Round Up

[PinkinPA]

Please tell me I don't have a worry.  I keep an OP and heirloom/organic garden.  I use only organic/heirloom/OP seeds...and my neighbor uses Round Up.

They are pretty close to us, just right across the street..maybe 100 feet away.  They just sprayed a neighborhood sidewalk with this garbage.

With all of this Monsanto evil I am worried that somehow my seeds will become freak seeds and M onsanto will come knocking at my door.

[Owen'nZoe]

You know, I do totally organic, and do worry about my neighbors' lawn services, but I really wouldn't worry about this one. Round-up isn't something I'd want in my own yard, for sure, but it does have a very short half-life and you have a street between you and the yard in question, so the chances of any Round-up getting into your yard are really, really slim.

As for your seeds, they'll be fine. That isn't the way Round-up works. :)

[PinkinPA]

Thanks for the reply :) 

I thought I had remembered from a documentary that a farmer had used round up on his property and somehow his seeds became contaminated and Monsanto sued him for patent infringement.  I think I need to look into this further.

[Owen'nZoe]

No, I think what you are referring to is a farmer who planted non-Monsanto corn near a farm that planted Monsanto GMO corn. The GMO corn cross-polinated the farmer's corn, so when he saved his seed for the next year, the seed contained GMO genes. Monstanto then sued the farmer for planting "their" corn without paying them. It didn't have anything to do with Round-up, but did involve Monsanto.

[SweetSilver]

Only the active ingredient in Round-up has a short half-life, and I believe that is in dispute as well.  "Inert Ingredients" are unregulated and you'll need to do some research.  I seem to remember some controversy with Round-up and inert ingredients.  Will do some digging for specifics.  Don't worry about lawsuits, but, yikes!

     If you are otherwise good terms with your neighbor, I might offer to help weed his sidewalk for him.  He won't be swayed by any organic diatribes, but he might be open if you are willing to do the work.  Who knows?

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

Only the active ingredient in Round-up has a short half-life, and I believe that is in dispute as well.  "Inert Ingredients" are unregulated and you'll need to do some research.  I seem to remember some controversy with Round-up and inert ingredients.  Will do some digging for specifics.  Don't worry about lawsuits, but, yikes!

     If you are otherwise good terms with your neighbor, I might offer to help weed his sidewalk for him.  He won't be swayed by any organic diatribes, but he might be open if you are willing to do the work.  Who knows?

Yes, it is in dispute. I hear you on the inert ingredients, but from the studies I've read, the active ingredient can last for around 30 days, rather than just a few days as advertised. It isn't incredibly long-lived even in the worst case scenario, and when it is all the way across a street, I don't think the OP needs to worry about her own yard.

That said, offering to help pull the weeds instead next time isn't a bad idea at all. At worst, the neighbor will think you are a little crazy ;), at best, you might just get them to think a bit about the consequences of using the chemicals.

Best of luck!

[Hykue]

And the GMO corn did have something to do with round-up . . . it was "round-up ready" corn, IIRC, which is to say that it's modified so that round-up doesn't kill it.  I also wouldn't worry about the round-up use across the street, unless it was a very windy day and the wind was blowing towards your garden.  But I also was desperate enough to actually use round-up in my food garden, so take my opinion for what it's worth on this matter. 

And I just can't help but voice my agreement about the disgustingness that is Monsanto.  I love that they genetically engineered a crop to increase use of their patented pesticide, then proceeded to sue people when it cross-pollinated with their crops . . . and it's not like the corn asked for their consent, it's wind-pollinated for pity's sake.  ARGH!  Anyway, to prevent ranting I must stop now . . .

Well, except for one thing.  Did you know that Monsanto also produces a whole lot of the plastics that make up carpets?  I think my dad told me that Dupont was owned by them, but I don't think that's right.  However, I did once, while learning to knit, buy an acrylic ball of yarn.  I was surprised and displeased when I got it home to discover that it was made by Monsanto.  ARGH!

[SweetSilver]

I did some brief research on the web, and found an article on the "inert" ingredients.  Still learning how to use the "link" so, I'll just write the website: environmentalhealthnews.org.  The article was also posted on the Scientific American website.  At issue was the surfactant POEA, which has been implicated in reproductive damage among other things.

     I don't mean to panic you, because there's only so much you can do, you know?  But the facts, especially the sh***y ones are ones we need to know.  Time come up with some creative solutions with your neighbor.  Keep it friendly, though.  More toxic in some ways than weed killer is a bad, stressful relationship with the neighbors.

[littlest birds]

Compared to other common chemicals, Round Up is not so scary to me.  Even with the inert ingredients issue.  It wouldn't freak me out in a neighbor's yard although it would bother me.