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Post by binnylou on May 3, 2021 13:37:51 GMT -5
It’s a challenge every year...trying to grow herbicide susceptible crops in a farming area. A few years back, I tried Rattlesnale pole beans. They got a sniff of drift, so a lot of them didn’t produce. Last year some of my tomato starts were twisted and gnarly. I’m itchin’ to plant my Fortex beans and am wondering if FRC can protect from drift.
I have a good supply of FRC...if I don’t hurry up and use it, they’ll be selling it at our estate sale.
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Post by breezygardener on May 3, 2021 14:25:03 GMT -5
You could try it, but since floating row cover is both air & water permeable I'm doubtful it would provide much protection.
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Post by desertwoman on May 3, 2021 15:46:46 GMT -5
I'm thinking it would help some, at least. I would think the FRC would collect some of the pesticide particles-perhaps just enough to slow down what would get to your plants and keep them healthy. You've got the covers- I say go for it. Nothing to lose and possibly a gain.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on May 3, 2021 19:48:04 GMT -5
binnylou, can you plant sacrificial plants, i.e., the kinds of crops that are intended to be sprayed in the farmer's field? I'm thinking if there's a row or two as a sort of barrier, the sacrificial ones would absorb more of the spray, and less might be able to drift to your own crops? ....Just a thought...
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Post by raphanus on May 4, 2021 14:52:42 GMT -5
Sorry this is happening to you. I don’t if row covers would help, they might, but seems impractical. Have you contacted your local extension agent / agricultural extension office? If there are farms spraying near you, they are actually legally liable for any damage to your plants from drift. Most farmers have to have pesticide licenses and they are supposed to take precautions to prevent drift, like not spraying when it is windy and avoiding areas where neighbors have susceptible plants or bees for example. Your local extension agent should be able to help you keep your plants safe as well as talk to the nearby farms about being careful near your property. Most states have a regulatory system and pesticide investigators as well and can issue warnings and fines to pesticide applicators who violate regulations or cause damage to neighbors. I hope this situation improves for you soon.
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Post by heirloomfan on May 11, 2021 10:16:20 GMT -5
We had a neighbor who was a big fan of Roundup. He would walk around with a huge pump container and spray. Often did this on windy or breezy days so it went everywhere. He and his wife didn't garden much other than one flowerbed and was one of those guys who couldn't handle seeing one dandelion in his yard. One day I noticed he was walking around and was spraying by the fence on the other side of my garden, next day I did my daily garden check only to find damaged tomatoes. We had a wooden fence between us but just enough little gap between the slats that allowed the spray to get through. I did tell him to be careful with the spraying because I lost some tomatoes, seemed to help him stop it right next to the fence but barriers can help. Floating row covers probably could block out some of the drift but isn't good for plants that need pollination. If he kept on spraying and killing my plants, I was considering tacking something like the weed barrier cloth against the fence to block what I could. Might not have looked too good but at least it may have blocked some of the drift from his careless spraying from killing my best tomatoes!
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