Does anybody know what this weed is that is taking over my flower beds?

[Dollythehun]

If it we're just a regular weed, the newspaper, black plastic sterilization would work. I'm not so sure since you have tap roots. I used to use an organic product called Burn Out. It was a cinnamon based product and it worked well. I haven't seen it for sale in awhile but, you might check online. The only problems I had were that it took two applications for perennial weeds and it "ate" my sprayers.

[JScott]

Bonide BurnOut Weed and Grass Killer

Is it that?

[Dollythehun]

Yes, that's it. They used to carry it here at Big R and I used to get it wholesale for an "all natural" client. Buy a special sprayer for it. I used a 1 gallon trigger sprayer because it just corroded the gaskets in my tank sprayer. You'll probably have to make two applications, but I think you'll like it.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i echo all the above comment Jscott, about the love and the hate of Monsanto

[JScott]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

i echo all the above comment Jscott, about the love and the hate of Monsanto

Monsanto makes such a useful, effective product, which I would love to use (sparingly, of course. Don't want to be pumping too many chemicals into the environment), and I don't even care about genetically modified crops. Some of them have been a great improvement. Genetic engineering saved the Papaya from extinction, but Monsanto is pure evil, and I don't want to give them my money. They take other people's farms all the time. If I have a small farm and I'm growing non-gmo corn, but my neighbor is growing Monsanto's Roundup ready corn, since corn is pollinated by wind, some of the pollen from that Roundup ready corn is going to make its way to my field, and then my corn is going to carry that gene. That's not a huge problem, except that Monsanto doesn't allow farmers to keep seed from their current crop to plant next year's crop. They have to buy seeds from Monsanto every year. But I'm not growing Roundup ready corn. I'm growing non-gmo corn. I don't have to worry about that. I can save my own seeds for next year's crop, right? Except that pollen from the Monsanto farm mixes with my non-gmo corn, and then my corn carries that Roundup ready gene. When Monsanto tests my corn, and they find the roundup ready gene in my corn, they accuse me of violating their horticultural patent and growing Roundup ready corn without paying them. Then there's a legal battle. Monsanto has unlimited resources to fight legal battles, Small farmers don't. The small farmer loses because he simply cannot afford the legal battle, and Monsanto takes his farm. That farmer has done nothing illegal. This is the result of an act of God based on the nature of the way corn is pollinated. Monsanto is pure evil, and they will not stop until they own the whole world. But Roundup is such an effective product hahahahahaha

[Dollythehun]

JScott, I've been pondering this reply. I'm a very conservative girl. I've read the same info on Monsato as you have, and more. They have gmo in the pipe line that chills my bones. There are a great many companies that rankle me, for various reasons. I've tried my best to boycott them all. However, corporate America has come to the point where most of them disagree with me. I've had to make peace with the fact that I need Roundup, or a product like it, to tame the ranch. I have significantly cut back on my usage because of the pollinators. But it's still a necessary evil. It's a love/hate relationship, like Starbucks😉 Please don't hate me, I'm just doing my best to make the world a better place too.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

JScott, I've been pondering this reply. I'm a very conservative girl. I've read the same info on Monsato as you have, and more. They have gmo in the pipe line that chills my bones. There are a great many companies that rankle me, for various reasons. I've tried my best to boycott them all. However, corporate America has come to the point where most of them disagree with me. I've had to make peace with the fact that I need Roundup, or a product like it, to tame the ranch. I have significantly cut back on my usage because of the pollinators. But it's still a necessary evil. It's a love/hate relationship, like Starbucks😉 Please don't hate me, I'm just doing my best to make the world a better place too.

I totally understand. I bought some Roundup today. I felt like I was selling my soul to the devil, but it really is such an effective and useful product. I'll use it sparingly, only when all else fails, but I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping it on hand as a last resort. We shouldn't feel guilty. We will feel guilty anyway of course, but we shouldn't. Sometimes life make us make hard choices, and sometimes we have to choose to do things we'd rather not, but if we do our best to keep those hard choices to a minimum, I think we'll be okay. I just wish everybody else was as judicious about their use of herbicides and pesticides as we are.

And Dolly, you're another person on here I've interacted with quite a bit through the years, and I just want you to know that I think highly of you. You always offer well thought out responses and you seem grounded and reasonable.

And you can call me Jeff if you like.

[Dollythehun]

TY, believe me, it wasn't always so. I'm in the helping profession also. My hope is to leave the people I help a little stronger, so they can carry the torch after me.

(Do try the Burn Out too. You'll like it. Good luck.)

[DirtyCoconuts]

I wanted to just add something to this conversation...

in corporate America the greatest efficacy we have is not with our vote (VOTE, this is not saying not to vote!) but it is with our dollars.

While it makes a minimal difference on an individual level, if EVERYONE purchased with their values, it would force companies to be more reflective of those values.


Now, huge disclaimer: COMPANIES should not have values. they are not people, they should not be able to vote or donate or have opinions. Taking a stand against a companies ownership is another thing all together.

when a company has a policy or behavior i do not like i try to avoid that company ( i don't shop at the butcher in my neighborhood who is racist) but as you guys said, it is increasingly hard to do this without really really hurting yourself or denying yourself more than is fair.


I think that the importance is in the balance but also in the discussion..to say, i prefer not to shop there to let other people know why so they can decide. or i wish there was an alternative to Monsanto because all those people are dying from using their products (janitors, landscapers etc)

it aint easy

[Dollythehun]

It isn't easy. You also know the social stigma which follows standing for your convictions. What does one do when confronted with new knowledge (think Nike.) Our lives are a series of conscious decisions. Many do not want to live life so "intentionally."

To your point, DC: In all honesty, we were sent by the State for training on the use of chemicals. There are precautions to follow when even using products with the mildest warning labels (caution.) We made every effort to follow those.

You will never find us in shorts, flip flops, and a tank top spraying chemicals. Not to say there is no hazard, only to say we are aware of it. Stories of carelessness, and the resulting consequences abound, if one listens.

I believe we have hijacked JScotts thread. My apologies, JScott, I try very hard not to get on my soap box, and I have failed here.