Learn / Ask The Landscape Professional
Now that my weeds are growing again, can I safely use a product like Roundup®?
Answer
ABSOLUTELY NOT, you should stay completely away from Roundup® there are much
safer alternatives. Every time you touch Roundup®, you put yourself, your kids, pets,
neighbors and the environment at risk. Roundup® is exceptionally toxic and what is
called a broad spectrum herbicide, meaning that it will indiscriminately kill just about
any plant it touches (not just weeds). The active ingredient in Roundup® is a chemical
compound called glyphosate. Glyphosate has been linked to birth defects, reproductive
disorders, miscarriages and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer. Roundup®
has also been found to be lethal to aquatic life. In addition to the active ingredients,
Roundup® also contains "inactive" ingredients and research suggests that one of
these, polyethoxylated tallowamine, (POEA), is not safe for humans or other animals
and has caused higher instances of miscarriages. Laboratory research on cows, mice and rats has shown
detrimental effects including kidney and liver damage. Reports abound of pets that abruptly died after
exposure to Roundup® treated properties.The EPA is expected to conduct a review of Roundup® by 2015
to determine if the herbicide should be taken completely off the market. Roundup® is now off the shelves
in much of Canada, it is illegal to sell or apply it for cosmetic lawn care in Ontario and in Boulder, Colorado.
It has been banned in parts of Argentina and in areas of the United States such as Cape Cod; citizens are
strongly objecting to utility company use of Round-up type herbicides.
Rather than using Roundup, there are several completely safe alternatives for weed killers
that I recommend (they are all broad-spectrum, so you must be careful where you spray).
Vinegar, citric acid or clove oil are safe "natural" herbicides that kill weeds. However, the
most effective and fastest post-emergence herbicide that quickly and effectively kills weeds,
grasses and broadleaves without causing harm to the environment is a product called
Avenger® Weed Killer. Sprigs & Twigs is a completely organic company and we have a
number of years' experience using Avenger® Weed Killer in our daily work. Avenger®
Weed Killer has been deemed organic by USDA, under its National Organic Program. It is
completely benign to the environment with no toxicity to wildlife, humans or groundwater.
Avenger® Weed Killer smells like oranges, it's all natural, safe and it kills weeds fast.The
active ingredient in Avenger® Weed Killer is derived from citrus oil which naturally strips away the waxy
plant cuticle, causing it to dehydrate and die. Sprigs & Twigs (as well as Universities and other labs) have
tested Avenger® Weed Killer and Roundup® side-by-side and Avenger® Weed Killer is better and faster
than Roundup®. We like it so much that Sprigs & Twigs is now a retailer for the SE Connecticut area. If
you would like to try it, a 24 oz. ready-to-use spray bottle costs $11.95 + tax and can be purchased at our
Gales Ferry location, 41 Kings Highway. Other sizes, including a concentrated formula, are also available. No
matter what alternative to Roundup® you use, Roundup® has no place in our stores, on our shelves, our
yards or in our environment.
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About Linda Lillie
Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier
landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry
service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of
Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national
award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.
