Are you using toxic chemicals Roundup to kill the weeds in your garden? You might want to rethink that, especially if you're pregnant or have small children. Also, ask your landscape service what they're spraying on your lawn.
Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the United States, and more than 100 million pounds of it is spread over American lawns and farms each year. Recent scientific studies have shown that one of the inert ingredients, polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, is more deadly to human embryonic cells than the herbicide itself.
But if you're going to stop using poisons to clear out the weeds, what's left? You'll be surprised to know that you can make your own weed control using two safe ingredients: white vinegar and dishwashing soap. The Internet has pages of recipes, so you can have fun experimenting. Here's one to get you started.
Mix one gallon of white vinegar with one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap and place mixture in a spray bottle. Since this solution kills all the plants it hits, use the stream nozzle to target just the weeds.
The soap helps the vinegar stick to the weed and the vinegar dries out the plant, killing it. Needless to say, this is not as efficient as those toxic chemicals in Roundup. Your weeds will come back, but you can just zap them again.
Are you worried about the toxic chemicals on your perfect lawn? What are you doing about it? Let me know at fpearson@mainstreetconnect.us.
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