Ran across this story today from ABC News it is all about pigweed and their new resistance to herbicides.  Pigweed is a fairly common weed across most US, particularly southern, farmland.  The only problem is it has now developed resistance to the herbicide traditionally used to kill it.

To hit the high points, resistance-all resistance, happens when an organism comes into contact with something that does not kill it completely.  That is why your doctor always tells you to take all ten days of your anti-biotic, for example.  In this case, let’s say you have 100 weeds in the field,  they all get sprayed either completely or partially.  Let’s assume that the farmer got a good kill and 98 of the 100 plants died.  The two that survived – either due to incomplete spraying or genetic mutation – now are able to cross polinate and reproduce seed.  That seed now carries the trait for resistance.  As more of these plants grow and survive year to year, the numbr increases until all you have left are the survivors; those with the naturally selected genetic trait for resistance.

So, why am I talking about a farm problem on a L&G blog.  For this reason; you are prone to the same potential problems.  Resistance can develop to insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides in your lawn and garden and in a relatively short amount of time you will have bug, weed, and disease problems that you can no longer control.

So, what can YOU do?  Well, here are a few easy steps to decrease the liklihood of raising your own super-pests in your garden and lawn:

1.  Follow directions completely.  Don’t assume that you can or should cut back on the rate to save a few $$.  If the plant is exposed but not killed, you have laid the groundwork for resistance.  Don’t put more chemical in the tank than is called for, the overspray can linger in the environment and again, give a little exposure in a diluted state and foster resitance.

2.  Change up your strategy.  Whne possible use different chemistries to combat the same problem seasonally (or even within a season when you can).  This will keep the pests guessing and keep them from building defenses to any one particular chemical. Additionally, use the mildest herbicide possible for adequaqte control.  For example, don’t use a total-kill prodcut when a little 2, 4D will do the job.  that will leave the big boys for particularly troublesome pests.

3. Let some weeds survive in areas where their removal is not critical or manually remove them.  This will keep the susceptibility gene alive and well in the genepool.  The resistance gene will start off as a mutation, and be selected against in the breeding process in the early stages.  By leaving these surviors you will keep the population as a whole susceptible.

4. Make sure that the weather is suitable.  Wind can cause drift – blowing the herbicide where you do not want it to be.  This can kill or injure plants that you did not intend but also can give low doses to others who then become survivors.  Rain and temperatures can affect how efficiently different chemicals work.  If the weather isn’t right (consult your garden center or the chemical label) you will not get complete results again, giving rise to survivors.

Chemicals can have benefits for use in lawn and garden settings.  However the misuse of these products can have long-lasting results for you, your gardening dreams, and for the over all environment.  Responsible use should be of utmost importance for those who seek to use chemical alternatives in their gardening practices.

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