HCl (hydrochloric/muratic acid) on lawn

[Krumlink]

A year ago I was etching with HCl and I foolishly dumped it onto the grass. now there is no grass growing in that area and only a bunch of moss. Pictures later.

 

[Hero999]

Was there any copper in the solution?

If not, the soil is probably just too acidic for the grass to grow, try adding lime.

It it's saturated with copper then the ground will probably take years to recover.

 

[Speakerguy]

I would agree it is copper and not HCl that is the problem, assuming there was copper in there. I used a lot of HCl to clean up a large aquarium a few years ago. No damage to the grass by the driveway. Of course soil conditions, ph, buffering etc are going to vary. I used a few gallons of the HCl fwiw.

If it is copper contamination, there might be some kind of chelating agent (EDTA?) that is safe for the lawn that would help get plants growing back again. Ionic copper (copper sulphate usually) is a really fantastic herbicide.

 

[Pommie]

If copper is causing the problem then the only way to get rid of it is by making it soluble. As speaker guy states, a chelating agent would achieve this. However, the cheaper way is to throw more HCl acid on it to turn the copper into Copper Chloride and then water it lots to wash it away. Another alternative would be Calcium Nitrate as this would also make it soluble and feed the plants.

Mike.

 

[Krumlink]

Here are the pictures as promised. The little orange/blue thing is one of those little orange puff ball things.

that I set ablaze.

 

[Sceadwian]

It's probably both, though the copper is really bad stuff to let get into the ground like that the acid doesn't do any favors for soil conditions either. It doesn't look like you spilled much, just dig down about a foot and a few inches past the edge of the affected and fill it in with fresh dirt and a little top soil.

 

[Krumlink]

Bah, its been there for a year and I have heard no complaints

 

[tcmtech]

just dig down about a foot and a few inches past the edge of the affected and fill it in with fresh dirt and a little top soil.

Some times the obvious is too obvious!


One of my buddies used to have a tree moving service. Our region has naturally basic soil conditions. He and his botanist friend would dump a couple of gallons of muriatic acid into and around the holes the trees were being move into.
They said every one that they did it to would regrow roots way faster too!
I tried it with a few trees I replanted a few years ago and they are re rooted and growing well!

for a fun trick or a lasting payback dilute two gallons of ammonia into a five gallon pail of water and write something in someones lawn with it!
They will get a dark green word patch that wont go away for a summer or two! The only fix is to feed the rest of the lawn a load of nitrate fertilizer to balance out the color.

Plus the level of fertilizer needed to balance out the color will then have them mowing their lawn twice as often too!

 

[Krumlink]

Lol wow that is really evil, makes me remember my evil...

ANYWAYS, when the fat lady sings (or in this case yells) I will be out there repairing the 1 foot wide patch

 

[Speakerguy]

I'd definitely dig it out seeing how small it is.