Roundup (glyphosate) is the world's most widely used herbicide — and it has no place in a home garden, particularly one where you grow food or where children and pets play.
Why you should never use it
- Glyphosate has been classified as a probable human carcinogen and is the subject of major health litigation.
- It destroys beneficial soil life — the fungi and bacteria your plants depend on.
- It harms pollinators and the wider garden ecosystem.
- It persists in soil and is taken up by plants, including the edible weeds you might harvest later.
- It drifts on the wind and contaminates neighbouring gardens and waterways.
Especially dangerous for dandelions
Dandelions have deep taproots that pull chemicals up from the soil and concentrate them in their leaves. If you or your neighbours spray, do not eat the greens. Learn the safe, traditional way to eat dandelions →
Better alternatives
- Hand-pull or dig weeds after rain when the soil is soft — get the whole root.
- Mulch heavily to smother weeds and hold moisture.
- Boiling water or horticultural vinegar for cracks and paths.
- Reframe it: many “weeds” (like dandelions) are edible and nutritious — harvest them instead of poisoning them.