What can you do that doesn’t cause cancer?

[Anonymous]

Prior owners used TruGreen and entire garden is still full of weeds.

What’s a better substance or method but not cancer causing?

[Anonymous]

Pull by hand. Plant more stuff so you don’t have bare spots for weeds. Mulch.

[Anonymous]

Minimize lawn, to minimize lawn chemicals and maintenance. Use it as a path, for instance. Plant natives that are adapted to living here, so you have less maintenance in your planting beds, and plant densely so the plants support each other (to stay erect), and shade the ground to prevent weed growth.

I recently received some native plants from someone who had completely converted her backyard. No lawn = no mowing. It was not 100% native for sure, but she was slowly moving in that direction. I would 100% do that if my husband didn't have totally different ideas about what the yard should look like.

[Anonymous]

Pull by hand, or pull the lawn and plants native grasses like carex pennsylvanica.

[Anonymous]

Is it the garden or the grass that's full of weeds? My understanding is that TruGreen primarily provides lawn treatments (but I haven't used such a service, so I could be wrong).

If it's a garden area, know that any unplanted patch of ground will eventually get "volunteer" plants--could be desirable ornamentals propagating, relatively harmless weeds, or more invasive plants. In our relatively moist climate, these plants can establish and grow quickly. Don't bother with weed fabric, as it does nothing to stop propagation from on top of the soil. Using a balanced occasional fertilizer can help, as some weeds tend to thrive in soils that are nutrient depleted or are over-rich in one nutrient or another. Mulching helps somewhat, as it creates a surface where it's harder for weeds to root down and easier to pluck them out. One of the best defenses is having a carpet of healthy groundcover plants that outcompete weeds for light, space, and nutrients. All of that said, everyone *will* get weeds. In a garden, there aren't really selective herbicides you can spray. (For lawns, there are some herbicides that target broad-leaf plants, without harming grasses.) Expect that in the warmest part of the growing season you will need to remove weeds about every two weeks. If they are among desirable plants, the only thing you can do is hand pull or very carefully spot treat with an herbicide. Know also that your neighbors' adherence to weed eradication will effect your yard, for better or worse. As long as their are weed seeds or stolons nearby, they will find their way to you.

For what it's worth, the cancer concerns about Round Up aren't typically put in context. It's not that I particularly recommend the stuff or regularly use it myself. That said, it is the *least* toxic herbicide to humans in acute exposure, and it is the herbicide that is known to break down the fastest in the environment--as fast as two days. That's one of the reasons it became so popular. (It does have acute toxic effects on some invertebrates and fish.) We also don't know the threshold of exposure that may contribute to cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classes it as a probable carcinogen, but the EPA does not believe glyphosate is a risk to humans. So far, the people who have successfully collected damages in lawsuits are people who were exposed regularly, over years, and without adequate PPE. If I had a difficult-to-erradicate plant, like bamboo or ivy or a large area of an invasive, like garlic mustard, I wouldn't hesitate to use Round Up, even as someone who mostly sticks to organic practices (native plants, beneficial insects, insecticidal soap when necessary, etc).

[Anonymous]

I pull by hand, over seed with clover, and embrace dandelions.

[Anonymous]

A propane torch

[Anonymous]

Solarization and occultation
smother with mulch
lasagna garden

[Anonymous]

Corn Meal Gluten in fall and spring for lawns. Propane torch for sidewalk weeds.

[Anonymous]

Embrace the plants you call weeds.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on if you’re talking about a lawn that’s grass-only or if you want an expanse of mulch with no plants.

[Anonymous]

Most weeds can be killed with a spray bottle of vinegar, salt and water instead of Roundup!

[Anonymous]

I also want to second pulling by hand. When I bought my house, it's garden and lawn were neglected. We pulled all the weeds, put down mulch. Next year there were 1/2 as many weeds and we pulled those and put down mulch. We barely get any weeds now.

For dandelions, I just use a spiked shovel and I pull them. There really aren't many every year and they're easy to find with their yellow flowers.

For the grass, keep reseeding it with grass seeds! Good grass is the best preventative for keeping weeds out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most weeds can be killed with a spray bottle of vinegar, salt and water instead of Roundup!

This is what I do. I bought a sprayer at Home Depot and fill it with cleaning-strength vinegar, salt, and water. The sprayer helps pinpoint each weed so I’m not killing everything in the mulch bed.

I also don’t treat my lawn— embrace the clover and dandelions! We aerate and overseed every other year to promote new grass growth and manage the crabgrass.

[Anonymous]

Everything causes cancer.

You people have no concept of understanding dose, exposure, route of administration, and safety windows.

Roundup is fine when used properly. The amount of systemic exposure to an individual is going to be extremely limited when used properly.

lol, just by eating food and living in the world, your body contains detectable amounts of plutonium. You freak out about that too?