ROund-up leads to emergence of new pathogneic organism

[cheferson]

This is not good....
Monsanto the real SATAN of the world!

Roundup, GMOs linked to emergence of deadly new pathogen causing spontaneous abortions among animals

Monsanto's Roundup Ready Crops Contain Organism Causing Animal Miscarriages, Scientist Says

[JackK]

Wow...

[Raven]

NOT THE ARTICLE ....

But the whole concept of using herbicides...
it's a totally unnecessary practice...

The method of farming being used here is the real problem
making the crop plant immune to round up is just to have less crop loss and or manual labor due to the herbicide having to be used.

Soil is a wonderfully complex substance full of life but the present method of farming treats it like just an anchoring mechanism to support the roots and stalk of the plant being grown.In fact it KILLS it or renders it basically inactive.

The way to Stop weeds is to used MULCH that is generally free
such as leaves that fall from trees. WHERE do they go instead?
the DUMP...

Also plant spacing designed to smother out the light available to weed plants is the other solution but that takes a little to much thinking for these AGRICULTURISTS that are complete by the book idiots.

They are MINING the soil of trace elements by fertilizing
with only N.P.K. or nitrogen(N) ,phosphorous(P) and potassium(K)
until the weeds say: (not joking) we need to grow here to enrich this worn out soil and then there's no stopping them.

The whole concept of growing food in this way does little to foster the growth of the mighty earth worm that adds tons of organic matter back to the soil each year. In Fact , it basically wipes them out.

EVERY acre of soil thats suitable for growing crops can support a population of up to 2 million earth worms but current farming practices have it down to less than a 1000 if that.

You in fact have more earthworms living in your lawn than the farmers have in their fields. Einstein wrote a wonderful book on them
but it was largely over looked because of his theory of relativity and because of the world wars, it got buried into Obscurity forever.

I wrote the president on this matter and the whole thing pisses me off. To give it meaning imagine if chemicals were dumped into the ocean killing all the fish because they are smelly creatures when they wash up on the beach. ITS about as ignorant as doing that!

And you guys wonder why i insist on growing my own food.
you cannot trust these bastards one lick. I'm telling you !!!

WALMART is opening 750 square foot hydroponic supply centers in many stores (california) even in New Jersey for the grow it at home folks.

The government will allow this, but they won't stop genetically modified crops or the abomination of round up ready grain.

in one SEASON this pollen from ALFALFA hay will be blowing in the wind going right up your NOSE. It's gonna be a Horror show.

[basswipe]

I've never used any type of chemicals in my gardens.Never found a need to.The only thing that goes into my garden is water and an all natural fertilizer made from compost.I manually remove my weeds with a garden weasal,mulches them right up into the soil.

I only wish that I had more room to be able to grow more and sustain myself year-round.But that's where the organic farmers at the local farmer's markets come into the picture,you pay more but you know what you're getting or this case not getting.

Same goes for the fish pond.Doing a lot of research last year I discovered there are many natural products out there for what might ill my fish and for water treatment.Someone here,I believe it might have been you Raven,turned me onto barley for algae control.My pond is a huge attractant to many types of animals including my own dogs!

Same goes for the lawn now.Once I obtained a nice lawn with the traditional 4step fertlilizer I switched to all natural to maintain it.I must admit though that I have yet to find a natural product that effectively controls crabgrass so I do walk around the yard with bottle of Ortho crabgrass killer to spot kill it before it becomes a problem.

[Raven]

the secret to beating crab grass is to change your strategy towards it.. no chemicals needed

think of it as a pesky carrot .... with a top that wants to spread out
in a mat 360 DEGREES... thats its growing M.O>


so in the spring (if you have grab grass ) you grow your grass as tall as you can get away with before the first Cut ,,,,,the base of each individual grass plant tells you when to cut because eventually the base not the blade will stretch out...elongate to grow a traditional tall grass plant 3 feet high

but you use the grass to shade out the crab grass and compete with it for light....(makes it have to grow tall....) at the same time you water and fertilize it so it has a real
easy to grab hold of Bunch...."heathy) to gather up.... then on or just after a big rainy day you stick a four pronged digger in next to it then lift/pry it all out....root and all.

sprinkle grass seed ,,,,on that spot that ya loosened up.

[FishermanTim]

Isn't funny that people would rather pay for a "perfect" lawn, and end up paying more just to maintain it?
Yet, if they spent time actually digging in the soil, they'd see exactly what they have to work with, and what happens when to start applying chemicals.

I am a compost loving gardener. I love to show people just how much they can compast, in a relatively small space, and get beautifully rich soil as a result. (not to mention a boatload of worms and other beneficial inhabitants.)

My parents didn't want a compost pile in their yard because of the smell. Well, I asked them to let me start a compost pile (as an experiment) and I'd show them that they were misstaken.
After the pile was started, I took them out a month later, after turning just once each weekend, and let them see for themselves.
After that, I couldn't keep them from collecting kitchen waste, newspapers and even leaves in the fall. I was able to ammend 3 raised beds with the resulting compost, and was able to do it every year.

Nay to chemicals, and YEAH to compost.

Oh, and when I fillet any fish during the summer, I will use the water I use for rinsing off the finished cuts to water the gardens.
MMMmmmmm.....fish emulsion!!!

[PRBuzz]

Cheapest mulch you can get: stop picking up and bagging the grass clippings, let them go back into the grass and build up the soil and attract worms.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[justplugit]

There are organic ways to have a nice lawn but it
will always have some weeds. Secret is to fertilize at the
right time so you don't feed the weeds. Best time to fertilize is fall and
late March, if you want it greener feed 1/2 rate in early July as crabgrass
will flourish if you fertilize in June.

Dig out crabgrass before it goes to seed as it is an annual and
can only grow from it's seed the following year. As Rav mentioned
keep the grass cut high so the weeds need to compete for light.

Use a propane torch on weeds in the driveway or walk.

Deep water so the grass can compete against the shallow rooted weeds.
If you absolutely need to, just spot kill the weeds with a herbicide.
Keep a sharp blade to prevent tearing the grass and prevent disease.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

Cheapest mulch you can get: stop picking up and bagging the grass clippings, let them go back into the grass and build up the soil and attract worms.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Originally Posted by justplugit

There are organic ways to have a nice lawn but it
will always have some weeds. Secret is to fertilize at the
right time so you don't feed the weeds. Best time to fertilize is fall and
late March, if you want it greener feed 1/2 rate in early July as crabgrass
will flourish if you fertilize in June.(NOT WHEN YOU FERTILIZE WITH LEAVES)

Dig out crabgrass before it goes to seed as it is an annual and
can only grow from it's seed the following year. As Rav mentioned
keep the grass cut high so the weeds need to compete for light.


Deep water so the grass can compete against the shallow rooted weeds.
If you absolutely need to, just spot kill the weeds with a herbicide.
Keep a sharp blade to prevent tearing the grass and prevent disease.

the only time i use an herbicide is when fighting poison IVY my Arch enemy... BUZZ has the right idea on not bagging the grass clippings but an even better approach and of course you'll think i'm NUTS except for maybe Fisherman Tim is to take your bagged maple leaves that you SAVED and stock piled the previous fall and dump them in a "wind row" on a non windy day and the run your mower over them back and forth until the pieces disappear between the blades of grass. Do this in areas where your lawn turns brown or is having trouble.

these pieces the earth worms will suction cup attach their mouth to
and then they'll drag them into their burrow and LINE it with leaves as walls
where they can eat in relative safety from the skillful robins.

the most beneficial substance your lawn can have is Humus not something
out of a scott's fertilizer BAG.

IT holds ten times it's weight in water so when things get real dry
your lawn still has plenty of water on hand.

when dandelions appear i pop their tops but leave them alone because i want the root to get bigger and stronger,,,for pulling out easier and i sometimes even use my shop vac in my garden for bugs (works pissah) and to vacume up dandelion seeds that have matured or i instantly bag them.

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Raven

the most beneficial substance your lawn can have is Humus not something
out of a scott's fertilizer BAG.

IT holds ten times it's weight in water so when things get real dry
your lawn still has plenty of water on hand.

That is one of the best ways, but you have to screen the leaf mold
very fine to get even distribution with a spreader.
If you use an aerator before spreading the mulch it really works well.
But it is time consuming.

[Raven]

if i have a "problem area" that's where i grind up the leaves with the mower

then i simply rake them in, so to speak....yeah an aerator is the cats meow

wish i owned one... this isn't my place...mind you, and if it was my ENTIRE LAWN would be IVY of many types with flower beds scattered around....

to be a SLAVE to one's lawn is "NOT" worth my time.

[Goose]

What does lawn care have to do with the this thread?

I know some people haaate fertilizer but it has its place. Do you think the top golf course's, ball parks, soccer stadiums or any well manicured lawns use just organic materials and expect those results? Do you really think the average home owners can fight weeds have a green lawn and maintain a life?

People value there time and are willing to pay to have a decent lawn. Give me break.

[Raven]

everything reverts to its lowest common denominator Goose

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by Raven

... BUZZ has the right idea on not bagging the grass clippings but an even better approach and of course you'll think i'm NUTS except for maybe Fisherman Tim is to take your bagged maple leaves that you SAVED and stock piled the previous fall and dump them in a "wind row" on a non windy day and the run your mower over them back and forth until the pieces disappear between the blades of grass.

Haven't bagged leaves in years either, always ground up with the lawn mower and re-deposited back into soil. Maple/oak leaves doesn't matter, and yes every couple years throw out some lime to neutralize the acidic oaks...

[afterhours]

Monsanto, these guys are brutal .

[Goose]

Raven...

have you ever heard of the guy who keeps his lawn/yard immaculate? He waters just right, weeds and feeds just right...there isn't a paint chip flaking off his house.

On the other hand there's you living off the land with enough food to feed Africa and saves rain water from the gutters ect ect.

Imo both are extreme both are not rational but whatever floats your boat ...do what you luv and puts your mind at ease.

Just cause your old school doesn't make your point more valid.
Whats going on with chemicals in agriculture is a whole other issue.

[Raven]

not Rational Goose ?

I consider it to be the most rational approach to
insuring chemicals used in agriculture
are not used on my food as much as possible

FOOD is like a sponge ...most of what gets sprayed on it
as in the case of lettuces gets absorbed into it

in other scenarios pesticides get absorbed thru roots

but
These A$$holes are totally modifying plants genetically
Un necessarily to the point that their pollen via the air
is going to change what has taken nature a million years to perfect
all because they want to streamline everything instead of
doing it the right way.... in the first place...and make a profit.

JUST because your business is agricultural in Nature
doesn't make you a qualified expert in organic practices
something i have studied for 40 years....
you destroy or cut, and what do you Grow? Hmmmm?

just because i have a rather firm opinion on the subject that
i think is the totally wrong approach doesn't make what
i enjoy doing less significant...

in fact, with food prices skyrocketing i won't be paying exorbitant prices
for pesticide laden produce because of OIL prices going up

I live in harmony....

[justplugit]

I have no problem using pesticides and herbicides selectively.
My problem is with large company lawn programs that apply
5 applications whether your lawn needs it or not.

Broad leaf weed killer contain 24D245TP which is a diluted form
of Agent Orange. Fungicides are absorbed through the skin
and imo should be used only as a last resort.

The old farming methods were good and very safe.
Crop rotation so different plants would absorb different nutrients
and not delete trace nutrients. Cow manure and winter rye as
a green manure crop for fertilizer.
Rotenone, an organic product derived from a plant, was used for severe
insect infiltrations.
Definitely healthier food, but then again our age span has increased too.