Read the Label

At times I receive either an email or a phone call where a client has problems with everything declining or dying in their landscape beds. Upon investigation I normally ask what if any products have they applied to the area?

Normally for weed control their response is Roundup.

Roundup is a trade name for what used to be the common name glyphosate. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. It is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops. Glyphosate herbicidal effectiveness was discovered by Monsanto chemist John E. Franz in 1970. Monsanto brought it to market for agricultural use in 1974 under the trade name Roundup. Monsanto’s last commercially relevant United States patent for glyphosate expired in 2000.

After the patent expired other companies have marketed glyphosate generically. Trade name products that contain glyphosate for example are Roundup Pro, Roundup Super Concentrate, and Gly Star Plus to name a few.

Back to the client whose response was just Roundup. I then ask do they still have the Roundup container, and if they do what is the active ingredients. Hopefully, they answer glyphosate and then isopropylamine salt or N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine, in the form of its isopropylamine salt. However, they may also say triclopyr, triethylamine salt plus Fluazifop, P butyl, plus diquat dibromide plus imazapic, ammonium salt.

If client says the latter, I can explain we found the issue with your plants dying in your landscape bed. I then ask what the big name on the product? Answer Roundup Dual Action Weed and Grass Killer. I asked if they read the label, and they said no it was just Roundup.

Unfortunately, this is the issue with all pesticide products, we can no longer go by the trade name. Another pesticide product is an insecticide with the trade name Sevin. Sevin used to have the active ingredient carbaryl to control Colorado Potato Beetle. A Sevin product on the market now contains the active ingredient zeta-cypermethrin.

When purchasing any pesticide product there is a label for its use. Read the label for all important information such as personal protective equipment, where and how to apply, and other pertinent information.

When looking at products in the stores purchase products based on the common name and not the trade name. The common name is a shortened version of the chemical name. A great example is glyphosate.

To sum this up going back to the original issue with the landscape bed. Triclopyr is used to control broadleaf weeds in driveways and around patios however it is not labeled for landscape beds as injury may result. Fluazifop is used to control grasses. Diquat is a fast-acting burndown herbicide, and finally imazapic kills both broadleaf and grass plants and remains in the soil suppressing and moving into the roots of desirable plants for up to four or longer months.

Unfortunately for this client it is a wait and see issue as to what may be just injured or what might totally die. Activated charcoal applied at a rate of four pounds per thousand square feet may help to neutralize pesticides in the soil.

Of course, all of this can be avoided if we remember one crucial thought about using any pesticides. READ THE LABEL