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  • From: lflondon@mindspring.com
  • To: permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: (fwd) Re: Problem: Bindweed on allotment...
  • Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 09:56:42 -0400


On Sat, 21 Oct 2000 00:08:32 GMT, in alt.permaculture "paul"
<bizSPAMNOT@soon.com> wrote:

I'd like to correct a bit of misinformation and offer my opinion.
Bindweed
reproduces by both seed and runners, and not just by rhizomes. [I call
'em
runners more than rhizomes, as they're kinda thin for me to think of
them as
rhizomes.] Bindweed is perennial in harsh climates as well as mild
ones. I'm
in USDA Zone 4 or 5 [i.e. we can see -20F in winter] and it's
perennial
here.

My vote goes for solarizing followed by cover cropping with something
else
with no tilling in between.


Here's at least a dozen reasons not to use Roundup, as some have
suggested.

Although Roundup is marketed as benign, it isn't. The US Environmental
Protection Agency has called glyphosphate "extremely persistent." Lab
studies have found adverse effects in all standard categories of
toxicological testing. Some examples include salivary gland lesions,
inflamed stomach linings, genetic damage to human blood cells, reduced
sperm
count in rats, increased frequency of abnormal sperm in rabbits,
increased
frequency of liver tumors in male rats and thyroid cancer in female
rats.
Glyphosphate has been measured to have a half life of over 100 days in
field
tests in Iowa and New York. My source for this information is the Fall
1998
issue of the Journal of Pesticide Reform, who admittedly is against
the use
of pesticides.

This herbicide makes up half of Monsanto's profits each year. Do you
want to
support Monsanto?

If you've got a piece of land that has never been poisoned, do you
really
want to start now? I would hope that you would try all other
alternatives.
Pulling up what you've got and feeding it to livestock, solarizing the
land,
then overseeding with no tilling, I bet you could bring the bindweed
back to
an acceptable level. Once you have it in check, if you keep pulling
off the
tops and avoid disturbing the roots, it's just a monthly chore to
maintain
your control over it.

If you use herbicides you will never again be able to say, "I have
always
gardened totally organically and have NEVER used ANY artificial
chemicals in
the form of weedkillers or fertilizers."

The use of herbicides is tempting to people because they think it's an
easy
solution. But, when I look holistically, I've never found it to be the
solution. Too many impacts for me to use them, on the level of being a
steward to the land, being a good member of society, and wanting to
stay in
good health. You are free to make your own conclusions. I would urge
you to
try everything else first. In the long run I think you will be more
proud of
a solution that avoided herbicides than one that included them.

How's that for a Zen stick?

-Paul


"Graham Burnett" <gburnett@unisonfree.net> wrote in message
news:vwGH5.39804$6N2.287429@monolith.news.easynet.net...
> I'm emailing for advice/opinions/thoughts....
>
> This year for reasons I won't go into here my allotment (south East
England)
> became very neglected to the point where i
> hadn't visited it for months. today i went down there after work and saw
> that it has become totally
> overun with bindweed. i normally have a bit of a bindweed problem but am







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