My niece texted me this picture and asked if this snowball bush could be saved. It got hit when the plane sprayed the field with chemicals earlier this year. I wish they had asked me sooner. No idea what kind this is, but it is from my niece's grandmother on her dad's side, so it is a special shrub to them. My niece said three of the branches have green on them, but I'm not seeing much green in the picture, just a few fall-ish looking leaves. Is there anything that can be done at this stage, this late in the season? I've already told her that I think it is a lost cause, but am hoping there is a modicum of hope.

I think your best bet is just to wait and see.

Thanks, Porkpal. We will keep our fingers crossed that it comes back next spring.

Scratch bark along those stems/branches from tops down toward the base. If there is no green beneath the bark, that part of the plant is dead.

What advice to have given when the chemical contact occurred: Immediately hose off all the foliage, through which most contact herbicides are absorbed. Next, upon visual observation of leaf wilting/death, cut off all the branches with foliage - so that herbicide can't be translocated further into the plant. This would trigger activation of dormant buds, which could then grow out into new stems and leaves to begin the process of photosynthesis to support new growth and plant survival.

Depending on the type of chemical, if it has been translocating throughout the plant for quite some time, there is not much good to be said - depending on what kind of chemical it was. IF it was only a "burn down" defoliant kind of chemical, your shrub may have the best shot.

Thanks, John. I will certainly pass this info along to my sister. I don't know when they figured out that it had been sprayed with chemical, but I'm sure it was a month or more ago since the field looks empty now in her picture. It sure would have been better to have heard about this a lot sooner.

Vickie, Did your Niece notice any other declining/damaged vegetation around the field? In the photo the grass is green and the other vegetation around the field look to be unaffected.
If no other plants were affected I would think other issues are the cause of the decline of the bush. I would also think the bush would have to have been targeted with a brush killing chemical to damage it.

Oh wow, that is a good point, ScotTi. Maybe this bush got a disease or something other than chemical overspray. I believe they do have a few other shrubs or trees, but I haven't been to their house too much to remember what all they have. I just know they are sick about it since it was sentimental to them.

A brush killer would not have killed the grass.

porkpal said: A brush killer would not have killed the grass.

We do not know what chemical was used.
I do not believe the chemical sprayed from the plane was a brush killer. The field looks to be maintained for a crop purpose and a brush killer shouldn't be needed.
We do not know the environment (Drought conditions, excess rain, insect or disease) this shrub may have encountered this year.
Best bet is holding hope that it returns fine next Spring.

Thanks for the input, Porkpal. I have only communicated through my niece since my sister works the night shift, but they are going to wait until spring and go from there. My niece made the assumption in her text that it was chemical overspray from the field, but it definitely could be something else that caused this.

She only lives about 30 miles from me as the crow flies here in southern Indiana, but the rain was so spotty, I may get an inch and she might get 1/2 inch or less or vice versa. Overall though, we had a nice summer except for about 2-3 weeks with 90F temps and very little to no rain in July.

Multiple things can be true at once:

**Aerial spraying on a crop field didn't likely apply "brushkiller" (which terminology also does NOT define a chemical).

**Aerial spraying on a crop field applied a broadleaf weed killer (which includes herbaceous broadleaves like clover, thistle, etc.) that does not affect turf nor the GMO crop to which it is applied - but sure will play havoc with off-target woody broadleaf plants.

Illinois is having a very bad time with non-selective and broadleaf herbicides applied aerially to crop fields growing GMO crops that resist/are unaffected by the herbicide. Many heritage trees individually and in woodlands do not "cotton" well to drift from these applications.

Take a gander at this, ScotTi and all. This kind of carelessness bordering on criminality cost a Kentucky nurseryman his entire livelihood, when his entire inventory was affected by drift from applications next door.

Drift has effects on pets and animals… birds, bees… etc.

Thanks, John. That explains a lot. GMO's are going to be the death of all of us one day, I'm afraid.

You are welcome, Vickie - but don't be quick to blame the plant, modified or not. It is the carelessness of those managing the plant/resource. Applied properly, many/most pesticides do not have off-target effects. Willy nilly application methods can cause almost anything to be a problem (water, air, soil, fire, salt, sunlight, etc.).

It would be the same as if you were able to access medicine (chemicals!) for a perfectly normal reason, but then you chose to take the whole bottle, or shared it liberally with anyone within arm's reach. More than a bit of mayhem could very well result.

Hmmm. Seems like that IS happening...

Very true, John! And a good analogy.