Have you wished you
didn't have to use toxic chemicals such as Roundup to keep your yard and garden
weed free, but don't know what else to do?
Well, rest easy, there are other solutions. But first, let me enlighten you to the
detrimental impacts of using a commercial weed killer.
Glyphosate is the
primary chemical ingredient used in herbicides such as Roundup and the
multitude of dangers it presents to humans, wildlife and the environment are
just beginning to be fully understood and are rising at alarming rates.
Milder symptoms of
exposure to glyphosate include eye irritation, blurred vision, skin rashes,
burning or itchy skin, allergic reactions, nausea, sore throat and difficulty
breathing, headache, lethargy, nose bleeds and dizziness.
As if that isn't
enough, there are far more major issues associated with exposure to
Glyphosate. These include increased risk
to various cancers- including breast and prostate cancer, nervous system
disorders, genetic damage to human and animal cells, is transferred from mother
to baby in the womb, birth defects, disrupts human sex hormones resulting in
reproductive problems, miscarriages, attention deficit disorder, adverse
affects on endocrine, immune, and nervous system functioning, seizures and
convulsions; and even death.
Children and infants
are at a higher risk for illnesses from herbicides than adults. According to
the EPA, because children are still developing, their immune systems are less
able to protect them from damage from herbicides. Children are also more likely
to play in areas that expose them to chemicals, such as rolling on the floor or
lawn. Mild exposure can result in complaints of dizziness and nausea, but
herbicides may also cause neurological and developmental damage to children. More recently, it is thought that chemical
usage on our foods and Monsanto is a contributing factor to the exponential
rise in numbers of children affected by Autism.
Pets can also be
poisoned by herbicides by coming into contact with the chemicals. Pets can
ingest herbicides by chewing on plants or toys that have been contaminated, or
when they lick themselves after coming into contact with the chemical such as
simply laying in the yard. Even scarier,
animals that bring herbicides into the house on their fur may spread the
chemicals around the home and leave residue on furniture and carpets.
And this doesn't
even begin to highlight the severe affects usage of glyphosate herbicides are
having on the environment. When it is
absorbed into the soil it contaminates ground water and easily finds its way
into streams and other bodies of water, disrupting the delicate balance of life
in those ecosystems. Traces of Roundup
have been found in many wild fish, crustaceans and amphibians and are
contributing to their decline in population due to cell damage and reproductive
hindrance. It also affects many insects, which in turn affects the wildlife
depending upon them for food.
And the list goes on
and on and on… They also affect the bee
population and as you may well know, the severe potential detriment of that
global issue is a whole other story in itself!
If you are not aware of this issue, I implore you to do some research.
Mind you, these are
merely very brief highlights. If you are
the type who enjoys reading really scary and depressing stuff, just check out
the references listed below which includes several reputable scholarly studies
proving the detrimental health and environmental impacts of using Roundup and other herbicides.
However, do not
despair. While we should still be
concerned about the large scale impacts of herbicides, there is at least a way
around directly exposing yourself to this highly toxic chemical. What's more, it's easy and far cheaper! And for every person which uses a natural
alternative to a toxic chemical, we can at least know we are doing our part to
lessen the overall numbers, and not contributing to the environmental problems
that much more.
Did you know that in
addition to its many other qualities and uses, white vinegar can also be used
as a weed killer? That's right! Vinegar is eco-friendly, non-toxic, safe for pets,
people and the environment. But like
other herbicides it is non-selective, meaning it will kill your beloved flowers
just as it will kill a pesky weed, so use with caution in that area just as you
would a store bought herbicide. The only
major drawback to using vinegar as a weed killer is that it has no residual
action, so new weeds will grow again. That's why the added common table salt in
this recipe is great. Combined with the
vinegar it will destroy weeds for good in trouble spots such as crevices in the
walkways or driveway.
We have been using
this method for the past several years and it has worked great! We love that it is completely safe and that
we are not contributing to environmental concerns. And it is far cheaper to boot! This will cost you around $3.00 to make for a
gallon, whereas a gallon of Roundup costs about $25.00.
Non-Toxic Weed Killer
Directions and Ingredients:
- Pour 1 gallon of white
vinegar into a bucket. Everyday 5-percent household white vinegar is fine.
You won’t need higher, more expensive concentrations such as 10 or 20
percent. It may take two or three days longer to kill the weeds with the
lower concentration, but they will die.
So, you make the choice.
It's your buck.
- Add 1 cup of table salt. Stir
the solution with a long-handled spoon until all the salt dissolves
completely.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of
liquid dishwashing soap. This will act as a surfactant and make the
vinegar and salt solution adhere to the weeds more efficiently. Blend
thoroughly.
- Funnel the weed killer into a
portable yard sprayer that you can buy at your home improvement or garden
store.
- Drench the weeds with the
solution on a dry, sunny day. Coat all surfaces well with the spray. Any
plants soaked with this solution will die within several days. They won’t
be back and nothing else will ever grow there.
- Funnel any leftover weed
killer into an empty plastic container. Cap it tightly. Label it clearly
and store in a cool, dark spot indefinitely.
Of course, if you
don't want to use anything like this, there is always the good old by hand
method, which I actually did, painstakingly, for about a year before we
discovered the vinegar method. It works,
so long as you get the weeds by the roots, but it also makes for hours of back
breaking work and is hard on the hands!
But, hey, you are free to choose what works for you! Who knows, maybe pulling weeds might just
prove to be the meditative experience you have been searching for…
And for tips on how
to prevent weeds growing in your garden where you can't spray something that
will just kill everything, you might want to read this great article by
Homestead Honey:
References:
10.https://www.organicconsumers.org/old_articles/monsanto/roundup.php
