Roundup Spray Question

[Anonymous-0]

Is there any problems using round-up around your springs or home water supplys?

 

[evielboweviel]

YES
read the label first
Ron

 

[ldj]

Use caution, read the label. You don't want anything in your well or spring. Roundup is less toxic than aspirin. If you have read that and that is why you are asking, don't get anything there. You may think fertilizer makes thing grow and you eat the food so getting it in you well is ok, it ain't.

 

[paul]

They use certain types of soap to make the ru stick better to plants. These will not be so good for your home water supply.

The ru is pretty darned safe - I still would not want it sprayed directly onto my water supply.

They make a special kind for wetlands areas - Rodeo. It has different or no soap in it. Doesn't harm wetlands creatures. Still wouldn't want it sprayed on my drinking water supply.

--->Paul

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thanks,the reason I'm asking is my dad is leasing out his farm and the farmers that are taking over want to burn off the weeds with RU.My dads spring which supplys water to his house is in the center of the farm with his house.Just want to make sure his spring doesn't get contaminated,good drinking water is very important.I know very little about RU.Thanks.

 

[Nancy Howell]

I don"t care how safe they say the chemical is, I wouldn"t want it in my drinking water.

 

[Anonymous-0]

So why dont you use your computer and look up the data on the ROUND-UP then you would know all the details.

 

[JBMac]

The active ingredient in RU is Glyphosate. It is, pound for pound, safer than sugar, coffee or aspirin. Once it comes into contact with soil, it is tightly bound and broken into inert ingredients, thus the reason it is not soil active. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Rodeo and Round-up. RU has 4lbs active per gallon, Rodeo has 5lbs. Since humans and animals do not have any metabolic pathways in common with plants, herbicides are generally very safe. The amount applied per acre is usually very diluted compared to the concentrate that testing is performed on. Insecticides, that"s another story. Humans do share some "basic" pathways as insects so I worry more about my exposure to insecticides than herbicides. Although pesticides are safer today than ever, always read the label carefully and remember, the label is the law.

 

[thurlow]

""herbicides are generally very safe""......GENERALLY true, but there are some notable exceptions.......2,4,5-T and Paraquat come to mind and there are others.

 

[dangerdoc]

Here is something to keep in mind.

The material safety data sheets have to list all of the toxicities of the ACTIVE ingrediant. They do not have to list the toxicity of the inert ingrediants. The inert ingrediants can be more toxic than the active ingrediant and may or man not even be listen on the label.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I did smarta$$,I wanted to hear real opinions from farmers that had used it.

 

[JBMac]

no doubt there are some that are pretty bad. I was at a conference recently and a speaker was talking about "agent orange", I think that's the 2,4,5,-T you mentioned. Apparently, it wasn't the herbicide that was a carcinogen, it was a byproduct, dioxin, of the manufacturing process. Dow knew how to manufacture it without the biproduct, but the government, in it's wisdom, contracted with a low bidder who didn't know how to make it without the byproduct to manufacture it. Thousands paid the price for it.

 

[ldj]

Just tell the person renting the land that you will have sample taken of water and if any round up is found in it, he knows the results. You can't keep him from using the roundup. If he does he can't get any in your water. If any gets in the water, he is in big trouble.

 

[RodinNS]

What I would suggest is that you make sure that the well is not in any way susceptable to surface water contamination. That's a good practice whether you're spraying or not.
As others have mentioned, Glyphosate is a very safe product as herbicides go. The LD50 is something like 4100 mg/Kg, so you'd die of a busted gut before you drank enough concentrated product to kill you.

Regardless, there will be a recomendation of an appropriate setback from water supplies on the label. Follow that, use common sense, and protect the well from surface water and you won't have a problem. I spose testing is not a bad idea either if you're worried about it, but you're probably more apt to find other things in the water other than Round-Up...

Rod

 

[thurlow]

There are a FEW (very few) farmers on here and you can carry their opinion to the bank; however, did you see the post a few weeks back calling us, "yuppies, wannabee farmers and small-time gardeners"? He pretty much nailed it; if you want to talk to a lot farmers, you're better off at Ag Talk or one of the other ag forums.

 

[Anonymous-0]

It all depends on how much you plan to spray. I asked my "county agent" basically the same question, and he told me that most herbacides of this type are neutralized by soil contact. Of course pre-emergence is not included. If you have a "county agent" I would suggest you contact them.

 

[Anonymous-0]

What kind of person would take advise from people he has never met and doesent know rather than reading the data from the manufacturer.

 

[greygoat]

Consider all of the kids being born in Viet Nam,
blind, missing limbs, retarded,(oops-not sposed
to use that word)"special needs", because parents
exposed to herbicides, (agent orange).

 

[Anonymous-0]

Everyone here made a helpful post in one way or another all except for one a$$hole.Wonder what kind of person has to go thru life miserable like that.

 

[RodinNS]

.... and what exactly does that have to do with Round-Up??