Miracle Grow Poison Birds

[DorsetDunk]

not only the birds but bees too and that's the legal stuff
neonicotinoid insecticides may well be the reason for our decline in bees

"RFID" microchips that were glued to each bee's thorax. These devices allowed the researchers to track the bees as they came and went from their hives. The researchers then gave some of the bees a sublethal dose of the pesticide thiamethoxam, which has been sold under the brand names Cruiser and Platinum.

Compared to control bees that were not exposed to the pesticide, the treated bees were about two to three times more likely to die while away from their nests. These deaths probably occurred because the pesticide interfered with the bees' homing systems,
the authors note that even though manufacturers are required to ensure their pesticide doses remain below lethal levels for honeybees, the studies used to determine this lethality level have probably underestimated the ways that pesticides can kill bees indirectly, for example by interfering with their homing systems.

"Our study raises important issues regarding pesticide authorization procedures," said Henry. "So far, they mostly require manufacturers to ensure that doses encountered on the field do not kill bees, but they basically ignore the consequences of doses that do not kill them but may cause behavioral difficulties."

How bees are harmed by common crop pesticides

[acherontia]

Thanks for that - very interesting reading. Who knows - the bees may save us in more than one way.
'We' seem to care about them because they pollinate our necessary crops and they are enlightening us to our foolish ways. Hopefully, one day if it's not too late, we will become aware of the ramifications of not respecting all wildlife!

Pat

[jaelen]

Looks like Scotts Miracle-Gro are trying to buck up their public profile... perhaps they need to find a way to pay for those fines.

Win one of three Roundup Weedkiller Gels each week - Telegraph

Just what every garden needs- a bit more poison.... free!

[acherontia]

Originally Posted by jaelen

Looks like Scotts Miracle-Gro are trying to buck up their public profile... perhaps they need to find a way to pay for those fines.

Win one of three Roundup Weedkiller Gels each week - Telegraph

Just what every garden needs- a bit more poison.... free!

I despair! I don't get any weeds. A weed is a plant that isn't wanted. If I want to manage my 'plants' I remove them with my hands or a trowel. There are allsorts of 'plants' in my garden - wild and cultivated (some wild cultivated). I use no weed killers/slug pellets/insecticides and I have no problems as my little eco system does fine by itself.

Pat

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by acherontia

I despair! I don't get any weeds. A weed is a plant that isn't wanted. If I want to manage my 'plants' I remove them with my hands or a trowel. There are allsorts of 'plants' in my garden - wild and cultivated (some wild cultivated). I use no weed killers/slug pellets/insecticides and I have no problems as my little eco system does fine by itself.

Pat

How would you deal with an established patch of Japanese Knotgrass that was invading your neighbours property ?

Neil.

[acherontia]

Originally Posted by fairplay

How would you deal with an established patch of Japanese Knotgrass that was invading your neighbours property ?

Neil.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here so can't reply. You don't say where the patch of knotweed is.

Are you suggesting you would have to use weedkiller or are you suggesting because you've allowed it to invade next door's garden they will use weed killer and you couldn't control their actions?

Are you saying the knotweed is totally in the next door garden and you can do nothing? Or are you suggesting that as it is in next doors garden the only way you could tackle it was by spraying it over there?

Are you saying that you are worried that, because you have taken no actions to control it you are worried about the possible ramifications of you being held financially culpable if it damages their structures?

Are you saying you are worried that their lack of action is endangering your garden/structures?

This is a very strangely worded comment and I'm not sure what you are trying to convey.

Perhaps you could rephrase making it more lucid what you are trying to convey here?

If you are actually worried about a problem and this is a real concern of yours and you are asking advice there appears to be ways to treat it without chemicals. It seems similar to the way I may treat unwanted couch grass / bindweed/ horsetail - keep on top of it and put in the effort!

Also -I believe that the best course of action is not to allow knotweed to become 'established' in the first place.

Good luck!



Pat

[fairplay]

It is a 'hypothetical' question with no catches.
Say you moved into a new house with a half decent garden.
At the end of the garden was your garage with a 1 metre gap between your neighbours garage.

Your fence went down the middle of this gap which left you a working strip half a metre wide.

On your side (between fence and garage wall) was an established patch of Japanese Knotgrass growing.
You never spotted this when you viewed the property as it was winter when the plant was dormant and the seller was careful to remove all trace of the dead vegetation (if he was crafty)

Come the summer and - you notice the weed forcing it's way through the foundations of your garage and all along the thin strip your side of the fence for about 3 metres.

To me, the obvious answer is regular strong doses of a very good version of glyphosate and I would go for Roundup - the farmers version if I could get it.

What would you do ? (I'm curious because of what you said regarding weeds in your previous post)

OOPS, I meant to say Japanese Knot WEED - not grass !!

Neil.

[acherontia]

Originally Posted by fairplay

It is a 'hypothetical' question with no catches.
Say you moved into a new house with a half decent garden.
At the end of the garden was your garage with a 1 metre gap between your neighbours garage.

Your fence went down the middle of this gap which left you a working strip half a metre wide.

On your side (between fence and garage wall) was an established patch of Japanese Knotgrass growing.
You never spotted this when you viewed the property as it was winter when the plant was dormant and the seller was careful to remove all trace of the dead vegetation (if he was crafty)

Come the summer and - you notice the weed forcing it's way through the foundations of your garage and all along the thin strip your side of the fence for about 3 metres.

To me, the obvious answer is regular strong doses of a very good version of glyphosate and I would go for Roundup - the farmers version if I could get it.

What would you do ? (I'm curious because of what you said regarding weeds in your previous post)

OOPS, I meant to say Japanese Knot WEED - not grass !!

Neil.

Glad you noticed the weed bit
Hypothetically I wouldn't move into a house without thoroughly checking out the garden.
Non- hypothetically I don't really want to enter into a hypothetical argument that is going the way you are driving it -IE you would try to make me use roundup when in fact I wouldn't have (hypothetically) got in this situation in the first place.
Now if you'd said it were your new house then obviously you would have the right to make whatever decisions you felt comfortable with!

I think you are heading along the lines of looking at a smaller picture and nitpicking and I'm having nowt to do wi' it!!!

Pat

[The Woodman]

Here's one who gives a thumbs up to Monsanto (not Scotts -they are the US distributor of it) Roundup and uses it in very moderate amounts to spot control creeping buttercup and other undesirables in his garden. I can imagine the gel applicator being just the thing to apply the product without wastage and spraying non target plants.

[fairplay]

OK, let's put it this way then, what advice would you give to a person in this situation ?

(By the way - any person selling a house with a notifiable weed present is not going to advertise this to a potential buyer and if he has his wits about him he will make damm sure you do not find it by covering over cracks in the garage foundations with carpets or fresh cement and cultivating the outside with nice clean soil over the top - knowing full well come the summer it will just burst through again - so I would challenge your comment about 'thoroughly checking out the garden first')

When I lived in a village by the sea, my near neighbour asked what can she do about 'this' weed. First I told her what it was and secondly it will cost a lot of money to get rid of (the situation was exactly as I described above, but somebody else was the neighbour)

Because she lived alone I attempted to do the job for her for free - 1st year I cut the stems at time of coming into flower and spot treated the stubs with a high concentration of roundup (50/50).
The following year she was convinced it had worked, and I couldn't believe my luck !
But about a month late it started to burst through again so this time I cut it down again just before it came into seed, and with a pickaxe broke up as many roots as I could (and took them in a wheelbarrow down to the beach and threw them in the sea! shhh.)

I levelled off the soil and covered the entire area with 2 layers of black polythene weighted down with whatever we had. This covered the entire area between each garage.

Next year it started to make the polythene bulge in the middle and then first emerged where the polythene met the walls of both garages. It never broke the polythene but literally lifted it off the ground.
This time I did more digging, removing more roots, used polythene again, but all to no avail and I told the lady I give up.

The following year I left the village, but when I visited about 4 years later a new garage had been built but there were still the tell tell signs of the previous years dead growth.

The whole point I am trying to make here is that you cannot live without Glyphosate (nasty people that Monsanto are).
In the situation I described only repeated spraying year after year would have eliminated the problem or else a very expensive bulldozing operation and taking the soil to an approved site.

Neil.

Quick edit : Both you and I may be able to recognise Jap Knotweed before it becomes established but many can't.