The garden club I belong to was invited to attend a talk on Herbicides...What they are used for, who uses them, the good bad and ugly of the mix...It was stressed to be a responsible user, follow directions, pay particular attention to dosage, weather conditions etc. and know something about the chemical you are using, and many other things...I left the meeting with my mind swirling and more questions than answers...Although the meeting was very informative.
Education of people about herbicides in our county has come to the forefront, after blaring headlines last summer about a tomato crop (raised by an organic grower) killed from the drift of herbicide from a neighboring field...In the ensuing investigation things really didn't add up so our local extension office called in state people to do testing and research.
It was found that the demise of the tomato crop did not come from herbicide drift but from manure that the grower had added to the soil...When the soil was tested it contained two chemicals (herbicides)...The grower without thinking, had brought manure into the garden thinking organic source, never giving a thought to what the animals had been eating!..Thus the herbicide contamination.
How gardening has changed from the "Good ole Days", (before so many chemicals) when Gramma had the family vegetable garden out back and spread manure from her own barnyard...Chemicals are not going to go away nor should they, but we as consumers and users must learn more about using them and following the chain reaction of this use...Lawn clippings used for mulch after being sprayed with weed and feed is not a good idea...the composting projects set up by many local communities at landfills, where everyone brings their yard and garden waste, the waste along with chemicals used by a myriad of people is now all dumped together, chopped up and taken home to spread as mulch on flower beds and vegetable gardens...Not a good idea either...Education will help but it will be a long, slow process... OWAV:
The following definition was copied from Wikipedia.
Herbicide also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants.[1] Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant hormones. Herbicides used to clear waste ground, industrial sites, railways and railway embankments are non-selective and kill all plant material with which they come into contact. Smaller quantities are used in forestry, pasture systems, and management of areas set aside as wildlife habitat. And I ADD by nearly all home gardeners.
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