[AT] Garden question

charlie hill charliehill at embarqmail.com
Thu Aug 4 13:01:54 PDT 2016


Ralph I don't use it anywhere unless I need it.
I have used it in my garden but not while I had
vegetable crops growing.   Just on areas not currently
under cultivation and then only as a last resort for cleanup
of some particular weed.   The problem with round up
is the same as the problem with antibiotics (resistances I mean).
Over use and misuse.

As for DDT.  I think it solved more problems than it ever caused and it's 
still in
use in many areas of the earth including places we import fruits and 
vegetables from.
I sprayed a lot of it as a child.  We didn't know any better and my dad, a 
very good and
caring man, would allow me to spray DDT in shorts and a T shirt and no 
shoes, respirator,
face mask or whatever.  As I said, we didn't know any better.  One day I had 
a hose blow off
of the sprayer pump.  It whipped around and wet me literally from the top of 
my head to the
bottom of my feet.  DDT was running out of my hair.  I was spitting it out 
of my mouth and my
clothes were wet with it.  My dad had gone to the store to get a snack for 
me or some gasoline
for the tractor or something.  I jumped in an irrigation pond and swam 
around until I felt like I had
it washed off, got out, fixed the hose and went back to work.  I wore those 
clothes the rest of the day.
I'm not even sure I told my dad about it.  It was no big deal and to the 
best of my knowledge it
didn't hurt me short term or long term.

A few years later DDT was outlawed.  The stuff it was replaced with would 
kill you in a New York minute but
supposedly had a short residual effect.  As for pesticides in general, the 
best thing going is BT.  It's totally
not toxic to humans and for the pests it works on it works well.

Charlie

-----Original Message----- 
From: Ralph Goff
Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2016 11:08 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Garden question

On 8/4/2016 5:05 AM, charlie hill wrote:
> Ivan the vinegar is a good tip, thanks but glyphosate (Round Up)
> gets a bad rap in the media.  The stuff breaks down to nitrogen and
> carbon dioxide in a relatively short time and is harmless to humans
> and animals.
>
> I know someone will argue so instead of arguing with me read this
> article prepared from research by Cornell University.
> http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5436386_long-roundup-stay-soil.html
>
> Charlie
Charlie, I'm a big fan of roundup and generic glyphosates in the field
but not in my
garden. It might just be as harmless to us as they say but I figure why
take the chance?
For years DDT and 2-4D were regarded as harmless and beneficial
chemicals to humans.
That theory changed as time passed and links to cancer were proven.
I'm far from organic in my field crops but my garden does not even get
potato bug dust so
I'm getting there.

Ralph in Sask.

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