Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Resolva weedkiller sprayed near vegetables...time to dispose?

Amanda1521Amanda1521 Posts: 7
in Problem solving
I’ve been growing tomatoes, spring onions, radishes, carrots and courgettes in pots this year on the patio. It had all been going nicely. The courgettes have nearly finished but there are plenty of ripe tomatoes I’ve been picking daily and a couple of pots of spring onions I’d been saving to use. The carrots and radishes were late sown so still not ready. Unfortunately I just found out that someone else in the household has sprayed resolva weedkiller over the drive this weekend, completely unaware of any harm it could do to the plants. So, my guess is, not knowing how close the weedkiller got to the tomatoes and spring onions, I should just pull them all up now?

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Maybe a bit late now but I'd have washed them all down immediately with the hose so it couldn't be absorbed.   It contains glyphosate so not something I'd want to eat.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Amanda1521Amanda1521 Posts: 7
    Obelixx said:
    Maybe a bit late now but I'd have washed them all down immediately with the hose so it couldn't be absorbed.   It contains glyphosate so not something I'd want to eat.
    Thanks for replying, I had a feeling this would be the case :( unfortunately I just found out this morning so as you say, probably too late to do anything about it now. Far worse things happen I know, but pretty gutted. 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Have a gentle chat with the culprit about weed killers not knowing the difference between weeds and wanted plants so consult first and take extreme care to protect plants, especially edibles.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Do bear in mind that farmers use glyphosphate on their cereal crops before harvest - unless you buy organic

    https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/pre-harvest-glyphosate-use-in-cereals-and-oilseed-rape

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Amanda1521Amanda1521 Posts: 7
    Obelixx said:
    Have a gentle chat with the culprit about weed killers not knowing the difference between weeds and wanted plants so consult first and take extreme care to protect plants, especially edibles.
    Good idea, I did mention it to them and felt bad in doing so as I knew it was unintentional but just wanted to make them aware - they were very apologetic and genuinely had no idea of the effects of the weedkiller.  Would the compost in the pots be ok to reuse next year? From what I’ve read the chemicals supposedly don’t last long in the soil but then I saw another article which says it could last up to a year...would you err on the side of caution and replace?
  • Amanda1521Amanda1521 Posts: 7
    philippasmith2 said:
    Just how close is your veg to the driveway?  If it was a still day and the veg weren't actually touched by the spray, you may be lucky.
    You should soon see if the veg show signs of dying back ?
    Horribly bad luck tho but maybe you can save some.
    Pop the culprit in the dog kennel for a day or 2  ;)  

    Thanks for replying, at the point nearest to the drive, the vegetables were about a metre away (the patio is raised about a foot from the drive) and at the furthest point I’d say about three or four metres). It was unfortunately mildly breezy so I expect there was at least some drift. 
  • Amanda1521Amanda1521 Posts: 7
    Pete.8 said:
    Do bear in mind that farmers use glyphosphate on their cereal crops before harvest - unless you buy organic

    https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/pre-harvest-glyphosate-use-in-cereals-and-oilseed-rape
    That’s interesting, I didn’t know it was used in this way. 
  • Ferdinand2000Ferdinand2000 Posts: 537
    edited August 2020
    I would see if the veg are still in rude health, then take a view. If there was no sign of problems in a couple of weeks I would be relatively sanguine. Farmers are able to use it within 2-3 weeks of harvesting as a desiccant, so that seems reasonable to me. I think I would be more confident in the root crops if forced to choose.

    I would think reusing compost would be fine, as afaik it is designed not to persist significantly in the soil

    I have next door's ivy invading my garden like the Mongolian Horde over and *through* the stone wall, and I keep buying it rounds of glyphosate like a lawyer in Ye Olde Mitre in Ely Place supping lager. Neighbour has no problems. I hope to have nearly won with 3 applications this year so I can in due course put fruit cordons on the wall.

    Nor am I aware of any convincing evidence that it is a health issue. Various political muggings and panics, and also use in scare marketing for the organic principle - but I have seen no evidence yet.

    My opinion obvs.

    Ferdinand

    “Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Wait a couple of weeks and see how the plants are.  You'll be able to tell if they're affected or not.

    Monsanto claim that glyphosate becomes inert upon contact with the soil and that it is harmless to humans.  Unfortunately for them there are enough studies which show that glyphosate filters thru into waterways and can affect aquatic life and vegetation.   There are also studies which show that used in higher concentrations - eg where sprayed on Monsanto GM crops designed to be resistant so you can spray weeds with higher concentrations - glyphosate can harm human health.

    That is why it is now a controlled substance here in France, not available for personal/private use since Jan 2019 and banned for use in public spaces since 2017.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
Sign In or Register to comment.