Episode Details

America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, discusses garden chemical safety, including: when organic controls can be hazardous; the dangers of homemade pesticides; how to check for organic ingredients in a pesticide product; and, ways to determine if your organic garden “inputs” (water, mulches, manures) are safe to use.

Despite your best organic efforts, this CDC study says there’s a high chance that glyphosate is probably in your urine:

Here’s the background on one statement in that podcast: that there might be glyphosate in your urine:

“…more than 80 percent of urine samples drawn from children and adults participating in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer and other health problems. The June 30 report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples collected, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate, the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand.”

Sources For Water Testing:

National Testing Laboratories: https://watercheck.com

Water Testing Accredited Laboratories in California: https://www.calwater.com/waterquality/water-quality-testing-labs/

Source for Organic rice straw: Brokenbox Ranch, Williams, CA

From Clemson University: “Less Toxic Insecticides”:

Factsheet | HGIC 2770 | Updated: Aug 27, 2021 |

While a good pest management plan will start with preventative, cultural, and other non-chemical methods, these are sometimes not completely effective on their own. In this case, a pesticide may be considered. If pesticide use is deemed necessary for control of the pest problem, it is good practice to use the least toxic pesticide that will do the job effectively. Although all pesticides are by their nature toxic in some way to some organisms, there are now a number of “less toxic” pesticide options.

Insecticides may be considered less toxic for several reasons. Generally, they should pose less risk to human and environmental health than conventional insecticides. Many break down rapidly and do not accumulate in the body or environment. Some are very pest specific and do little or no damage to other organisms. Still, others, such as bait stations, minimize human exposure to the pesticide.

While “organic” insecticides are often less damaging to the environment than conventional insecticides, they are still pesticides. All pesticides should be evaluated before selection for level of toxicity, effectiveness, environmental impacts, and costs. Some “organic” or natural pesticides are as toxic, or even more toxic, than some synthetic pesticides. All pesticide products have a toxicity signal word on the label, which will be “caution”, “warning”, or “danger”. Choose the products with “caution” on the label, as they are least apt to harm the user and the environment.

Soaps & Oils

Insecticidal soaps and oils have a number of advantages for controlling insects. They are virtually non-toxic to humans and other mammals and are relatively safe to