I think my neighbor is poisoning my plants !! help!!

[GardenKeeper]

Hey all,

I live in a building of 4 apartments, I have been given permission from the landlord to have my potted plants in the back yard. Recently, a couple of my potted plants have been dying, and I've found a strange oily substance in the pots and on the sides of the pots. Every time I find this substance I transplant them and they are fine, when I don't they die.

I believe my neighbor is poisoning my plants because she doesn't like me. I cant think of any other reason I'd be finding this substance in my plants and on the sides of the pots that is killing my plants. She once falsely called the cops on me saying I was stealing her mail even though I wasn't, so I don't doubt anything she might do.

I'm considering purchasing a small security camera to watch my plants, I might be able to catch whoever is messing with them. Is whats happening illegal? And if it is, can I give my footage to the police, if I do catch someone? Any insight to what I should do would be very helpful . I love my plants so much and I can't afford to move. Thanks !!!!

[Lindsaylew82]

I'm considering purchasing a small security camera to watch my plants, I might be able to catch whoever is messing with them.

I'm infuriated for you! I would definitely try to record them! If you find that she's tampering with them, I would definitely, at the very least show them to your landlord, and plead hostile loving environment. Since it's not ON your personally owned property, I'm not sure you could do anything as far as law enforcement, but I would definitely call your local enforcement and ask them... Especially if it's a source of food for you.... THAT is a pretty serious offense, and could actually be a felony offense. My brother is a SC state trooper. I'll ask him and get back to you.

In the mean time, can you post some pics of your plants? What size pots are they in? Are you going larger when you up pot? What are you growing in the pots?

[rainbowgardener]

I don't have any idea where your oily substance would come from if it were not human intervention (what color is it? does it have any odor?). But I would want to be sure, before making any accusation. Even if you catch your neighbor red handed, I doubt the police would take this "crime" very seriously, as your plants are in a public area and have little value to any one but you.

You can report her behaviors to the landlord. Perhaps it will accumulate to the point where she might be evicted, especially if she bothers any one else as well.

Otherwise you might try talking to her, see if you can figure out why she is so angry with you. Perhaps the situation can be improved.

[Ohio Tiller]

Pick up a trail camera from a sporting goods store you can get them relatively cheap they are easy to use. I caught my neighbor robbing my tomato plants with one. If you think it is happening at night get the inferred camera and they will never know they got their picture taken.

[Sweyn]

This seems like a case where a camera would be a good idea.

If you record someone doing that, you can ask the police and a lawyer for advice. It won't hurt to ask. Even if it's not something that could result in an arrest, it might be possible to pursue some other kind of legal action, like suing or getting a restraining order.

You could also keep a written record of any other incidents of antisocial behaviour, committed by that person. That as well as video evidence, should be enough to take some kind of action. You could also contact the local authority in your area and ask them for advice, as well as asking them if they can help you. Here in the UK, local authorities/local governments have some powers to deal with antisocial behaviour.

If your neighbour is the culprit, you should report this to your landlord. If they were willing to do that to your plants, then it is likely that they will commit other, antisocial behaviour as well. If the landlord receives enough reports of this, they may be able to do something about it.

You could also ask the other neighbours if they know anything about what happened.

Regarding rainbowgardener's suggestion of talking to the neighbour. You could try that but, be very careful how you do it. Don't start off by accusing or asking if she did it. You can start by mentioning what happened and then build up to asking if she did it or, if she knows who did. If she is guilty, she may try to provoke you into arguing or losing your temper in some other way. Don't let yourself be provoked because, she could then use that to twist and spin the situation so that she can claim to the landlord or authorities that you have been doing something antisocial or illegal to her! People who are devious and sneaky enough to poison your plants, are also devious enough to try and twist a situation around on you. Never underestimate what people like that, are capable of.

[Lindsaylew82]

Sooooo...per SCHP. In SC, if you catch said neighbor on tape or they confess to said damage, AND you can't work it out between yourselves amicably, (what he suggested) AND you wish to press charges, they can be charged with malicious damage of personal property, EVEN if the pots are placed in a shared garden, lawn, or rented garden space.

I am LEARY of speaking to neighbors about issues like this, where you ask them if they've done something wrong. Especially in a rental type situation with multiple families in one divided house...Especially if one neighbor has already displayed a behavior like you mentioned. These days people are CRAZY! Like ...CRAZY crazy! I don't know where you live, but here, that dog don't hunt... We don't all live in friendly neighborhoods with sane, normal neighbors.

I say be safe! If you suspect what you say, record it and let someone with real authority (cops or your landlord, or both) deal with it.

[GardenKeeper]

In the mean time, can you post some pics of your plants? What size pots are they in? Are you going larger when you up pot? What are you growing in the pots?

I can't take any pictures of the substance right now because I've already washed my pots off, but it's kind of hard to describe. Its not exactly like oil because I find it dried on the pot as well. It doesn't really smell like anything as far as I can tell, it seems like a lacquer or something more then it does oil.

Its been in my really big pots to my tiny pots. I'll take some pictures of it next time I find it and post it up.

I'm friends with all the other neighbors except this particular women whom I've only spoken to once. The reason I think she might not like me is because I've complained about her garbage she leaves out on the porch, and her cigarette butts. Other then that I've never really done anything else. I think the best bet is to just set up a camera and see what happens.

I'll make sure to get some pictures on the substance if I find it again. I probably will.

[applestar]

Before you get really upset about your neighbor, have you considered if the substance could be slime mold? We occasionally see members post about slime mold of various colors and textures appearing in their garden and containers.

Bubblegum pink, neon orange, and dog vomit ochre are the more commonly pictured slime molds, but here's one that might fit your description: https://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/t ... tyk06.html

Do you remember if they appeared after rainy period?

[Lindsaylew82]

I was thinking it could also be some kind of sap from a nearby tree or shrub.

[LearnerGardener]

My neighbour tells me she likes a plant of mine, that they are looking healthy or I hear her say to a neighbor or she tells me that she doesn't like a plant and it has to go, within a day or two the plant is showing signs of herbicide poisoning and recently another plant appears to have been cut off at the root, there are no roots and I wondered why it wasn't growing as well as expected. The police won't do anything apparently without photographic evidence.

[Allyn]

Those trail cameras are inexpensive. Even security cameras that connect to your home network are really inexpensive nowadays. I would get one and point it at your plants. You might find out your neighbor isn't the culprit. It might be another neighbor that you didn't suspect. It might be something different altogether, not a human at all. (I thought someone was messing with a plant outside my door at an apartment where I used to live. My security camera showed me it was a dog roaming by and was lifting a leg on my pot early in the morning. It was mostly dried when I came out later in the morning and I didn't smell it, so I didn't realize it was urine until I saw the dog do it on the replay. Yeah, took care of him, too.)

If you do find out it is your neighbor, I would definitely tell the landlord -- this might actually be the last straw if she's been doing stuff to other people -- but I wouldn't talk to her. I'd tape a picture of her messing with your plants to her door and leave it at that.

[HoneyBerry]

Maliscious harassment by a neighbor is a felony in Washington state. I don't know how the neighbor laws work in your state. If that is what is truly happening, then you need security caneras. That is the only way to prove something like that.

[catgrass]

Considering all of the above comments, it would appear a camera is necessary, but on another note-Are you sure you don't have aphids? The substance they leave is more sticky, but looks like oil.