Round up is an herbicide. But what exactly do you think happens with one application? |
Well, I will say this: nothing works remotely as effectively. None of the home remedies that folks on this thread or anywhere throw out there does. Nothing. And I've tried a lot of things. I use it primary on cracks in the driveway and stone patios/walkways/swimming pool border where weeds pop up. They don't pop up again. I don't use it (very much) on mulch or where other plants are nearby. |
This. They'll use it every chance they get if you're not paying attention because the alternative is that they have to weed. We minimized our mulch beds by about 80% and reintroduced grass- which inevitably has clover and dandelions in it. We pay extra for overseeding and aerating and that seems to help the lawn stay mostly grass, and safe for our kids, pets and environment. Wish everyone else would do the same. |
Meh. A single spray on a single small isolated weed isn't gonna kill anything but that weed. I don't indiscriminately spray the stuff and I don't think gardeners do either. As for the "they" you refer to, how much are you paying for the back breaking work of weeding? You try doing it all day! |
I sprinkle Preen and water it in every 3 months and that keeps the weeds from germinating. |
I’m a PP who doesn’t have a huge problem with 1 use of round up nor is there any real risk of any adverse effects from such a use.
That said, I don’t use it and it’s absolutely possible to control weeds without it. A 3-4” layer of high quality composted leaf mulch works. The top inch of the mulch gets dry and hot in the sun while the remaining holds moisture and protects your intentional plantings. Very few things take root. The things that grow from the moist layer are generally easy to remove and uncommon. Traditional mulch stays moist much further up and allows light much deeper, making weeds more likely. |
Where you growing weed and worried? |
Roundup has never been as "toxic" and people have claimed. The real beef is against GMO crops that are "Roundup ready" meaning they've been genetically modified to survive being sprayed with Roundup so the weeds around them can be killed without damaging the crops themselves. It's already on some of the food you eat. Is it toxic in your flower garden? No. I use it on dandelions and thistle since they're nearly impossible to pull up. Just a little spritz in the center of the plant. It does not make the ground or garden toxic. It's not cyanide or arsenic. |
I like how you annotated your dissertation. |
I'm sorry that happened, OP. I'd be upset too! Nothing you can do now but I wouldn't grow anything edible there.
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Dandelions aren’t hard to pull up. I did that all through the 70s! I don’t know when roundup became available but back in the 70s you hand pulled weeds or just lived with them. It was fine. We have a few dandelions in our yard but they don’t really spread especially if you pick the flowers before they go to seed. |
I don't care about the dandelions in my yard (and there are thousands), but my garden does not get to share space with dandelions. You can pull and pull, and they'll almost always come back because the root is so deep. A shot of Roundup solves the issue instantly without damaging the plants around it. I have no problem pulling other weeds that come up easily. |
Something that works that well means it is highly lethal. Don’t you think that something that kills so well is probably not good for our health? Or the environment? |
If it's in your grass, you can use a broadleaf killer that will kill anything that isn't grass and spare the grass. It's not Roundup - just your standard weed-and-feed product. You can't use that in a garden because it will kill your garden plants. That's were a selective shot of Roundup is well suited for the job. |
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9101768/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weed-whacking-herbicide-p/ https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/spotlight/research/childhood-exposure-to-common-herbicide-may-increase-the-risk-of-disease-in-young-adulthood |