Re: gardenwriters Digest, Vol 102, Issue 8

**"* G* <s*@thecreativegardener.com>**

Nan, 
Nice bottom line. (Bottom line is, it's important to understand the type of
plant and  how/why any herbicide works in order to make good recommendations
to your readers/clients/customers)   
My sentiments exactly. 
Sue Goetz

www.thecreativegardener.com
Creative Gardener
Gig Harbor, WA
253 265 2209
Become a fan on FACEBOOK...and share your garden with us!

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2011 12:42:47 -0700
From: Nan Sterman <NSterman@PlantSoup.Com>
Subject: Re: [GWL] RoundUp & Vinegar
To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum
	<gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <4F14BBE0-BF6B-4B75-BD5C-60B43DF3655E@PlantSoup.Com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=us-ascii

I've heard other folks talk about using two layers of latex gloves for this
"glove in glove" method.

One thing that is important to note.  Vinegar is a contact herbicide - it
kills (burns actually) only what it touches, i.e. exposed plant parts like
leaves and stems. So, it is appropriate to use to kill any plant that has
fine, thread-like roots and no underground storage structures.  For these
plants, once the top growth dies, there's nothing left to support the roots
that remain so the entire plant dies.

There are companies who sell very concentrated versions of vinegar that are
registered with the EPA as herbicides just for this purpose.  You can find
them on-line.

There are also other "organic" herbicides made of citrus oil, cinnamon oil,
pepper extracts, etc. that work similarly.

Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup and other products)  has an
entirely different mode of operation.  

Glyphosate is not a poison per-se.  Plants take it up through their leaves
and translocate it down into plant tissues including below-ground roots and
storage structures (rhizomes, stolons, etc).  It functions by interfering
with the manufacture of an important photosynthetic enzyme.  The plant can't
survive without that enzyme, so in essence, it kills itself.   

This mode of operation makes glyphosate extremely effective on plants that
have deep taproots and other types of underground storage structures like
bermuda grass.  Even when vinegar burns off the above-ground portions of the
plants (leaves, stems, etc), they have enough stored energy to resprout from
those below-ground portions.    

Bottom line is, its important to understand the type of plant and  how/why
any herbicide works in order to make good recommendations to your
readers/clients/customers.  

Nan

_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

Post gardening questions/threads to
"Gardenwriters on Gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters