When to plant after using weed killer?
Julia purchased her first home in time for spring and she was excited to plant a garden. Shefound the perfect spot, but the area was completely over-grown with grass and weeds. Juliawas eager to clear the area and prepare the soil for her garden so she asked her local retailerfor advice. The retailer recommended a pesticide that kill weeds. He told her to apply theproduct to the unwanted plants according to the label directions, and she should start to seeresults within a couple of days.
The next day Julia sprayed the weeds with the product. After a few days Julia was thrilled to seethe weeds begin to wither and lose their green color. However, she began to wonder what thismeant for desirable plants nearby, and the vegetables she would soon plant in the soil. Wouldthe product move through the soil and harm her flowers? Would it stay in the soil and preventher vegetables from growing, or cause them to wither like the weeds? How long should shewait to plant the garden? Julia had many questions and decided to call NPIC for answers.
Click here to find out what Julia learned when she called NPIC.
Take Home Message
Julia learned that some herbicide products contain at least one active ingredient called glyphosate.Glyphosate is a post-emergent, nonselective herbicide that is absorbed through the leavesfollowing application, and moves throughout the plant, including the roots. Glyphosate worksby preventing the plant from making certain compounds necessary for survival.
Julia also learned that, once applied, glyphosate tends to stay put in the soil with limitedmovement to untreated plants, such as her nearby flowers. In the soil, glyphosate generallybreaks down within days to weeks, and the way it sticks to the soil makes it less available tountreated plants that may grow in the same soil at a later time (such as Julia's vegetables).
The NPIC specialist explained that there are many different weed killing products availableto consumers. Some are suitable to use for garden plot preparation and some are not.Consumers should always read the product label carefully to be sure their product has beenapproved for this use. Julia also learned that the product label would help her determine howquickly she could plant her veggies following application. Julia read from the product label thatshe could plant cucumbers and peppers now, but she would have to wait a few weeks beforeplanting her tomatoes and herbs. The NPIC specialist also provided Julia with the telephonenumber for her local Cooperative Extension Service to obtain additional advice aboutpreparing the soil before planting her garden.
