GoingTrueGreen's Blog Postings

Weedkiller vs Drinking Water

6/21/2013

weed, weeds, weed killer, weed remover, Fiskars

Dandelion weeds

Today is the first day of Summer 2013 and weeds are everywhere! Along the roads, around the house and in the front lawn. Weeds are not particularly admired, so we go through great lengths to eliminate them.
However, what we must ask ourself is: How do we dispose of the weeds in our lawn?

A) Do you whack them with a noisy gasoline and oil operated weed whacker?
B) Do you spray them with one of the many weed killers on the market?
C) Do you pull them out manually?
D) Do you use an electric operated cutter or edger?

Now don't assume that I pull my weeds out by getting down on the ground
and pulling each one out with my hand or some fork style tool.

My weed puller

I refuse to use my hands to pull out weeds, just as much as I refuse to use a noisy electric or gasoline and oil operated weed whacker and poisonous weed killer sprays or liquids.

The studies on weed killer sprays show one of the three worst toxic chemicals in weed killer sprays is being found in many groundwater locations. In New York, the DEC stated 124 detections of atrazine in 51 locations of groundwater, just on Long Island, New York. Our groundwater is our "Drinking" water!

Atrazine is dangerous and is an unacceptable risk to our health and our environment. After being banned in the European Union back in 2004, the United States is just starting to follow with banning the product in the spring of 2014. Does the fear of lost business have such a strong grip on America that we have to wait ten years longer to do what the rest of the world already knows? This chemical has the largest use, 76 million pounds dumped on our soil each year. Scientific studies proved atrazine is an endocrine disruptor. The New York Times ran a story in August 2009 about the potential for birth defects or low birth weights with an atrazine intake well below federal standards. The other two pesticides used in weed killers are metalaxyl and imidacloprid. Neither have been addressed as of yet. Only God knows how much time will be needed to ban them.

Hasta La Vista Dandelion

As for using electricity, gas, oil and noise to pull out weeds, well to me, that is ludicrous. I have a piece of equipment, that is an "all in one" and pulls out weeds by the root with ease. Not to mention, without noise, gasoline, electrical consumption, oil and gasoline mixtures, spillages of such mixtures onto our soil and without any poisons chemicals.

I don't own stock in the manufacturer, I don't even know if they are listed. Also I do not get any kickback. This ingeniously designed piece of equipment is amazing. Research this for yourself: Read the info, Watch the video and this equipment is affordable... 37 dollars and some change. Oh yeah, plus any sales tax and shipping. Nothing new there.

Fiskars Gardening and Yard Care Products

Last Note: After you pull out all your weeds... Compost them with your town's program.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

9 Comments

BSB

6/21/2013 02:16:26 pm

I refuse to use Roundup (and have never even considered atrazine) because I know that all of this spraying is moving into our environment at an accelerating rate proportional to the slickness of the ads that promote its use. I did read something about eradicating weeds in between bricks and masonry and wonder about it - white vinegar. Has anyone used it and what are the results? In the past I've used some herbal formulas and have really regretted it due to a smell that would wake up neighbors and dogs several hundreds of feet away. I have purchased a tool similar to the one you have in the post and do like it for dandelion and similar long-rooted weeds. But this is no good for getting weeds in between bricks and masonry. Pulling them manually is impossible for my back - so what about vinegar or other non-polluting formulae?

GTG link

6/21/2013 04:53:28 pm

Good evening BSB,

We thank you for your comment and feedback. With Roundup, recent reports have stated that the product may be a contributing factor to Alzheimer's disease.
As for those weeds between the bricks, some people have spoken about vinegar, bleach or salt as a way to kill these weeds. However, I do not have any numbers to support success or the percentage of success. Then you also have to consider the amount needed to obtain success and the cost. We have seen another way that works well on a long hot sunny day. Again, no numbers on results, but perhaps a test run is in order. Put a clear plastic dish upside down over the weed. Be sure that the bricks don't create large openings along the perimeter. If you see one, weigh the dish down with a stone, but don't block too much sunlight going through the clear plastic dish. We want to have all the moister in and around the weed to evaporate and condense on the dish. Please note that you may have to wipe the inside of the dish dry once or twice. You are basically dehydrating the weed until it burns out and dies... Root and all.
Nature provides the answer - evaporation, condensation, and wipe it dry once, so you don't have precipitation back onto the weed.
On really hot days, you can kill grass and a weed within a few hours. By the end of the day you can do a whole patio with several dishes. Best part about this, the dishes are reusable!
Hope this can work for you and if this works well please credit GTG when sharing the info. Also if you test out the vinegar, please share your results with us and we'll credit you. I may have to do a continuation to this blog.
Bill, GTG

6/22/2013 01:38:19 am

Now that is an interesting idea that seems pain-free for me and good for the environment. So simple and no smell! I'm going to give that a try and will also attempt an application of white vinegar to see what happens. I will let you know! Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply!

6/21/2013 03:58:01 pm

Forgot to mention that this is a great post - It's important to be aware of these products, and know that we have a choice to do better things for the environment.

PAL link

6/22/2013 08:50:44 am

I have tried the vinegar method and had mixed results at best. Roundup is toxic to our health and should not be used at all. Unfortunately, in the US (thanks to greedy biotech companies such as Monsanto) the use of Roundup is not only prevalent but exists in the genetic makeup of our food that contains GMO's (Approx. 80 % of what is sold in a conventional food store).

6/22/2013 03:35:49 pm

PAL,

Thank you for your comment and input on the vinegar weed killing method.
With all of us communicating together as a team we will find better solutions.
I will be conducting a set of tests this coming week with different methods to kill weeds. I hope to make the results known in a second posting on this Blog's topic.
Bill, GTG