In the movies, neighbors are often one of two things: picture-perfect companions or grumpy nuisances. Rarely are they ever so tactless as to force people from the neighborhood, but neighbors in real life come in all temperaments, including belligerent.
One Reddit user was horrified to find that their well-cared-for Brodie Junipers were dying, potentially at the hands of their tree-hating neighbors. They shared their experience on r/gardening.
"Did my neighbors kill my trees?" the original poster wrote.
The poster's 30 trees along their property line have thrived since spring 2022. Now, each tree is practically fried, as is the grass surrounding them.
"I don't even know if they're going to come back AT ALL. There are some bits of green, but it is bleak," the user said.
The user's trees planted nearer to their house are perfectly healthy.
The OP has good reason to believe the trees were damaged on purpose, and one commenter suggested herbicides could have been the weapon.
Herbicides are not only plant killers, but their fumes can spread into the air and through waterways, so they can be damaging to all living things. According to the National Library of Medicine, those who work closely with herbicides are at risk for cancer, and the chemicals can also harm other unintended organisms when they enter soil and marine bodies.
One study by Kimberly Parker and her team found that amines put in herbicides to keep them from spreading too far are causing air pollution, too, per WashU The Source.
Herbicides are harmful, and to use them pettily on a neighbor's growing trees is a shame. Trees are not only for aesthetics, as they clean our water and air, nurture biodiversity, provide valuable shade, and economically aid neighborhoods, according to the Arbor Day Foundation.
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Yes 💯 Many commenters on the Reddit post agreed that the damage was done with intention; one said: "Sure looks like weed killer. The dead grass is especially damning."
Another considers the tree murder a crime. "[At] this point I would file a police report for vandalism. He purposefully poisoned them. Then go after him in small claims court," they said.
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