Help with weeds taking over

Dustyevsky

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135721#Comment_82135721

True, that it's called Roundup, Gallup, Roseate, and a dozen other trade names, but that doesn't answer my question. You've also said it's the 'worst,' implying there's a 'best.' I wonder what that is?

Farway

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135721#Comment_82135721

I suggest you do further research into facts and not rely on interweb gossip

Tommaso46

Believe me, I have done that because I used to use it myself until I learned not to.

Dustyevsky

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135868#Comment_82135868

I'm inclined believe people who supply facts, not vague assertions and earnest assurances.

Tommaso46

I think this discussion thread has come to an end. Why don't you have the last word?

Dustyevsky

It's not for either of us to say when a thread 'has come to an end.' Someone else may have a valid point to make.

middlewife

Ok, donning tin hat and sticking head above parapet (!) glyphosate is banned for home use in many countries due to health concerns. Not commenting on the rights or wrongs, but there must be something in the concerns for it to be banned. Each to their own, but anything that "kills", is, by definition, "lethal", possibly not just to the target organism. Problem is, it's much easier to spray than pull by hand, especially if mobility is an issue......

FreeBear

Problem is, it's much easier to spray than pull by hand, especially if mobility is an issue......

With some weeds, horsetail springs to mind, spraying is the only real practical method of control.

Dustyevsky

middlewife: Ok, donning tin hat and sticking head above parapet (!) glyphosate is banned for home use in many countries due to health concerns

That's true about France and numerous other EU countries, their decisions coming after a 2015 study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) whose report concluded the weed killer's main component, glyphosate, was "probably carcinogenic in humans."

You'll have spotted the weasel word 'probably' in there, but without full context. The level of operator risk is judged about equal to the regular consumption of bacon. The Dutch have banned home use of glyphosate, but seem happy to promote the consumption of nitrite-infused bacon. That seems inconsistent to me!

The EU hasn't banned the use of glyphosate, nor will it, until 2033, at the earliest. It's far too useful in commercial agriculture. I dislike seeing acres sprayed with it from tractor-mounted atomisers, but it often happens. None of us wants chemical residues on our food, but commercial use means only expensive organic produce avoids that 100%. No labels will inform you or me what's been used/not used in growing ordinary bought produce.

Home gardeners do have a choice of where and when they use glyphosate, and they control the level of 'danger' it might pose. I apply it to paths and similar areas, knowing it breaks down quickly on contact with soil or water. This which is why it's the only weedkiller authorised for use near waterways. I'm not going to consume it, nor will I mix it with my hands! There are plenty of products on sale which would be equally or more dangerous if I did those things, and no one wants them banned.