From: Ecology Center Fund <ecologycntr@igc.org>
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Date: 10 Apr 92 12:14 PDT
Subject: Re: glyphosate and composting
Nf-ID: #R:1992Apr7.181602.3629@iscsvax.uni:-476134884:cdp:1453300028:000:2932
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!ecologycntr    Apr 10 12:14:00 1992


Kay Klier writes:
 
KK>I use glyphosate under 3 or 4 major circumstances.  None of them
KK>involve pulling weeds.
KK>
KK>1) killing obnoxious or noxious woody vegetation that cannot be
KK> easily   handled.  e.g., poison ivy around latrines or cabins
KK>in a children's   camp; killing aspen or dogwood clones on
KK>prairies (where these most   certainly do not belong).      
 
This is pretty similar to the situations in which I've used
Roundup, namely for Poison Oak "Control"( :P) and in the
eradication of Pampas Grass and Broom of various kinds from
chaparral areas out here.  I tend to use a bucket full of the
solution, bending foliage down into the bucket & securing. I
haven't noticed too much effectiveness in complete control of
Toxicodendron diversilobum from ANY application of glyphosate, at
least not with established specimens.  My solution has been to
attempt to educate folks on the beneficial role P. Oak plays in the
Coast Ranges ecosystem, reducing the demand for removal services ;)
 
KK>
KK> 2) killing perennial weeds with a large possibility of
KK> overwintering or  reestablishing from vegetative fragments left
KK> behind by pulling. e.g., my research plots of freeze-resistant
KK> johnson grass after the study wcompleted; killing yellow 
KK> nutsedge in my mother's lawn (newly introduced).
 
You might try eating the tubers(?) rather than spraying: they taste
pretty good when roasted.
 
KK>
KK>3) selectively killing introduced species in areas of native
KK> vegetation e.g., garlic mustard (which is spreading like 
 
Is this an Allium?  Haven't heard of it before, at least not by
that name.
 
KK> wildfire from the eastern US) in state parks and preserves; 
KK> yellow and white sweetclovers in prairie preserves; bluegrass
KK> in prairie preserves.
KK>
KK>All of the above involve application of glyphosate to
KK>_individual_ plants -- very controlled, minimal dosages, no slop
KK>to non-target organisms. Most of us who do this don't even drip
KK>on the soil!  
KK> The plants are left to rot in situ. 
 
That's doing it the right way, for sure, if you decide you need to
apply the stuff.  Glyphosate is probably better to use than any
other common herbicide, if you do so as described above.
 
Having worked in nurseries, however, I can attest that this is not
how most people use the stuff.  Having been assured by the
nurseryperson that the stuff is "safe", and that it "breaks down
completely on contact with soil", as two separate ex-employers of
mine averred, i've seen people pour the stuff full-strength down
their driveways, hoping to catch two or three weeds growing in
cracks.  I've seen people spraying the stuff in high winds,
drenching themselves (and their 45-year-old azaleas) with it.
(Usually I can get the person to be more careful, if they're male,
by talking about the tenuous link between Roundup and testicular
cancer i heard about somewhere.)  Hence my reaction.
 
Chris