Glyphosate

[Tripmeup]

Bottom line is that it is a matter of personal choice regarding whether you use them or not...
However sometimes, other people's personal choices unfortunately impacts on other people (such as passive smoking) and other things, so it's not that simple unfortunately...
I am generally a live and let live sort of person, so it's not illegal and therefore, if people want to use these products, then that's their prerogative..

[Bill HH]

I have been smoking for fourty years, there is no finer pleasure for me after say digging a bed or cutting a hedge than to sit down and have a smoke. The tax I have paid on cigarettes would build a new hospital, and my early death will save the government a fortune in pensions and health care! Hell I should be given a medal.
Some people like pot holing, some climbing, some motor racing, or drinking themselves into a stupor every weekend. All dangerous activities. I smoke, if you dont like it mind your own business.

So long as using round up is legal then that is my choice if people hound you with pamphlets hang them in the toilet for appropriate use.

[andy_j]

Am I right in thinking that it's extremely bad for aquatic life ?

Apparently not. Infact it's recommended for use in aquatic situations to kill invasive lillies and marginals. Ive used it at work where i have a 67,000 gallon ornamental pond, stocked with lots of fish and an abundunce of aquatic life in order to kill some invasive bullrushes and small invasive water lillies and ive also used it on a small pond owned by my fishing club to kill some floating plants.

[Aberdeenplotter]

BBA?.....

If it is the British Bee Keepers Association, they use BBKA.

There has been research done on the effect of Glyphosate on bees Impact of glyphosate on honeybees | Glyphosate and on beneficial insects Impact of glyphosate on soil-dwelling and other beneficial insects | Glyphosate.

I posted previously that individuals who have tried to kill themselves by ingesting glyphosate have failed and their systems have been found to be totally free of glyphosate within 24 hours of swallowing it. I think I posted a link to where I found that so anyone interested can look for that if they are sufficiently interested.
Glyphosate is excreted very well by the kidneys. Thus to increase the elimination of the glyphosate, adequate urine flow will ensure the rapid elimination of the glyphosate. This elimination can be enhanced by a technique known as forced diuresis. Found that when I did a quick gurgle this morning.

As several others have said, it is a matter of choice. I favour using it to clean up a plot of pernicious weeds with a one off application at the outset and thereafter using good old hard work with the fork and spade to keep the plot clean.

That's all I have to say about that.

[Martin H]

AP, industry-sponsored studies like the ones you quote do not necessarily provide a full and balanced picture. A quick web search turns up plenty of studies disputing the findings of the Glyphosate Task Force and other such studies, e.g. this one on bees, or this one on more general toxicity. These two don't seem as rigorous as the industry-sponsored ones, but then I suspect they don't get as much funding.

Just trying to say that the evidence isn't 100% clear cut at this time. Which to me is kind of reassuring: if there it was really deadly I'd expect to see something more definitive out there by now.

So nothing here changes my own attitude: I would use Glyphosate if it looked to be the best tool for the job and not worry about the side effects. Even at its worst it probably kills fewer minibeasts than digging would.

[redser]

I imagine that in time this poison will be viewed the same way we now view asbestos. It's bad bad bad. Unless you are blinkered by how pragmatic it is at killing certain things or involved in commercial enterprises where it's use helps you turn a better profit. But even then, it's use is creating super weeds causing a crisis in certain areas of the commercial agri business. As most of the people on this site are small scale gardeners can I suggest you just dig or mulch.

[andy_j]

I imagine that in time this poison will be viewed the same way we now view asbestos. It's bad bad bad. Unless you are blinkered by how pragmatic it is at killing certain things or involved in commercial enterprises where it's use helps you turn a better profit. But even then, it's use is creating super weeds causing a crisis in certain areas of the commercial agri business. As most of the people on this site are small scale gardeners can I suggest you just dig or mulch.

Once again, it's about opinions and my opinion is that all the time there is conclusive proof that the product is safe to use, i'll continue using it in areas i deem necessary.

Im not blinkererd and unless you can come up with a decent, long term scientific study on how "bad bad bad" it is, can i suggest you spray spray spray ;-)

[zazen999]

Once again, it's about opinions and my opinion is that all the time there is conclusive proof that the product is safe to use, i'll continue using it in areas i deem necessary.

Im not blinkererd and unless you can come up with a decent, long term scientific study on how "bad bad bad" it is, can i suggest you spray spray spray ;-)

It's a circular argument as that's what Snadger posted in the first place.

So I'm closing this thread before someone invokes Godwin's Law.