Roundup, developed and produced by Monsanto (now Bayer) is the most widely used herbicide in the US. Its use has increased 100-fold since 1974 when it was developed for agricultural and landscape use. As a result, there has been an appearance of glyphosate-resistant weeds resulting in more and more application of the chemical and also the development of GMO Roundup-resistant crops.
As with drugs, chemicals have their side effects, among them harm to pollinators, pollution of soil and water, and cancer in humans and other animals. There has been a plethora of lawsuits in this country against Bayer, the plaintiffs linking cancers they have suffered from Roundup use. Most European countries have banned it totally.
Ironically there are safer, cheaper alternatives to use even in organic gardens. Here are some…
- Learn to live with some weeds. What is the big problem with a few dandelions in your lawn?
- Use solutions made of kitchen vinegar, soap, and salt- there are lots of recipes to be found online.
- Use 30% industrial strength vinegar
- Hand dig them
- Burn them with a weed burner
- Apply a thick layer of mulch (my favorite prevention technique)
- Use a commercial solution such as “Deadweed Brew” (made from caprylic acid, derived from coconuts) or Weed Slayer (derived from clove oil and molasses.) There are others on the market as well. I found them no more expensive than Roundup and often cheaper. They also can come in concentrated form making their use even more economical. I tried Deadwed Brew and found it more effective than Roundup.
For a more indepth look at Roundup and safe organic alternatives see this article.
Happy healthy gardening!
One Sweet Earth 
Important information, Alanna. Since some lawsuits concerning Roundup have been won, I can’t figure out why it’s still being sold! I actually thought about you earlier today, wondering if you use fertilizer or plant food on your plants. Last year, I bought an organic concoction that sounded safe and reasonable. Problem is, it makes the water quite brown, and if any comes through on my cement balcony floor it makes a mess. Any suggestions?
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Hey Becky,
For my landscape and vegetable garden I use granulated products that are organic such as Dr. Earth, Espoma, and Plant Tone brands. They are all about the same quality. I use the same stuff in my big potted plants on my stairs. For my hanging baskets I default to products such as miracle grow and just mix up some once a week and use that. That being said the drips on my wood porch and grey concrete don’t show any stains but on a lighter surface maybe it would? Just to be safe I would use plant saucers to fit your pots and if you have hanging plants put buckets underneath them when you’re watering. I hope this helps!
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Yes, thanks so much for the info and ideas, Alanna! I do use plant saucers but sometimes overflow:)
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