Los Angeles County Bans Use of Roundup Weed Killer

[G_j]

Source: U.S. News

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week ordered a moratorium on Monstano’s Roundup weed killer, citing a need for more research into its health effects.

By Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder, Staff Writer?March 22, 2019

LOS ANGELES COUNTY THIS week issued a moratorium on the application of Monsanto's Roundup weed killer, citing a need for more research into its potential health and environmental effects.

The county's Board of Supervisors asked the Department of Public Works to work with other health officials to survey the use of glyphosate, which is the main active ingredient in Roundup.

The moratorium was issued the same day a federal jury decided that the weed killer likely played a role in a California man's cancer. Monsanto, which was purchased by Bayer AG last year, faces thousands of similar lawsuits at the federal and state level.

..more..

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-03-22/los-angeles-county-bans-use-of-roundup-weed-killer

[Botany]

1. Good luck California

https://www.cal-ipc.org/plants/profiles/

The damage to the supportive capacity of our ecosystem by non native invasive plants
is far greater then the damage done by glyphosate

[wasupaloopa]

2. Your link does not support your statement.

[csziggy]

3. I'm seriously debating how to kill invasive plants

I have Mexican petunias (Ruellia simplex) that my husband has pulled and pulled - now they are coming up in a crack in the sidewalk next to our porch. Obviously the roots are under the concrete where we can't get to them. We've pulled them, cut them back, sprayed a high concentration of vinegar on them, and they still come back.

https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/ruellia-simplex/

We also have Chinese tallow trees coming in all over, and a load of top soil contained the roots of cogon grass.

Normally I do not use herbicides or pesticides, but for these particular invasive plants I am thinking of using Round Up as a spot treatment to take out this nuisances!

[MoonchildCA]

4. Have you tried using salt with the vinegar?

From what I understand, the vinegar will kill the existing plant, but won’t affect future growth, while the salt makes the soil more uninhabitable. I’ve tried it, and it works okay, but you need several applications as new plants come up.
You can look online for the ratio.

[csziggy]

9. Since this is at the top of my raised beds I didn't want to put that much salt down

It would tend to leach down into the bed and kill the plants I do want.

Though...we just re-did the hardscape and there are no plants in those raised beds right now. I talked with a landscape designer about what to put in. Since we will be out of the country for over three months, he recommended just working on killing weeds and improving the soil. So maybe it would be a good time to kill off those Mexican Petunias with salt!

Our plan for the raised beds (actually terraces) is to root rake, removing as many weeds as possible, work in mushroom compost, then cover them with 6 mil thick black plastic sheeting. I'm hoping that the plastic will cook the weed roots and what seeds did not germinate this spring and that next winter when we pull back the plastic we will have nice clean beds with improved soil for our new plants.

The Mexican petunias are right at the corner of the house, the screened porch and the sidewalk, so we will not get good enough coverage with the plastic to kill them off. I have a box of "ice cream" salt that is doing nothing (bought it by accident when I meant to get Kosher salt) so maybe I will pour a small pile of it on the petunias, then soak it with cleaning vinegar and see what happens. It's almost two months before we leave so we can find out how it will work!

[MoonchildCA]

14. When I used it, I had to reapply several times...

...as the weeds would till sprout up here and there. Eventually, I got them pretty under control, but there was some grass that spread by ribosomes, or roots, that I could never get under control.
It’s worth a try though

[pazzyanne]

6. This site has a recipe that kills ground ivy which is our hardest weed to kill in Minnesota.

https://lawncaresimplified.typepad.com/lawn_care_simplified_safe/2014/09/weed-control-re.html?cid=6a00e550fd7dc28833014e872455cd970d

Also, buy a 30% garden vinegar and use instead of your household variety for best results.
Good luck! Hope this works for you. It did wonders eliminating ground ivy for me.

[csziggy]

10. Good recipes! That might work for the stuff out in the yard and pastures

IE the cogon grass and the Chinese tallows. See my reply above about treating the Mexican petunias.

But that will have to wait until next year. This year there is far too much to be done, NONE of which I am allowed to do. My back surgeon says no bending, lifting, or twisting - so no gardening. I have trouble supervising since I want so much to be in the dirt, planting stuff.

This year, for the almost two months before we leave the country, the main plan is to re-plant the things we dug up to re-work our hardscape. We have several thousand African iris and hundreds of paper white bulbs to get into the ground. We lost some iris, but most have survived. The paperwhite bulbs are dormant now, so we will stick them in the ground and see how many make it next winter.

The other plants we dug up - firebush, bridalwreath spirea, and coontie palms are all in the ground. All all looking good except for three of the coonties. The coontie Mom grew from seed is coming back, but it's too soon to see if the ones from the nursery made it but the roots looked good when we planted them so it's just a matter of waiting.

[pazzyanne]

13. Sounds like you have been busy!

Take care of yourself when you are taking care of your yard and garden. I had been unable to work in my yard due to physical health for two years. Last fall I was able to return to working in my gardens and landscaping on a limited basis. I am once again able to gain the peace that comes from working with the "soil". My wish is for you to do the same!

[Polybius]

7. Bleach works very well

Won't cause deadly diseases either. Just make sure you wear white and protect your eyes. Don't spray it near grass or plants you want to keep either.

[Botany]

8. I'm expert in this stuff

1) round up works ... but you will still have seed in the soil and you will need to treat again or hoe it out

b) horticultural vinegar works ... but you will still have seed in the soil and you will need to treat again or hoe it out

iii) a new product called phydura* shows promise .... although I haven't used it.

make sure you replant the area because nature will fill in any vacuums pdq

BTW controlling invasive takes time.


* I am going to be working on 3 large beds for a native planting and the thistle is thick and we will be
using phydura on that project this summer.

[pazzyanne]

5. Here are some web sites with excellent non-toxic homemade weed killers.

https://lawncaresimplified.typepad.com/lawn_care_simplified_safe/2014/09/weed-control-re.html?cid=6a00e550fd7dc28833014e872455cd970d

https://www.recipestonourish.com/chemical-free-natural-weed-killer/

https://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/homemade-herbicide-kill-weeds-without-killing-earth.html

Note: I use Epsom salts instead of table salt.

[Cryptoad]

11. I'm sure there are people who would appreciate,,,,

a living wage job with a hoe and shovel.....

[Bayard]

12. Wonder if this applies just to county-maintained property?

And also to generic glyphosate?

My flower garden is about 60' x 100'. My watermelon patch is about twice that. Even heavily mulching, sometimes you have to do some chemical weedkill. I'd say that's a big difference though between someone who farms for a living.

I have a kid outside right now that I'm paying to wheelbarrow away tons of weeds/dirt I've already dug out. Only way to get rid of weeds in your perennial beds.

[sinkingfeeling]

15. Excellent news!

[sandensea]

16. Three cheers for L.A.

So many other cities around the world have. Having L.A. do so as well sends a very strong message.