The Scotts Company sells the popular line of pesticides Ortho Home Defense MAX as well as Roundup. They produce everything from bug killers to rodent control products to Scotts Miracle Grow.

Roundup is a popular herbicide that is used to kill weeds.  It is effective because it travels from the above ground portion of the plant into the roots and then kills the roots. The active ingredient is Glyphosate, which is also present in similar products.  You need to be very careful in using this product because of all the injuries that have resulted. The Bugman recently talked about this chemical’s problems.

“Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide that will kill almost all plants it comes in contact with, including annual, biennial and perennial grasses, broadleaf and woody plants. The chemical is sprayed on the leaves, where it is absorbed and translocated through the entire plant. Roundup is non-selective, so it kills many kinds of plants, and can drift to unintended plants and harm or kill them.

There are concerns of irreversible damage to plants, beneficial insects and animals, and water contamination due to Roundup. Glyphosate itself is very low in toxicity to mammals, including humans, but it contains a surfactant known as polyethoxylated tallowamine (POEA) that is very toxic…”

Roundup is responsible for a high number of poisoning reports within California, probably because it is so popular. In 1998, California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation concluded that glyphosate ranks first among herbicides as the highest cause of pesticide-induced illnesses or injuries to people in California. Common symptoms of glyphosate poisoning include eye soreness, headaches, diarrhea, nausea, sore throat, gastrointestinal injury, and other flu-like symptoms. Long term toxicity is being probed.

“Glyphosate … is absorbed by the foliage and translocated rapidly throughout the plant” says this study from the Centre for Agriculture and Environment.

“Residues of the commonly-used herbicide glyphosate have been found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Residues can be detected long after glyphosate treatments have been made. Lettuce, carrots and barley planted a year after glyphosate treatment contained residue at harvest” says Caroline Cox, staff scientist for the NCAP (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides) and editor of the Journal of Pesticide Reform [43]

Time to eat organic fruits and vegetables.

Roundup is used extensively in farming.  There are even Roundup Ready genetically engineered seeds that are immune to Roundup’s effects. Roundup’s owner, Monsanto takes legal action against farmers who even unknowingly plant contaminated seeds. Mother nature never sits still. Years of its use has lead to Roundup resistant weeds.

Ortho Home Defense Max

One of the more popular products sold at places like Home Depot is Ortho Home Defense MAX Perimeter & Indoor Insect Killer – “Kills bugs inside, keeps bugs out!” – It comes in a convenient 2 gal. Pull ‘N Spray so you can zap insects any time. “For long lasting residual control leave spray undisturbed. The product will keep killing for up to 12 months.”

You can to email or call for Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) or find it online elsewhere.

Active Ingredients is listed as 0.05% Bifenthrin (MSDS)- It is virtually insoluble in water so it has high persistence in soil (half life = 7 days – 8 months) and consequently it is one of the longest residual termiticide, which can be good or bad. It is highly toxic to fish and aquatic arthropods, so it should not be used where it can affect them.

Australia has some analysis of the chemical showing that toxic to mammals. Australia suggests using more Integrated Pest Management.

Problems with Pesticide Runoff

This article echos the main concern that this pesticide flows into water systems through runoff into storm drains, causing problems for aquatic species.
“High levels of pyrethroid pesticides in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the number one river system on America’s Most Endangered Rivers List of 2009, has been linked to heavy urbanization in the region.”
If you are going to use this pesticide, please do not over use it and do not use it in areas that will drain to the sewer during watering or rain season.

A 2010 San Francisco Estuary Institute report found that urban runoff was more toxic than rural. Heavy loads of mercury and PCBs flowed into the Bay from culverts and creeks carrying storm water.

In August 2011, Roundup pesticide resistant pests were found in Northern Iowa. Monsanto sells genetically-modified corn seeds that are resistant to their Roundup pesticide. These insect-proof crops make farming much easier by allowing farmers to grow the same crop year after year. This violates a basic tenet of pest management, which states that using one method year after year gives pests an opportunity to adapt. Scientists now say that Roundup resistant superweeds have spread to more than 20 states. Monsanto was listed as the worst company of 2011.

The government requires that farmers who plant genetically-modified corn, plant as much as 20% non-modified corn on their farm. Some farms are allowed to plant as little as 5%, possibly leading to other problems.

If you must use Roundup, follow its directions carefully and apply it to a very small area.

Alternative Eco Friendly Green Pesticides

Herbicides should not be necessary for every garden. Physical weed management techniques such as mulching digging up weeds can be very effective. Eco friendly green pesticides include:  mechanical removal, suppression with mulches, or maybe spraying with vinegar. If you must use an herbicide try to stick to the least toxic ones that utilize non-poisonous ingredients including clove oils and soaps.

Orange Guard is an eco friendly green insecticide. Alternatives to Home Defense Max: Natural insecticides like Pyrethrum from Chrysanthemum plants (Details), may be better that these chemicals.

Our other articles cover green termite pest control and green indoor pest control.

See Drought Tolerant Plants, Xeriscaping, Saving Water in Garden

Lawns use 50-80% of  a household’s water. That amounts to a lot of money every year!   Here are some tips to save on water. Keeping a green lawn takes a lot of care. After the kids have outgrown play areas, consider dumping your lawn.

• Ditch the lawn or replace it with artificial turf.
• Flowers use less water than grass.  Pathways use no water.
• Mulch in gardens prevents soil erosion, helps keep moisture in the soil, and keeps weeds away.
• Native grasses, flowering perennials, succulents, hearty shrubs are good drought tolerant replacements for lawns

Eco-friendly green Weed Prevention

Weeds are a fact of life in gardens. Using harsh chemicals to eliminate weeds simply causes other problems. Eco-friendly green Weed Prevention is available through the use of several products.

Weed block landscape fabric is used on permanent landscape and garden areas, under patios, sidewalks, and decks. It is made from INGEO fiber and is derived from renewable resources. You can also buy a recycled version.

You can also use cardboard and newspaper underneath wood chips or mulch.

photo credit: a. venefica

A new eco friendly fade is eating weeds.  Dandelions greens, stinging nettles, purslane are starting to show up at farmer’s markets and high end supermarkets.

“The interest in weed cuisine also taps into the current movement toward organic and local foods; as lawn owners have long complained, weeds are hardy and require no pesticides and little water to thrive. When picked in the wild, weeds also offer frugal consumers the thrill of foraging…

The wild plants and the weeds were more commonly eaten until World War II, when they were seen more in disdain and processed foods began to move up”

Some warnings before picking your own weeds:

• Identifying plants is challenging with several looking similar.
• The entire plant may not be edible
• Some plants need to be cooked to be edible
• Some weeds may be hard to swallow