GLYPHOSATE and well water

16 years ago

Tried several forum searches but couldn't really find my answer...

I'm building a house on a new lot, and there is quite a bit of poison ivy in the wooded area near our well. I'm wondering if I can get a consensus on the use of GLYPHOSATE near the well. I'm not excited about the thought of manually trying to remove all the poison ivy vines, nor am I thrilled at the prospect of letting my small child play in the woods and getting exposed to poison ivy. I had rashes bad enough as a kid to never with that on anyone.

I do want to be careful that I don't pollute our drinking water by using the wrong chemicals. There seems to be some evidence that GLYPHOSATE does not readily leech into groundwater, but then I read other bits of info that warn against using it and pairing it with other ingredients like soap that can do more damage.

Is there a consensus on this? Where can I find specific info on how far from a well GLYPHOSATE can be used? Yes, I know that well water comes from an underground aquifer that isn't merely confined to one small area...

Thanks in advance for any RECENT info on this. If there are other safe herbicide alternatives that will kill the poison ivy, I'll be happy to try those as well.

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Comments (5)

davidl_ny5
16 years ago
I personally would not worry about it unless you're pouring Roundup into your well (others may differ). It gets adsorbed by soil particles and biodegrades. If you want to find information, you'll get lots by using a Google search for "glyphosate 'half-life'". Caveat emptor -- some info is from Monsanto, but you can find stuff from The Nature Conservancy, which uses it selectively in conservation areas and others as well. And of course, be sparing in your use.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
If you use a glyphosate product properly, it will never even touch the soil. You only need a light misting over the actively growing plants in order for the product to be translocated to the roots. Drenching to drip-off is not required and is considered improper use.
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ctopher_mi
16 years ago
Although I know this is quite late, Glyphosate won't kill poison ivy, and at most would spot and maybe kill a couple leaves but do nothing to the vine. You specifically need a brush and poison ivy killer, but as was mentioned, only spray the leaves and branches so that it doesn't spill all around. Also don't spray if you are expecting heavy rains as it could wash off with the rain water.
joepyeweed
16 years ago
You may want to stick with Rodeo or Accord, they are glyphosphate only products. However, you may need to do several applications on a woody vine like poison ivy in order for it to be effective. And if you take care to make sure the product is only being applied to the poision ivy and not hte ground around it, you are less likely to contaminate your ground water.

An good article about glyphosphate, gives some suggestions on how to apply it safely:

Here is a link that might be useful: Round up Article
maifleur01
16 years ago
Your child will get poison ivy, ticks and chiggers during its life if the child is a boy or very active. You can only minimize the problem.

One of the things you should consider is how deep is the well and what kind of casing does it have. Is the casing only at the top of the well or does it extend 25 ft or more. The deeper the casing the less likely the water will be severly contaminated. Do as Rizo suggests and spray a fine mist wait a week or so then hit the plants again. Do not spray when there is a breeze as this can spread the poison on things that you do not want injured like yourself. Wear protective gloves at least.