause a lot of harm to your garden. This is mainly because the garden may have the most attractive environment for insects. Subterranean termites can live underneath the soil of your flower bed or any other plant. After all, moist and nutrient-rich soil is the ideal place for them to call home. If you have this issue, you should know well to call professional pest exterminators to address this problem.

Can plants survive fumigation?

There are many ways to answer this question, and we will look at them in this article. There are many methods of pest control. Fumigation is one of them. To conduct this process, professional pest control will cover the house entirely in a tent. This is adequately called tenting. This is to keep the gas from escaping when it is pumped in. Its main target is the structure to remove termites from the house or property itself. The chemical used is Sulfuryl fluoride, a light gas that does not run off to the ground. It slowly evaporates in the air. Thus, it does not directly affect the soil. But exposure to this chemical can harm any living organism. This includes your plants. So, you should have a proactive plan to safeguard your plants from being affected by the chemicals used in the fumigation process.

If plants are directly exposed to fumigation, it can harm them. There are preventive measures to do to keep them from being hurt during the fumigation process.

Remove indoor plants in your home.

Since the chemical’s exterminators use is highly toxic, you should remove all indoor plants. Their main concern is to eliminate living organisms in your house. So, you should be the one to be aware of removing your precious plants from the building. Find a place to keep them in an ideal environment as the fumigation process can last up to 2 or 3 days, depending on the severity of the case.

Clear the plants from the vicinity of your house

Same with your indoor plants, make sure to clear the plants from the vicinity of your home. While the house may be tented, some gasses can still leak and leave chemical burns to any plants three feet from your home. They are also prone to be trampled by the exterminators during the process. Ensure to transplant them where they will be safe from the reach of gas and the trampling of the workers.

Cut back foliage from the house.

If you have trees growing around your house, you would also do well to clear the foliage around it. They may also experience chemical burns from leaked gas which can infect the rest of the tree in some cases. Make sure to be properly prepared when you or your pest controller decides to fumigate your house.

Create a temporary garden away from the site

In any case, you want to be sure in keeping your plants safe, move them to a location sheltered from harm’s way. It can be at least 10 feet or more away from the site of the fumigation. A proactive step like planning where to put your plants during the fumigation process will help retain the health and vibrancy of your plants even when they are temporarily relocated to a different place. Once the fumigation is done, you can replant them back in your landscape.

You can also ask the pest exterminators for recommendations on whether you can immediately put your indoor plants back in the house or should wait a few hours or a day. This way, you can also ensure that they will be safe from the after-effects of the fumigation process. Termites can cause a lot of damage, and exterminating them is a serious business. You should also make sure that they are the only ones that get the treatment, and no one from your family or any living thing in your house is affected. Alternatively, you can also ask them for a child and pet-friendly pest control method.

Fumigation, even ones using organic pest control, can hurt plants if there is direct contact. So to keep them safe, put them at a safe distance, and be patient in the process of eliminating the pests so that you can get your desired result without losing any of your plants.

If you see a pest invasion, always see that you contact a professional to do a thorough assessment and diagnosis of your situation. This way, it can be appropriately addressed and taken care of with minimal damage to your property.