how to remove or neutralize glyphosate from contaminated soil?

I got this question from an attendee at the GAPS OnCon Summit (Lisa Orig). And since I have always avoided any land where glysphosates were sprayed, I don't know.

How do you even measure glysphosates in soil?

I'm guessing the fungi folks have some solutions. Letting the land lay fallow for a few years i probably the easiest. Isn't that why it takes at least 3 years for a conventional farm to get "organic" designation?

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Ha, ha, I think I'll ask ChatGPT and see what it says... yikes!

Comments

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wonder if you could bet in contact with Stephanie Seneff. I've seen her on many videos talking about glyphosate. She's an expert on it so she might know.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin
    edited February 2023

    @Marjory Wildcraft My husband, who is quite into farming and much prefers the traditional/organic/regenerative ways of farming, says you add phosphorus and start rebuilding the soil.

    He has worked for both a seed grower (who sprayed very little to keep germination up, & he hated Monsanto, but eventually felt he had to grow GMO in order to keep being a seed grower), and an organic farmer.

    He keeps up with both types, no matter who he is working for, to keep in the know about what is going on in both worlds.

  • MissPatricia
    MissPatricia Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    I thought that I read that pill bugs clear soil of heavy metals; wonder if that would help with glysphosate.

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin

    wow, pill bugs removing heavy metals? wow hadn't heard of that before.

  • Marjory Wildcraft
    Marjory Wildcraft Posts: 1,615 admin

    I'm reaching out to Stephanie Seneff now. I found this contact info on her... Looks like Pearlmutter interviewed her.

    Dr. Stephanie Seneff

    Senior Research Scientist

    Primary DLC

    Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory


    MIT Room: 32-G438

    (617) 253-0451

    seneff@csail.mit.edu

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    That's true about the pill bugs. I am not sure about glyphosate though. It is not a heavy metal.

    I would think that plants that suck up chemicals might be better, such as horsetail, cattail and others that do this. Of course, then they need to be discarded somewhere. The two I mentioned are hard to eradicate once they are established. I don't know how long it would take either.

    @Marjory Wildcraft Transitioners to organic usually keep planting their fields in those 3 years. They still need income. They just see a change in type & amount of work required and a change in income, which, I think, is a drop until they can be certified. But, don't quote me on that.

    Some put their fields into mixed hay. This can bring good income and when managed well, can bring in income for at least 5 years with an investment only having to be in year one.

    Doing summerfallow in year one, then planting down to hay is better. That will take out many problem weeds that were allowed to grow in the years it was sprayed. Not all spray gets rid of all weeds. It's the smart way to do things in my opinion.

  • Cornelius
    Cornelius Posts: 872 ✭✭✭✭

    From https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Glyphosate#section=Solubility

    Soluble: 5-10 mg/mL

    Its a corrosive and known environmental hazard (possible endocrine disruptor) (and yet we spray it on our food🤔🙄)

    Burning it releases toxic nitrogen and phosphorus oxides.

    From: https://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/plants/factsheets/GlyphosateFactsheet.pdf

    Half-life of 3 days to 19 weeks (so it is reduced in half every time this occurs (100, 50, 25, 12.5, etc.), however this is dependent on water levels). Based on its solubility it is able to readily go into water and disperse from its original application.

    @Marjory Wildcraft ChatGPT did get bored and teach itself research level chemistry apparently so it might know (it also taught itself everything it could read off the internet most likely including all of our comments on here 🙃)