Corner of death in our apartment?

…don’t stand there.

Yes.

Call the Ghostbusters.

Today.

Now.

Hurry.

September 2, 2008, 3:34 PM EDT

Holy cow! That’s a lead in to a question! Is it warmer in that corner? How close is it to a vent?

Otherwise…take the advice ^^^^

no it’s nice and cool in that corner, not too sunny.

Blame the GOP.

They’re responsible for everything else that is bad in this country.

September 2, 2008, 3:38 PM EDT

I’m waiting for JackAdams to answer! :)

Look above your own answer.

September 2, 2008, 3:39 PM EDT

The only think I could think of was too warm or too much sun…sorry!

@ JackAdams, I know, my computer froze! grrrrr! I am impressed that you tied the GOP into the problem! ;)

You should see if it’ll work on other life forms. Put a chair in that corner and get people to come and play “death chair roulette”. The mother-in-law chair…

Or just call the ghostbusters.

okay gang wife is lookig over shoulder, and she doens’t like the time i spend on fluther anyway, so kidding is fun, but she’s REALLY nagging me about my firends here, so lets try to get a real answer

If I had a corner like that in MY place, I’d invite people whom I didn’t like, to spend the night with me, and make sure that their bed was in “that” spot.

No, not really…

September 2, 2008, 3:42 PM EDT

(note to self don’t go sleep over at jack’s place)

(always be nice to Jack)

I can only think it’s either too hot/ too cold. What kind of plant is dying?

Here’s a REAL answer:

Contact the Parapsychology Dept. at your nearest state University, and invite them to come out to your place, for a “for real” scientific examination of that area of your place.

September 2, 2008, 3:44 PM EDT

the plant is an azalea. fresh fuits die there, but they don’t die elsewhere in the house

Also, because it is a PLANT that is dying, you might wish to also contact the School of Botany or Horticulture, or your state’s Agricultural Extension Service, for answers.

All of the above services are FREE, by the way, because they are taxpayer-supported.

September 2, 2008, 3:46 PM EDT

I’ve never had an azalea survive in my house; however, that could be me…I’m not going there, though!

I do think you might want to do what was mentioned above. I’m thinking it’s not the right temp or there could be something being emitted into the air that is just not great for plants – fruits rot – one side of my counters – fruits lasts longer than the other side. No rhyme or reason. Plants, though, if you are trying different plants and still having issues – talk to someone. You can also talk to someone at a nursery.

You said you were in an apartment? Do you live above someone? I lived above a seriously weird neighbhor that seemed to always smell like mineral spirits. Part of my dining area always smelled like mineral spirits – I’d really check into maybe it’s fumes from something.

good luck.

GA for cak – we don’t live above someone, were actually on a two level townhouse. the only funny smells come from me, and i do that all over the house

It’s true about azaleas, they always die indoors, they’re essentially cut flowers with dirt. The real issue is the fruit rot, therefore.

Different fruits like different storage strategies. If you store bananas WITH other fruit, for example, it will make the other fruit go bad really fast – a pheromone thing.
Presumably you’re now keeping your fruit elsewhere?

I’d spend the few dollars on a CO detector. It could be that there may be a CO leak in that corner of the apartment, which would suffocate the plants/fruit put around it. CO is deadly to humans, but I don’t think that there’s enough there to really become a hazard to you or your family. But, find one of those, and if it finds some, I’d call out your local health department to see what can be done about it.

Have you tested “the corner” on any other types of plants? Buy some flowers from somewhere and see if they’ll survive. It could be worth a shot.

I’d spend a little money and get a magnetic field checker. Who knows what’s in that wall!!!

Ethylene gas would cause all of these issues. It acts as a hormone in plant materials, speeding up the aging process. Ethylene is naturally given off by many ripening fruits or decomposing plants (bananas and apples especially give off lots), but it can also be a by-product of combustion. Smoking, kerosene lamps, and fuel-burning motors all give off ethylene.

I have no idea why there might be concentrations of ethylene in a corner of your place; just saying that if there were, it would have the effects you’re describing.

just a thought, what’s behind the wall? Mold, asbestos, the ring? Maybe it’s in the wall an it’s harmful to you as well, a leaky gas pipe etc. Hope this helps

@drhat77 – Are you related to my husband?

Maybe it is just more humid there, and not enough light. Too humid would account for fruit, not enought light – for azalea.
Buy and orchid from Trader Joe’s and see how that plant is going to do.

My first thought was electromagnetic fields. They have all kinds of weird effects on stuff, and can behave really unpredictably—like only affecting one corner of a room.

Reminds me of an episode of Star Trek NG…

You might also want to test for radon gas in that corner.

Radon could be a possiblility. Take a sample and run electric current through it, if there’s any there, it’ll light up.

@win: that sounds amazing. I hope there is radon in my dorm room!

I wouldn’t…radon is a little radioactive.

@drhat77 If you test for various gases, let us know what the outcome is. Good luck.

thanks for all your help, gang. i don’t think radon is an issue, we don’t have a basement