Why We Don’t Sell Roundup At Minnesota Gardens
With more and more people realizing the effects of Roundup
not only in their own gardens, but the effect it has worldwide we have decided
to explain why we don’t sell Roundup.
I was reminded after I was at a seminar at a local nursery a
few weeks back that talked about the benefits of organic gardening and how they
are going green for the environment. I
was very pleased until I walked around their store and noticed Roundup
products. I asked a clerk why they are
selling such a horrible product if they are trying to sell their customers
about going green. Her reply was “If
they don’t buy it from us, they will buy it somewhere” That might be true, but to tell your
customers your all about going green and saving the planet when you sell a
product that is killing the environment is all about marketing and profits.
After I left, I stopped at a few other nursery’s ranging
from the big stores to some mom and pop stores.
What I saw and experienced at every one of them was, “We are going
green, we want to save the planet, we sell organic products for your health
because we care.” It was the same story
over and over again. It was simple marketing
about “Look at us and how much we care about you and the environment, but go
down isle 9 and buy some Roundup.” Marketing
and profits was their story, saving the environment was just a marketing tool.
The Basics Of Roundup
Roundup is what's known as a broad-spectrum herbicide,
because it kills nearly anything green.
When I say nearly everything green I mean, from Crabgrass to Milkweed,
yes Milkweed the plant that Monarch butterflies need to feed on. When I was a child we would drive out to
Stillwater to go boating and I remember seeing Milkweed everywhere in the
ditches with 1000’s Monarchs all over them.
When I last went out to Stillwater last summer I could count on my hands the Milkweed
and Monarchs I saw.
Why Roundup Is Bad
(It’s Effects On You And Your Family)
Its main ingredient is Glyphosate,
but studies show Glyphosate is not
as good as it is billed. Glyphosate
is less toxic than many other herbicides, but it's still the third most
commonly reported cause of illness among agricultural workers in California. Glyphosate products are acutely toxic
to humans and animals, with symptoms like eye and skin irritation (lasting up
to 7 days), cardiac depression, gastrointestinal pain, vomiting, and
accumulation of excess fluid in the lungs. Glyphosate
can cause other long-term damage. Population studies show increased
miscarriages and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Animal studies show genetic damage,
reduced sperm counts, cataracts, and thyroid, pancreas, and liver tumors. For landscape maintenance workers, it ranks
highest in their field as respiratory problem.
When the vast majority of today's most prevalent diseases
can be traced to the same long-term side effects brought about by exposure to Roundup, we have a very real public
health crisis on our hands.
(It’s Effect On Your Environment)
A person might think I am just spraying the cracks in my
driveway where the weeds grow or in between the rows in my garden. What Roundup is doing downstream from your
yard is another story.
The World Wildlife fund announced that last year’s Monarch migration
from Canada, to the United States and down to Mexico was the lowest it’s ever
been since scientists began tracking them over twenty years ago. In fact, a 43
percent drop has been measured compared to last year, that’s huge and very
concerning. It’s not only Monarch
Butterflies, but Bees as well. A lot of information has come out linking
Monsanto Roundup to the death of millions upon millions of bees over the past
few years. These pollinators are very
important to your environment.
In Minnesota Monarch larvae feed exclusively on milkweed,
which has seen a 58 percent decrease across the Midwest between 1999 and 2010
because of herbicide (Roundup) use and loss of habitat.
In California Glyphosate
has been detected beyond the recommended limits of good drinking water in 41
percent of groundwater samples tested reveals yet another concerning "side
effect" of its rampant use, namely, that it is not biodegrading in the
soil, as previously told to us by Monsanto.
I could go on and on about the effects of Roundup and how it
is affecting you on a daily basis from the food you buy in the store to the grass
your children play on the park, but I just wanted to get my basic point across to
you of its effects.
What Minnesota Gardens Recommends For Weed Control
(Vinegar)
There are allot of substitutes to use instead of Roundup,
but the one thing I use that is tried and true is White Vinegar. Why douse them with something that will
remain in the soil for who knows how long? Try vinegar instead. It’s is cheap.
It’s easy to use. I keep gallons of the stuff in my garden shed. I use a 50/50 mix and spray on a sunny day. Some people use salt in the mix, I don’t.
(Go Play In The Dirt!)
Another way to take control of your weed problem that works well
is your hands. Go play in the dirt, have your kids join you,
turn off the cell phones, the TV, and the internet and go play in the dirt. I have been gardening for years, and my
favorite part is always playing in the dirt.
So the next time you’re
in your favorite Garden Center that promotes “We are green, we support organic
gardening, and we are doing our part to save the environment.” Ask them why they are still selling Roundup.
If you want to plant
a garden for butterfly's (pollinators), check out our blog on plant selection.
If you have any garden questions please feel free to email us info@mngardens.com or if you have any tips please share them with us, we would love to post them.
