MEW CHEMICAL PROMISES MUCH

s The word on weed control

IMAGINE a world free of nuclear war, poverty, pollution,
racism, religious zealots, and cooked spinach.

What a wonderful world this
would be; near perfect if we could
throw in the elimination of weeds
as well,

In fact, a case could be made
which demonstrates the reduction
of risk of the first five if we could
only eradicate the lowly weed.

Some years ago, the Monsanto
Company developed a new chemi-
cal weed control and introduced it
to the commercial and agricultural
markets as ROUNDUP.

This chemical, commonly
known as glyphosate and chemi-
cally as N—(phosphonomethyl)

over the

garden gate
by Geoff Tobiasson

(Sorry, nothing we can do about
cooked spinach).

Billions of dollars are spent an-
nually on ‘both. chemical and
mechanical methods of control. A
-small portion of this budget, com-
bined with:.the increased produc-
tivity a weedless world would en-
joy, could go a4 long way towards
solving many of the world’s pro-
blems. .
_ Unfortunately, the solutions to
‘the weed question as well as the
others have so far eluded us. But
help is on the way. As this is a
gardening column, I shall stick to
the good news as it relates to weed
control. - .

glycine, has proved to be extremely
effective on hard-to-kill weeds such
as morning glory, wild blackberry,
wild bambos,. bermudagrass,
quackgrass and others.

The major benefit of this chemi-
cal is its very low toxicity and little
or no residual activity in the en-
vironment. In fact, it has been
shown that this product is less tox-
ic and less dangerous to the en-
vironment than table salt.

For years, the local garden cen-
tre industry has awaited the arrival
of this product in a form which
was intended for residential use
and licensed by the federal and
provincial governments. This

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_ Gompetitive Prices

Patio’ Furniture
Dog Houses

would herald the demise of more
dangerous products such as para-
quat and diquat.

The recent arrival of LATER’S
SIDE-KICK and CIL’s CLEANIT,
both of which aré residential for-
mulations of glyphosate, will be
welcomed throughout the industry.

Glyphosate is absorbed through
the leaves of an actively growing
weed and systemically translocates
to all plant parts including the root
system. It kills the weed by inhib-
iting its ability to circulate

.nutrients, thereby starving it.

Annual weeds usually show the
effects of this nutrient deficiency
within three to seven days while
perennial weeds may look the pic-
ture of health for 10 to 14 days or,
in some cases longer; but not to
worry, the deed is done and death
is on his way. .

Because it breaks down almost
immediately in the soil, and it is
absorbed by green growth only, it
is relatively safe to apply on weeds
around valuable plants as long as
you do not contact the fotiage or
soft wood parts of the plants. If
some of the product should mis-
takenly come in contact with
desirable plants, immediately wash
it down with water.

It should be applied to mature
foliage on a sunny day when the
temperature is above 18°C. (60°F.)
for best results.

Do not prune, mow, or remove
weed foliage in any manner prior
to application as the more surface
area covered, the more effective
the control attained.

Y SUNBURY |

Fencing
Cedar Storage Sheds

—

Red and Yellow Cedar

Tongue and Groove

Panelling

Exterior Siding

Tongue and Groove Decking -

Red and Yellow CedarTimbers
Children’s Playhouses and

Playcentres .
Greenhouses
Lattice Screens

ALEX -FRASER'BRIDGE
DEL WAY: & RIVER-RD

21 ~ Friday, May 1, 1987 - North Shore News

This product has been licensed
for use around ornamental plants
only; so do not use around edible
food or food crops. Although this
product shows every indication of

being one of the safest pcsticides
available, common sense tells us to
use it and not to abuse it. As with
any pesticide, read the label before
using.

Wallpaper can
liven up a room

WITH TODAY’S changing
lifestyle, people are spending more
time and money on home
remodelling.

One popular project is decora-
ting a wall, a room or a house full
of rooms with wallcovering. It’s a
good way to give a dull room a
new look.

If it’s handled as a do-it-yourself
project, it needn’t he expensive or
time-consuming either. The key to
success for anyone hanging
wallcovering for the first time is to
start simple.

Begin with a room that doesn’t
have a lot of windows, doors and
angles. Or, start with a single wall.
Once you’ve got the experience,
you can consider other wallcover-
ing projects.

Use pre-trimmed and pre-pasted

wallcoverings and the job should
be even easier.

Pre-trimmed wallicovering comes
with the edges trimmed so they are
ready to hang. All that’s needed
with pre-pasted walicoverings is to
dip the strip in water to activate
the dry glue on the backing. Just
follow the manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.

For a look at what's available in
wallcoverings, visit a decorating
store, home centre or department
store in your community.

These retail outlets have person-
nel who can offer advice on the
choice of wallcovering colors, pat-
terns and styles. They also carry
the tools you'll need to apply

See Tips