Weeds: To spray or not to spray?
The view from Gunsight Rock on Jan. 10. Hikers can reach Gunsight from Hood Mountain Regional Park off of Los Alamos Road, or from the Sugarloaf trailhead on Adobe Canyon Road. You can’t park your car in the Adobe Canyon parking lot, however, because the park is technically closed. (Photo by Elizabeth Peters)
Controlling weeds in landscaping, in crops, and along drives and patios is a never-ending chore and as winter moves into spring, climbs up the to-do list. In Sonoma County, evidence of herbicide application appears as early as December with the orange stripes typical of glyphosate – the active ingredient in Roundup – showing on treated vegetation. The very successful marketing campaign, which has convinced many that glyphosate is relatively harmless as it breaks down and disappears from the environment quickly, is increasingly disputed by scientific studies. These studies show glyphosate readily persists in the environment, is the most commonly reported cause of pesticide illness among landscape maintenance workers in California, destroys beneficial soil organisms that suppress disease-causing organisms and help plants absorb nutrients, and is producing resistant super-weeds.
For example, one study done through the U.S. Department of the Interior found that 60 percent of rain samples collected in agricultural areas of Iowa and Indiana contained glyphosate. Swedish researchers found glyphosate in ground water. Most recently, Monsanto, which produces Roundup, is struggling to find ways to manage glyphosate-resistant weeds. These weeds now infest 4.5 million hectares and have evolved as a direct result of increased use of glyphosate to control weeds in fields planted with Roundup Ready crops – crops genetically modified to tolerate the herbicide. There is more and more evidence that plants grown in fields sprayed with glyphosate are less healthy, and food from those fields less nutritious. Some scientific papers contain dire warnings of the consequences of continuing with widespread use of this common herbicide.
So what does any of this have to do with keeping weeds out of the azaleas or managing a vineyard? Most folks I’ve talked with who spray with glyphosate believe it is harmless. Knowing the facts of immediate and long-term impacts provides more information to use in making a choice when controlling weeds. Old-fashioned methods – cultivation, hand weeding, mowing, and mulching – will have a beneficial effect on the environment. Many green landscape businesses control weeds without herbicides. Day workers can help the overwhelmed homeowner. Also, weed removal may be an aesthetic choice and leaving grasses and broadleaf plants in some areas a fine solution.
Much more information is available over the Internet. The Institute of Science and Society (www.i-sis.org.uk) has numerous articles reporting on scientific research. Pesticide Action Network (PAN) has a summary of how glyphosate works and its effects on the environment. Another site reporting on scientific studies is Mercola.com. Search for “glyphosate” on these sites. Of particular interest is www.i-sis.org.uk/glyphosatePoisonsCrops.php.
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