The Washington Post - 19.09.2019

the washington post

.

thursday, september

19

,

2019

DC

8

Unless you have been

living on Mars, you have

probably seen the TV ads

from law firms seeking

cancer patients who have

used the ubiquitous

herbicide brand Roundup.

Three recent high-profile

cases in California have

brought verdicts against

Roundup’s maker,

Monsanto, one with a jury award of

$2 billion, later reduced to $86.7 million.

To date, more than 18,000 plaintiffs are

suing Monsanto in state and federal courts

alleging Roundup-related cancers.

Monsanto insists Roundup is not

carcinogenic, says it has no plans to pull it

from the market and is appealing the

verdicts. “It’s clear these products are safe

when used as directed,” s aid Rakesh

Kilaru, a Washington attorney for

Monsanto.

Much of Monsanto’s legal morass stems

from a 2015 report from the World Health

Organization’s International Agency for

Research on Cancer that said Roundup’s

active ingredient, glyphosate, was

“probably carcinogenic.” More recently,

researchers at the University of

Washington looked at available data and

concluded that Roundup could increase

the risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s

lymphoma by 41 percent.

Monsanto says the science comes down

overwhelmingly on its side. In April, the

Environmental Protection Agency

reaffirmed its conclusion that glyphosate

is not carcinogenic as part of a

comprehensive re-registration process of

the herbicide. Regulatory agencies in

Europe and Canada have reached their

own similar determination.

In addition, the long-term Agricultural

Health Study of more than

52,000 pesticide applicators, conducted by

the National Cancer Institute and others,

reported a link between cancers and some

pesticides, but not glyphosate.

Roundup has been around since 1974

and historically has been assailed on

ecological grounds — that it allows

farmers to eradicate the weedy wildflower

that monarch butterflies need for

reproduction, or that it has been a catalyst

for the development of genetically

modified “Roundup Ready” c ommodity

crops, with their perceived ills. The vast

majority of Roundup sales is to farmers,

not homeowners, and it is the world’s most

popular herbicide. Monsanto was acquired

last year by Bayer AG for $63 billion.

The new controversy about human

health may give home gardeners pause.

But the question for me is: Does the

gardener actually need chemical

herbicides? With the exception of the

occasional application of crabgrass

preventer, I generally don’t use them,

preferring to pull or hoe weeds in garden

beds and live with them in the lawn.

Simply, I don’t want to rely on poisons —

this extends to insecticides and fungicides

— as a component of my gardening.

This isn’t for the sake of my own health

— I have faith in the EPA’s science-driven

regulatory system, and when I have used

products, I have read the label carefully

and followed the instructions diligently.

My aversion to them is based on the feeling

that pesticides in general aren’t good for

beneficial insects, birds and other animals,

or for the rich soil biology that is the

underpinning of any healthy garden.

If you are turning to herbicides

regularly, I think there is something wrong

with your approach to gardening.

There are times when herbicides are

needed, or at least justified. Some weeds

should stay at arm’s length; poison ivy,

giant hogweed and the thorny vine named

tear-thumb are obvious examples. If you

have a large property, say an acre or more,

physical removal of weeds can be too

onerous. (If you hire a landscape

maintenance crew, its approach may be to

use herbicides rather than hand-weed.

That’s part of the control you lose when

others do the work.)

Hardy woody vines may have extensive

root systems that cannot be removed

without undue effort or machinery. You

must cut the stem near the ground and

then paint the wound with the applicable

herbicide, and such candidates include

porcelain berry, English ivy, trumpet

creeper, and weedy honeysuckles,

bittersweet and wisterias.

Also, the Mid-Atlantic must be one of

the weediest places on Earth, thanks to the

heat and rainfall of the growing season

and the relative mildness of the winter.

So there are reasons to use herbicides.

But it’s important to understand that

reaching for a herbicide is treating a

symptom, not the disease.

Weeds exist in two stages. Where they

have overtaken neglected beds and lawns,

you must take back the territory. T his may

involve the use of herbicides, though there

are other, non-chemical methods.

After you have beaten back a weed

infestation, you have to stop the weeds

from returning. Remove them regularly

and do so before they set seed.

Avoid the void

Weeds fill empty spaces and germinate

in disturbed soil, as buried weed seeds find

light and moisture. If you pull or spray a

weed without addressing the void, weeds

will return swiftly.

The most effective and sustainable

remedy for weeds is to crowd them out

with desirable plants. In the lawn, this is

achieved by having a full, vigorous stand of

turf grass. If your grass is receding and

patchy, it may be because of an underlying

problem such as poor drainage or too

much shade. Addressing the cause before

you re-seed your lawn will provide greater

success for the grass and a better ability to

keep future weeds at bay.

In ornamental beds, unplanted areas

can be covered in mulch, but it is better

(and more satisfying) to smother those

areas in plants, in perennial ground covers

that will fill in and exclude weeds. Figure

out whether your beds are in sun or shade,

and plant accordingly.

Organic mulches will suppress weeds,

but they often break down into a growing

medium where weeds will grow, especially

when spread too thickly.

In the vegetable garden, exposed soil is

the nature of the beast. When you are

Put down the chemical herbicides. There are better options.

Adrian

Higgins

GARDENING

ISTOCK

There are times when using herbicides may be justified, but a reliance on

chemical sprays suggests a deeper problem with your approach to the garden.

Home

WOLF-GARTEN

Go for razor-sharp hoes. Above is the

Interlocken Draw Hoe attachment.

GEMPLER'S

The hori-hori knife is a weed buster.

This version is from GrowTech.

ISTOCK

Flame weeders are a non-chemical way of dealing with stubborn weeds in

paving, but are not for mulched beds and other areas that can catch fire.

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