Glyphosate is a Dangerous Herbicide

Glyphosate Injury by Arkansas Rice

Planning your garden for the spring? Planning to use herbicides to kill weeds in your garden? If you are considering any chemical for your garden, think twice about it and think hard about the safety. If you think that any ”Pesticide is safe” that is sold in the stores, think again. More and more evidence seems to say that this is a myth.  See here.

Weed by dan mogford

They newest scientific evidence coming out is that one of the most extensively used herbicides in the history of agriculture, glyphosate, is dangerous. This “systemic herbicide can have extensive unintended effects on nutruient efficiency and disease severity, thereby threatening its agricultural sustainability.”  See here.

Continue reading “Glyphosate is a Dangerous Herbicide”

How To Kill Weeds in St. Augustine Grass

Bubble on St. Augustine grass by jmorgan90
Bubble on St. Augustine grass by jmorgan90

TheGardenLady received this question from Mary.

Will Round Up or Weed-Be-Gone kill my St. Augustine grass? The oxilis is mixed in with the St. Augustine.

Ortho Weed b Gone can NOT be used on St. Augustine grass.  Roundup is a systemic that will kill any plant so that it also can NOT be used on a lawn without killing the grass.

However, there is a special product to kill the weeds in St. Augustine grass. The product is called Weed B gon Spot Weed Killer for St. Augustine grass.

It can be bought at nurseries or at places like Home Depot. This is a granular product which has to be watered when applied. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PACKAGE AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS EXACTLY. Keep pets out of the area where the product is used until the lawn is dry. For any questions contact the manufacturer. They have people on the phone who will answer all questions including where to buy in your area.

Herbicide Damage

Herbicide damage by Effloresco
Herbicide damage by Effloresco

TheGardenLady received this question from Mary Anne.

My roommate bought some Round Up (gross, I know!) to spray on weeds, and she sprayed it all over some lovely yucca plants. 🙁 Despite my efforts to revive them through pruning off all the dead leaves and fertilizing and watering, they are sad little stumps that look quite dead. I am so sad! Do you have any idea if I might be able to save them?

Roundup is what is called a systemic weed killer. That means it goes down to the very tips of the roots of a plant to kill it. It doesn’t know which plant is good or what plant is bad. It just kills any plant it comes in contact with and is very effective in killing the plant.

That is why, whenever one buys any herbicide or pesticide product to use, you MUST!!!! READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PACKAGE CAREFULLY AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY AS THE PACKAGE SAYS.

So, to answer your question: It is with regret that TheGardenLady has to say that she does not think you will be able to save your yucca plants. Roundup killed it all the way to the tips of its roots.

TheGardenLady has never used any herbicide on her property. She hates chemicals in her garden or lawn.

Now she knows that there are times when people have to use herbicides. TheGardenLady has been lucky that she hasn’t had to use any. She pulls her weeds by hand. Her garden isn’t as pristine as it could be; there are weeds. She would rather live with weeds than with chemicals in the soil or getting into the water in the stream on her property. Even poison ivy is pulled by hand- pulled carefully using plastic bags so that the ivy can not touch skin. She tries to get the poison ivy when it is young.

If TheGardenLady readers feel that they have to use a herbicide, PLEASE USE CAUTION! Remember that so many of yesteryear’s herbicides which were once considered safe- are now banned.

PS Thank you, Mary Anne, for enjoying TheGardenLady site. I love readers like you.