Poison Shoulders

Round up, like 2-4D is a growth hormone. Basically the plant grows so fast that the cell walls burst and the plant dies.
Gramoxone does not kill the root, only the foliage so weeks later the leaves will be back. Funny story about gramoxone, 30 years ago I worked as part of a lawn maintenance crew. Showed up at one of our clients homes to see dead footprints across the beautifully manicured lawn. One of the guys had sprayed the patio the previous week and instead of starting at the far end and walking backwards he started at the near end, walking over the spray material. the chemical that was on his boots was enough to burn the lawn when he walked back to the truck. Took a few weeks until everything was green again.

That wild parsnip (same stuff that is grown commercially) with yellow umbell flower, as well as our native cow parsnip (white umbell flower) can give you a contact dermatitus dose that makes poison ivy rash seem like a picnic. UV light exposure is the key (has photoreactive chemicals in the sap). I knew a guy who paid the price dearly! Two hours of weed-whacking with a gas-powered Stihl brush saw at his cottage, while wearing a pair of $3 Bargain Village shorts (with no gitch), and no shirt. He pretty much vaporized the parsnip stems with the whacker. Then he spent the rest of the day outside in the sun, tubing and consuming delicious beverages that come in a brown bottle. He was hospitalized two days later. The sap vapour had even migrated up onto his rosebud, stemmer and his ball-sac! Head-to-toe blistered.We cook up parsnips for supper whenever he comes for a visit!

My son about eight years ago did the same thing by accident working for a farmer. He still has the scars on parts of his body from the wild parsnip juice and body reaction to it. Queen Anne's Lace(wild carrot) should not be confused with Wild Parsnip.

I was up to pattern the new to me 16 and saw the same thing along the hydro line (the "road" wanders back and forth and passes underneath the lines). I didn't notice right away but then I clued in that's what must be going on.

I ran into a Carlillion employee in a hardware store yesterday and asked him what they were spraying on the guardrail areas. He gave me a name and number to call.

Just got off the phone. They told me they use "Factor 540" which he said was basically Roundup. He said it is approved by MTO and they use it to maintain sightlines along the guardrails. Without it, it would take thousands of hours with guys using weed whackers.

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Originally Posted by justinmch

They told me they use "Factor 540" which he said was basically Roundup. He said it is approved by MTO and they use it to maintain sightlines along the guardrails. Without it, it would take thousands of hours with guys using weed whackers.

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"Factor 540 is a higher concentrated formulation of glyphosate for non selective weed control in most crop systems." The MNR has approved its use for aerial spraying as well. They'll be doing it in the Sudbury Forest this month.

Too bad they can't just use it where the line of sight would be compromised by weeds...