Strange Green Mold on New Garden Furniture

[JonnyAlpha]

Hi;

Just paid for and had delivered a new Trellis for the Garden from Travis Perkins.

The company dropped it off in the front Garden whilst we were out, when we got home to our horror it is covered in a strange green mold.
I know its outdoor garden furniture but surely I'd expect it to come without the added mold.
If it is a mold the woods been infected whilst its been in storage.
Can anyone confirm that this is indeed a mold and should I take the Trellis back and complain.

Many thanks

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by JonnyAlpha

Hi;

Just paid for and had delivered a new Trellis for the Garden from Travis Perkins.

The company dropped it off in the front Garden whilst we were out, when we got home to our horror it is covered in a strange green mold.
I know its outdoor garden furniture but surely I'd expect it to come without the added mold.
If it is a mold the woods been infected whilst its been in storage.
Can anyone confirm that this is indeed a mold and should I take the Trellis back and complain.

Many thanks

hi

unfortunately the images are only thumbnail sized (unless it's my PC)

Travis Perkins is one of my favourite Country and Western stars - I would hate to think he's dealing bad trellises . . . .

Chris

[SheffieldLass]

Might it be that a copper based timber preservative has been used to treat the timber?

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

Might it be that a copper based timber preservative has been used to treat the timber?

it certainly is that characteristic colour - one thinks of vineyards in the Med region with the leaves covered in Bordeaux mixture as a pre-emptive agent against the downy mildew Plasmopara viticola . . .

I read of "chromated copper arsenate timber preservative" mmmm - sounds really ecologically sound

Chris

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

it certainly is that characteristic colour - one thinks of vineyards in the Med region with the leaves covered in Bordeaux mixture as a pre-emptive agent against the downy mildew Plasmopara viticola . . .

I read of "chromated copper arsenate timber preservative" mmmm - sounds really ecologically sound

Chris

Copper chrome arsenic is now banned (since 2004) .. it used to be commonplace. There are new copper based preservatives that have in part replaced it, eg Tanalith E and Osmose. The safest treatment (boron) is extremely hard to find though, which seems mad. Seems that specifiers still think that only something toxic to us and the environment will work.

[kiltoncomp]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

Copper chrome arsenic is now banned (since 2004) .. it used to be commonplace. There are new copper based preservatives that have in part replaced it, eg Tanalith E and Osmose. The safest treatment (boron) is extremely hard to find though, which seems mad. Seems that specifiers still think that only something toxic to us and the environment will work.

isn't boron what foresters use on pine stumps after felling, to prevent the spread of Heterobasidion annosum ?

Brian.

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by kiltoncomp

isn't boron what foresters use on pine stumps after felling, to prevent the spread of Heterobasidion annosum ?

Brian.

I don't know ... but interesting. The shortage of boron pressure impregnated construction timber is because there are still very few facilities actually offering it in the UK and it has to be done to part-green wood.

[The Woodman]

We used to use Urea (& dye) for stump treatment, that may have been superceded though. From what I can see, the practice of stump treatment has finished.

The image does look like CCA salts, which when dry are inert and should be harmless. Perhaps this timber has been imported from Poland or somewhere further than Europe.

The nearest pressure treatment plant to me now uses a "copper quarternary" process.

[kiltoncomp]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

I don't know ... but interesting. The shortage of boron pressure impregnated construction timber is because there are still very few facilities actually offering it in the UK and it has to be done to part-green wood.

i think it may be borax rather than boron (which is obtained from borax ??),

there is an interesting article about it here,

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...%26start%3D147


Brian.

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by kiltoncomp

i think it may be borax rather than boron (which is obtained from borax ??),

there is an interesting article about it here,

Google Image Result for http://www.fl-dof.com/publications/Insects_and_Diseases/images/pineconk.jpg


Brian.

thanks for the link ... interesting that it is the freshly cut stumps that it is able to develop in. Can therefore see why it is very important in forestry to deal with it, particularly as forestry management (thinning) actually provides the right conditions for it to develop! And just checked, borax is sodium borate or sodium tetraborate.

Melanie