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Round-up, Rodeo and Vinegar
Let me lead off by stating that I am required by my job to hold a
pesticide applicators license. I receive several updates a year required to keep my
license. I am licensed in 4 categories, ornamentals, greenhouses,
parks,and swimming pools.
Some of the recommendations I have been seeing here on the list make me
cringe. First and foremost, the label on ANY type of pesticide, organic or
not is the LAW! Using it in a manner not on the label is illegal. Dipping
your hands into Round up with gloves is one of them. Using latex gloves, no
matter how many layers does not protect you. Puncture resistant nitrile
gloves or rubber gloves are recommended for spraying. So are long sleeves and
pants, and protective eyewear.
If you choose to use vinegar as an herbicide, purchase horticultural
vinegar which is a 20% solution rather than the 5% you buy at the grocery store.
It is a contact herbicide which will only kills leaves, not roots. For
perennial weeds you must reapply as directed. The same for clove oil and other
herbicides in the same genre.
I have used BurnOut in the garden. It is expensive and I've had limited
success with it, mostly on annual weeds. Remember that any type of
pesticide, organic or not is designed to kill something. Just because it is organic,
doesn't make it safe for humans, it leaves less of a footprint in the
environment. It still kills something.
In a perfect world, all the organic herbicides would kill such nasty
invasives such as Japanese Knotweed, Japanese stiltgrass, poison ivy, tree of
heaven, Oriental bittersweet and the list goes on. But they only have
effect on the leaves, not the roots. Tarping has been recommended for knotweed.
That is fine if you have several years and a small area. When you are
battling miles of it, that is just not practical. If municipalities had enough
workers to spend their days weedwhacking the stuff, that would certainly cut
down the use of herbicides but all you have to do is watch the news to see
that jobs are being cut back everyday.
If you are going to spray a chemical herbicide, Round up is the one to
use as opposed to stronger herbicides. There are going to be times when
they will be necessary. I use Round up personally for ornamental beds and a
right of way behind my house that is never maintained. I use Serenade for my
roses and honeysuckle. I have used hort oil on scale on certain plants. I
don't use insecticidal soap for insects because I see too much phytotoxic
reaction on plants. Many times I just squish them or hose them off the plant.
Rodeo is glyphosate without the surfactant making it safer to use around
water. It is a better choice if there is a chance of runoff. You don't
want to use vinegar around water if there are amphibians and the same goes
for clove oil and the like.
denise
"There's a few things I've learned in life: always throw salt over your
left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for good
luck, and fall in love whenever you can"
"Practical Magic"
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