Posted By lee boylan
Hello All,

I am trying to source a less harmful chemical that we use on site to kill weeds.

At the moment we are using a product called Dextrone X which contains Paraquat.

Does anyone know of a less harmful product that will have the same effect.

Cheers

Lee

Posted By Chris Huckle
Hi Lee

Have you considered Glyphosate, commonly known as ROUNDUP, whilst no herbicide can be considered totally safe, Glyphosate is considerably safer than Paraquat. It does not have the immediate visible effect that Paraquat has, it takes a few weeks for the herbage to die back rather than the day or two that Paraquat takes. Glyphosate is also inactivated when it comes into contact with the soil as it is adsorbed into the soil particles

Glyphosate is a broad spectrum, non-selective systemic herbicide. It is effective in killing all plant types including grasses, perennials and woody plants. As a herbicide Glyphosate works by being absorbed into the plant mainly though its leaves but also through soft stalk tissue. It is then transported throughout the plant where it acts on various enzyme systems inhibiting amino acid metabolism in what is known as the shikimic acid pathway. This pathway exists in higher plants and microorganisms but not in animals. Plants treated with glyphosate slowly die over a period of days or weeks, and because the chemical is transported throughout the plant, no part survives.

Cheers

Chris