[OrganicVegMan]

IMO I wouldn't use roundup anywhere near where I was going to grow
edible plants.  I just don't have a warm feeling of trust from Monsanto.
( Their corporate ethos and trading is littered with horror stories of bribery, corruption, and sleaze )
I have search the net and there is enough anecdotal evidence to make me
reject this product.  We all eat produce where we do not really know the
history of cultivation, but I couldn't bring myself to feed my nearest and dearest crops which I feel could have the potential to cause us damage in later years.

Roundup can take the strain out of removing difficult and pernicious weeds, and to those who use it..good luck.  I would rather steer clear of this wonder product and get the fork out.

[compostqueen]

I went the slow route of black sheet mulch over the weeds and loads of raspberries which had been allowed to rampage over my plot. I have to do  mine on my own so slow route was the only route.  I never fancied glyphos as I'd seen my fellow plotters go down that route and rotovating afterwards and finished up with more weeds than they'd started with so they were forced to nuke again and again til everything was dead. Not a pretty sight.  To me a plot should be about life and growth not death but that's just me and what I do, I don't tell anyone else what they should do. it's personal choice.  My plot has still areas under black sheet mulch and I unpeel it when I need more space. I don't dig or rotovate it though so I don't bring weeds to the surface. Again, that's my choice but it's not for everyone

Have a look at the internet for what is written about the subject before making your mind up.   Good luck    

[loubylou29]

I used it! How contravertial!! When I took my plot on it was an absoloute jungle andI would have given up before I even got going, but one year on, I have lpenty growing, and that is thanks to roundup... I had the plot stirmmed, glyphosated, then had it rotorvated, then I covered paths in card then weed fabic and mulch and have slowly peeled back as I use more and more land, then plot would have been in a state now if I hadn't!

Now I am pretty nifty with a hoe, but I have been know once this year to blast some couch grass in front of my fence with it. (and some bits of bindweed in the fence! so it's not a common use thing, but for me it was the way to get going.
 I think that  we should be encouraging people to take on plots and make them work, not scaring them off so much that they don't get started! and I have a young family and can't get down as oftne as I would have liked to do all the clearing, but not I cvan keep on top of it...


Werks fer me!

[love-my-plot]

By monsanto's own admission, (after tests) only 2% of this breaks down after 28 days ... sothe myth that is is not in the soil or absorbed by plants/veg is just that .. a myth.

It isn't bio-degradable at all ... they were fined twice FOR FALSE ADVERTISING... as recent as last year, for using the words "bio-degradable" and "safe"!

Good old digging and/or sheet mulch will clear any plot SAFELY.

[Alex 98]

Basically they know its non bio degradeable but no employee can be held accountable in the States, only the company, under civil law, the worst they get is a fine, or they offer to build a hospital (to treat all those who got cancer from it) The money doesn'y hurt because by the time they've been fined they've made billions from the product

Watch the film about Monsanto and you'll never touch it again

The bit about Roundup resistant Soya beans is scary, never eat soya that GM. Or anything come to that.

Alex 98

[fletch]

Oh *, I've just bought 2 cartons of it!  

I don't intend to use it on any beds where I'm going to grow anything, only on the paths in between and on a patio area which is almost impossible to weed in between.

Would you not recommend it for that either?

[woodburner]

Basically they know its non bio degradeable but no employee can be held accountable in the States, only the company, under civil law, the worst they get is a fine, or they offer to build a hospital (to treat all those who got cancer from it) The money doesn'y hurt because by the time they've been fined they've made billions from the product

Watch the film about Monsanto and you'll never touch it again

The bit about Roundup resistant Soya beans is scary, never eat soya that GM. Or anything come to that.

Alex 98

Don't get me started on soya!!

[Gwiz]

I think it's a fantastic weedkiller.
I've got all the spraying certs, and have used it for years.
I used to have bindweed, but not any more.
It's a pity it's made by a huge global company, but it is, and there's not much I can do about it.

[richyrich7]

Must admit i use it and have no problems with using it I can't say i trust monsanto to that degree GM crops etc but then I can't say I trust any cooperation to that degree,

Tables charts etc can all be minipulated to our own ends.

 Spraying sensibly and within the guidelines laid down, is still IMO going to give you better food with less residues than supermarket stuff, who's to say what they spray on your courgettes from eygpt or wherever.

Our main aim is to grow veg , get people growing veg.and there's nothing more down hearting than a plot full of weeds    

Using ground cover mulch's is not always feasible for some, how do you get a mountain of cardboard ? and plastic sheeting is a concern to me as I think it may smother the soil and kill of the organisms that are there.

Use it for a year or so then make a choice  

[woodburner]

how do you get a mountain of cardboard ?

A local (not big name) builders yard has turned up trumps for me after a few less successful forays. Got nearly a car-ful in one go. The nice lady in charge said that was about two weeks worth, so I'll be dropping by again next week for another car-ful

[peterjf]

i think that round up gives a gardener / allotmenteer the upper hand , i prefere to use round up because once it hits the soil it is neutralised, giving that little extra time to get yourself ahead

[Ice]

Must admit i use it and have no problems with using it I can't say i trust monsanto to that degree GM crops etc but then I can't say I trust any cooperation to that degree,

Tables charts etc can all be minipulated to our own ends.

 Spraying sensibly and within the guidelines laid down, is still IMO going to give you better food with less residues than supermarket stuff, who's to say what they spray on your courgettes from eygpt or wherever.

Our main aim is to grow veg , get people growing veg.and there's nothing more down hearting than a plot full of weeds    

Using ground cover mulch's is not always feasible for some, how do you get a mountain of cardboard ? and plastic sheeting is a concern to me as I think it may smother the soil and kill of the organisms that are there.

Use it for a year or so then make a choice  

Exactly.  I use it, but use it sparingly  Once you have nuked the worst of the weeds it is much easier to keep control of them in other ways.