Glyphosate in the vegetable garden

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Shannow

Shannow

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Had shocking vegetable garden success the last few years due to drought, and this summer is looking to be a pearler, have lots of carrots 3" long, kiwi fruit are budding massively, and my blood orange and lemon trees have lots of fruit.

Wondering about the use of glyphosphate to harden off the potatoes before harvest, as killing off the plant above ground will make harvesting them easier, and I've heard that they store better that way.

Any thoughts ?
 
Roundup on potatoes ? I tried potatoes a couple of years ago here, without much success - I used the tyre method. Dunno if I'll bother again.

I put my garden in a month or so ago - we've had some late frosts and then rain for a couple of weeks, so they are slow getting going. Maybe this week I'll put in a few more things to make up for ones lost in the frosts. Labour Weekend is the traditional time to plant, but 1 degree C is predicted for tomorrow morning. It's only one degree colder down here than Auckland, but colder mornings and fog makes starting a garden here hard for me to get used to.
 
Legend in this town is no frost sensitive plants before Melbourne Cup day...we had October snow the other week, but snap frosts can still kill, so no tomatoes as yet. Potatoes are self sown from compost
 
I lost a couple of tomatoes, but plenty of self sets coming up, so I'll keep some likely ones. I grew some weird tomatoes like black and some white ones too a couple of years ago....self sets are a lottery. I seem to be missing some spring onions too, but ah, I think I'm responsible for that....or the cats. Need to thin the carrots soon too.
 
lady at work suggested using masking tape, and dot the carrot seed along it, and plant it edgewise...

I did it with a batch of purple carrots three weeks ago, and much less carrot top thicket.
 
Potatoes die off above ground when they pretty much stop growing. That's when I begin digging. I wouldn't spray the tops with RoundUp, though. Potatoes will continue to ripen and enlarge over time even after the tops die back.

From How It Works: "Glyphosate-based herbicides all work on the same biochemical principle -- they inhibit a specific enzyme that plants need in order to grow. The specific enzyme is called EPSP synthase. Without that enzyme, plants are unable to produce other proteins essential to growth, so they yellow and die over the course of several days or weeks. A majority of plants use this same enzyme, so almost all plants succumb to Roundup."

I keep an eye on them and steal a peek every now and again, and dig up only what I use. At the end of the year I dig them all up and give away, can, and eat the heck out of what is left. This is my first year canning, and I haven't opened any up to see what did what.

I don't plant all that many potatoes...maybe 30ft total. Half red, half white. There's little better in the world than fresh potatoes, except maybe fresh tomatoes.

I heard an easy way to plant carrots is to mix thoroughly in sand and use a salt shaker to apply, or sprikle by by hand depending on your preference.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Legend in this town is no frost sensitive plants before Melbourne Cup day...we had October snow the other week, but snap frosts can still kill, so no tomatoes as yet. Potatoes are self sown from compost


Here in Nebraska we try to get potatoes in the ground on/around St Patrick's day. There's a short window after winter and before spring rains when the soil is dry enough and workable. Other than that, it's just the hard freeze we don't like. If the tops are up they may get nipped by frost but it won't kill the other bits.
 
Since Round up is a systemic, translocated herbicide, I would not use it to hasten potato ripening.

And, if it is not listed on the label, then it is against the law to use it for said purpose. Certainly any involvement with breaking federal law is much worse than possible health effects.
grin2.gif
 
3" is going alright considering the drought that we've had the last decade has broken...first carrots to actually make it this far in a decade...naturally I want them to grow bigger.

When the children suss them out, I'll be battling them for it I'm sure.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Since Round up is a systemic, translocated herbicide, I would not use it to hasten potato ripening.

And, if it is not listed on the label, then it is against the law to use it for said purpose. Certainly any involvement with breaking federal law is much worse than possible health effects.
grin2.gif



Actually, this is one of the techniques that farmers use on potatoes, canola, legumes, wheat, barley, etc. etc. to hasten and control their harvests.

Monsanto publish how to do it, and recommended treat rates, with a 7 day withholding period, and they also state that any straw that results is suitable for cattle feed (obviously not potatoes).

I was shocked that they are roundup as a harvest aid, and so close to the dinner plate.
 
can you just cut the stem to stress the plant instead of spraying it?

I may plant a few carrots soon. We have pumpkin, corn, tomato, zucchini and cucumbers. Also starting a rockmelon. Passionfruit vine is struggling.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Since Round up is a systemic, translocated herbicide, I would not use it to hasten potato ripening.

And, if it is not listed on the label, then it is against the law to use it for said purpose. Certainly any involvement with breaking federal law is much worse than possible health effects.
grin2.gif



Actually, this is one of the techniques that farmers use on potatoes, canola, legumes, wheat, barley, etc. etc. to hasten and control their harvests.

Monsanto publish how to do it, and recommended treat rates, with a 7 day withholding period, and they also state that any straw that results is suitable for cattle feed (obviously not potatoes).

I was shocked that they are roundup as a harvest aid, and so close to the dinner plate.


Yeah, that's a name I'd trust. They're just as crooked as the rest. Do some research on them.
 
Roundup's surfactant may have a hard time breaking down. In certain geographic conditions it may take as long as five years to breakdown.

Actually there are organizations making noise about roundup used for agriculture which humans feed on. They want it banned. It's the surfactant that is the problem for human consumption

Monsanto says it's safe as long as you give it time for the Glyphosate to break down for human consumption.
 
http://eap.mcgill.ca/MagRack/JPR/JPR_02.htm

Surfactant may take 5 years to break down.

Wonder why roundup is more effective than generic Glyphosate. It's the inert ingredients....Roundup may not react the same in different regions the residue effect. Ever spray roundup such as in home lawns, edging etc. and nothing grows for the longest time. Different regions may have different results. It's the inert ingredients that hasn't been broken down...nothing grows.
 
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