So, you’ve got weeds, and no one seems to think spritzing them with Roundup is any big deal, but you’re skeptical, and well you should be.
Toxicity aside, I have major ethical issues about Roundup because of lousy behavior on the part of the company that makes it: Monsanto. They’ve been irresponsible in their advertising of Roundup in the US and more recently in France, falsified science on Roundup toxicity, profited mightily from “Roundup Ready” genetically-modified crops as they fight efforts to require labeling of genetically-modified foods, and have even sued farmers for accidental genetic contamination of their crops. They’ve made rBGH growth hormone used to (over)stimulate milk production in dairy cows, the herbicide also known as Agent Orange, and more recently herbicides used in the drug wars on Colombia. Their recent support for NPR notwithstanding, I am not a fan.
Corporate responsibility aside, Roundup isn’t as safe as it’s made out to be. True, it has a relatively low acute toxicity, meaning it’s less likely than some pesticides to cause immediate poisoning symptoms. But, it can still cause poisoning, in animals as well as people, and over the long term, low levels of exposure to Roundup have been implicated in several serious health consequences. Studies have linked exposure to Roundup with greater risk for miscarriage, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and ADD. More info on all that mess. Yeesh.
So, what to do instead? Well, lots of things, so I will spread my “weedy weeds” posts out into seasonally-appropriate bits during the year. To start, I want to tell you about my two favorite methods of weed suppression:
One: boiling water. Sure enough, if you pour boiling water on a weed – or any plant – it’ll cook and die. Much like Roundup, it’ll kill other plants in the vicinity, so this is not a great choice for your garden. But, if you’re trying to get tough, deeply rooted weeds out from cracks in the driveway, walkway, patio, or what have you, drizzle on some freshly boiled water from the kettle and watch ‘em wilt and die. This works best for smaller, tender plants – woody-stemmed plants need something stronger….which I’ll talk more about in my next edition of weedy weeds.
Two, a great weed suppression technique for gardeners is companion planting. Rather than fighting Mother Nature’s tendency to fill every bare patch of soil with all the plant life we know as “weeds,” beat her to the punch by planting your own stuff in between, and take better advantage of your space. You can plant leaf lettuce between your broccoli and collards, cucumbers and petunias between your corn, or onions and basil between your tomatoes. It works because the between plants are relatively short and shallow-rooted, so they won’t compete directly with the other plants for soil nutrients, but they will compete with the weeds. There are loads of great books on this topic – I’ve got one called “Great Garden Companions” on load from a friend, and have found it extremely helpful. For all of you readers who are gardening this season, do you have any favorite plant combinations, or favorite books about companion planting? Let me know!
I’ll write more soon on getting rid of weeds without Roundup and other herbicides. If you just can’t wait, check out Toxic Free NC’s fact sheet, Getting Rid of Weeds Without Chemicals.
Thanks for reading!
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