Re: Man, did I do...

The leafing out sounds hopeful. Let us know if it recovers.

Cathy, west central IL, z5b

On Dec 18, 2006, at 11:26 AM, james singer wrote:

> a dumb thing....
>
> Every month when the Social Security check coasts in, I buy two 40- 
> pound bags of salt chunks for the water softener. It's a ritual
>
> I have one of those Rubbermaid garden carts--not sure how to  
> describe it, but I'm sure you've seen them. Shaped kind of like the  
> bucket on a backhoe. Normally, I unload the bags of salt from the  
> back of my truck into the cart, then wheel them around the house to  
> the water softener.
>
> Two months ago, I got the bags of salt as far as the cart just as  
> it started to rain. So I dragged the cart up the driveway to the  
> garage and parked it under the eaves. The storm was quite fierce  
> and windy; even though the cart was more-or-less protected, it  
> nearly filled with water.
>
> And one of the bags of salt leaked. So the cart was soon filled  
> with an ultra-saline solution. And, because the cart is not water- 
> tight, the solution leaked out and ran down the driveway--which is  
> concrete--and ran off at the base of a large orange jasmine tree.
>
> Within a few days, it was obvious that the jasmine was in trouble.  
> the front patio was covered by a blizzard of dead leaves, and  
> leaving the tree little more than a bunch of upright sticks. So in  
> something of a panic, I put a hose at the base of the jasmine and  
> turned it on, thinking I might be able flush the salt out. The  
> water from the hose bypasses the softener, so it wasn't coals to  
> Newcastle. I let it run for 3 or 4 days.
>
> Periodically since then, I've run the water at the base of the tree  
> for a few hours at a time.
>
> Today I noticed new leaves on the sticks. I don't know if this  
> signals recovery or death throe. Interesting thing is that planted  
> next to the jasmine are a gardenia and a coontie--and neither seem  
> fazed by the heavy dose of salt.
>
>
> Island Jim
> Southwest Florida
> 27.0 N, 82.4 W
> Hardiness Zone 10
> Heat Zone 10
> Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
> Maximum 100 F [38 C]
>
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