Re: RoundUp

[Gil Robertson]

Hi! Peter, The shovel is the best test of Roundup's effect on soil Biota. Examine soil from Rounduped areas with chemical free areas, which are in every other way alike. I remember reading some years ago that it takes the Soil Biota in heavy soils around eight years to repopulate to the level prior to a single application and twelve to fifteen years in Calcareous soils, dependant on pH, the higher the longer. I suspect that in it would also be longer in very low pH soils, but have not read of any study. I am rather keen on the "Roundup Replacement" covered in earlier posts on this list. I virtually do not have any use for spraying in my management, but bought the "vinegar" and "lemon juice" and made some up and tried it. Seems to have a lot of potential. I am going to do more experiments with it and if I am able, I want to promote it for spraying in public spaces, such as roadsides. Check the archives for lots of material on this subject. Gil J Peter Young wrote: I am having a running argument with some of the local conventional Sonoma County grape growers about RoundUp. They claim that it binds to the soil almost immediatly and has little to now negative effect on soil biology. Does anyone have any CONCRETE information on RoundUp and its effect on soil biology? ThanksPeter YoungBennett Valley Vineyards