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I have a bunch of diesel sitting around (long story) and I was wondering that if I poured it on... say, rotting wood, would it kill any bugs that might be munching on it? Would it kill plants or permanently poison the dirt? Could it spontaneously combust if left alone (in said wood)?

I have a bunch of diesel sitting around (long story) and I was wondering that if I poured it on... say, rotting wood, would it kill any bugs that might be munching on it? Would it kill plants or permanently poison the dirt? Could it spontaneously combust if left alone (in said wood)?

16 comments

[–] Owlchemy 1 points (+1|-0)

Back in the 'old days' my grandpa used to use kerosene to kill poison ivy and weeds ... he'd spray it ... we all survived. But don't let any tree huggers see ya. They tend to go ballistic over such things today.

I've heard of kerosene being used like that. I just happen to have a surplus of diesel sitting around and was wondering if I could use the it the same way. I'm having a pile of dead, rotting wood hauled off and I don't want any bugs to move from that pile to my house when they're disturbed.

[–] Owlchemy 1 points (+1|-0)

I'm no expert, but hey, you can try a small spot and see what happens ... does it kill 'em or not ... and then take it from there. My guess is that if you saturate the ground too much, it'll be a year or so til anything grows there.