Davis Land Company – Weed & Invasive Plant Removal

If spraying herbicide to rid your pond of weeds is your choice, we will gladly help you out. But if you’re looking for an alternative way of getting rid of invasive plant species, look no further than Davis Land Company. We have the right tools for non-herbicide jobs that will keep your pond and property looking its best and healthiest while carefully protecting your environment. We want our customers to have the information needed to make health-conscience decisions so please read below about Herbicide Spraying.

The Dangers of Herbicide Spraying

Glyphosate is the world’s #1 selling chemical herbicide. Glyphosate-containing herbicides, such as Roundup, are the most commonly used herbicides in the world. They are applied in farming, forestry, parks, public spaces, ponds and gardens. Glyphosate-containing herbicides are also important to the creation of genetically altered herbicide-resistant crops. In recent years a number of scientific studies have raised issues about glyphosate’s safety and

there have been calls for glyphosate-containing herbicides to be banned. New research has identified glyphosate residues in the urine of 44% of people tested.

When sprayed, Glyphosate moves throughout the vegetation and kills any plant not genetically modified to resist it. Glyphosate’s main effect is to block an enzyme that plants need to make amino acids and proteins. When the enzyme is blocked, plants expire within 2-3 days. Glyphosate is never used on its own as a herbicide and is always combined with other chemical additives. For example, a class of chemical called ‘surfactants’ are added to boost infiltration of glyphosate into plant cells.

Impacts on Biodiversity

Glyphosate-containing herbicides are used to manage plants considered to be weeds or to

clear vegetation. But other plants, animals,  insects, and micro-organisms may also be exposed to glyphosate herbicides:

• when glyphosate is sprayed insects fly through;
• from consuming treated plants, or consuming prey that has been feeding on treated plants;
• spray that has been blown by the wind into habitats next to a treated area;
• from glyphosate sprayed in rural or urban areas that have been washed by the rain into the water systems.
• spray that has landed onto the soil moves through the plants to their roots or is introduced into the soil when a treated plant dies.

These ‘non-target’ organisms may experience toxic effects from the herbicide, or be

indirectly affected by changes to ecosystems and food resources. Direct and indirect impacts

may be caused by spraying glyphosate.

Glyphosate‘s mode of action means that any vegetation sprayed will be injured or killed.

Glyphosate is considered to be a high-risk herbicide for non-target plant-life. On farms,

continued use of glyphosate-containing herbicides can greatly affect the life and diversity of plant species around field edges. Studies investigating the effect of glyphosate spray drift found effects on the growth and composition of plant communities exposed to glyphosate-containing herbicides at levels between 1% and 25% of normal agricultural rates.