"our bit" is using it responsibly. As we do with knives, tobacco, alcohol , medicines etc etc
How many posts have you seen on here though where people have killed their lawn by using 10x the necessary concentration of weedkiller, or have accidentally killed some plants by mistaking it for plant food? I'm all for personal responsibility but people will be people. It doesn't mean locking people in a padded cell for their own safety but warning labels only go so far. People have the choice to pay a licenced person to come around and spray their driveway safely after all.
As I said previously, , we can't legislate against stupidity"
This does really come down to common sense doesn't it? In the same way that I wouldn't dream of using Hosta's chainsaw without fully reading the instructions, watching online tutorials, maybe even doing a one day course run by our local college - I also don't use chemicals without understanding what I'm tackling and the implications of my actions, before fully reading the instructions, following dilution rates and wearing appropriate clothing etc etc.
Unfortunately common sense seems to be somewhat uncommon in a significant proportion of the population. No doubt we'll all eventually have to pay for their ignorance.
The posts on the forum that annoy me more than any other start "I saw these 'bugs' on my tree and sprayed them. What are they?" or "I killed my lawn with feed and weed. Did I use too much?"
FFS people. Identify the 'problem' first, find out whether or not it's actually a problem that needs to be dealt with (a lot don't), then research the best way to tackle it.
Then READ THE BADOODLY INSTRUCTIONS on your weapon of choice. PLEASE!
I shouted then - sorry - but it makes me cross🙂
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Not reading the instructions on a chainsaw can lead to you dismembering yourself. Not reading the instructions on the weed killer bottle can lead to the destruction of a whole ecosystem in a local area. Granted, a farmer is as likely to do either as a gardener, but gardeners are worse at going at a job half-a**ed than farmers on the whole.
Same principle is why smoking is more heavily controlled than alcohol. Self harm is a choice, albeit sometimes done in ignorance. Harming a wider population, even if that is of wild flowers and the insects that depend on them, is more serious.
You may all be responsible and careful. There are idiots about. Lots of them
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Monsanto is a terrible, unethical company, but glyphosate is still a useful and relatively safe product used correctly in the garden. If it was outlawed here I would possibly take a COSHH course to be able to use it (not that I use it often, it's just that for some tasks it's by far the most effective thing to use). Anyone using a knapsack sprayer should have to complete training, the famous incident that lead to the court case involved an operator drenching himself without wearing PPE and carrying on working. Employers should bear responsibility for proper use and the safety of staff.
Large scale agricultural usage should be outlawed though, without hesitation. The practices of coupling it with GMO crops to eliminate weeds, or using it to prematurely ripen standing crops, are environmentally devastating. This would probably increase food costs but provide a great benefit for biodiversity.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
Yes, just an ending to the US 'lawn and garden market', and the stuff is still available to farmers. But Bayer have agree to settle 100,000 current law suits, so the ball is rolling. There are also claims settled with farmers.
Posts
Unfortunately common sense seems to be somewhat uncommon in a significant proportion of the population. No doubt we'll all eventually have to pay for their ignorance.
The posts on the forum that annoy me more than any other start "I saw these 'bugs' on my tree and sprayed them. What are they?" or "I killed my lawn with feed and weed. Did I use too much?"
FFS people. Identify the 'problem' first, find out whether or not it's actually a problem that needs to be dealt with (a lot don't), then research the best way to tackle it.
Then READ THE BADOODLY INSTRUCTIONS on your weapon of choice. PLEASE!
I shouted then - sorry - but it makes me cross🙂
Same principle is why smoking is more heavily controlled than alcohol. Self harm is a choice, albeit sometimes done in ignorance. Harming a wider population, even if that is of wild flowers and the insects that depend on them, is more serious.
You may all be responsible and careful. There are idiots about. Lots of them
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Large scale agricultural usage should be outlawed though, without hesitation. The practices of coupling it with GMO crops to eliminate weeds, or using it to prematurely ripen standing crops, are environmentally devastating. This would probably increase food costs but provide a great benefit for biodiversity.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border