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Alternatives to Glyphosate: A Complete Guide
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in most herbicides, in products such as Roundup, one of the most widely used glyphosate-based weed killers. These toxic products are commonly deployed across agriculture, public spaces and private land to kill weeds and other unwanted vegetation.
Along with other ingredients, glyphosate-based herbicides prevent weeds from synthesising proteins, subsequently causing them to die. As a non-selective chemical, glyphosate will kill most plants.
However, growing health, ethical, environmental and legislative concerns are driving demand for glyphosate-free, safe weed control methods among local authorities and organisations around the globe.
In this guide, we delve into the reasons behind this wide scale shift and compare some of the glyphosate alternative weed control methods on the market today.
Why seek glyphosate alternatives?
Concerns surrounding the use of glyphosate have been circulating for a number of years, as it continues to be deployed in spaces regularly used by families and pets, while damaging local wildlife and vital ecosystems.
Growing education and awareness around glyphosate’s carcinogenic properties, alongside other serious risks it poses, is causing a significant shift in public opinion. PAN UK found 65% of the UK public believe shared spaces such as parks, pavements and playgrounds should be free of pesticides.
In the face of mounting pressure, councils, contractors and land managers are looking for safe and environmentally friendly glyphosate free weed killers. In fact, 45% of local authorities are working to actively reduce or eliminate pesticides.
The Dangers of Glyphosate
Glyphosate was categorised by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a ‘probable human carcinogen’ back in 2015. Since then, further scientific research has substantiated this claim.
One such piece of research is the Global Glyphosate Study by the Ramazzini Institute, which highlights concerning links between the supposed ‘safe’ level of exposure to glyphosate for humans and increased incidences of leukemia, skin and liver tumours, and cancers in the thyroid, bone, mammary gland and nervous system.
According to PAN UK, while it’s estimated that pesticide use in urban areas only constitutes approximately 10% of the UK’s total usage, it’s the second most common route through which people are exposed to pesticides, after diet. The prevalence of glyphosate in human urine continues to raise concerns around ingestion levels among global health professionals.
What’s more, human health isn’t the only area being compromised. The chemical is also proven to have devastating impacts on animals and the environment.
Glyphosate based products that are applied to rural or urban areas and are subsequently washed by the rain into groundwater, streams, rivers and coastal waters. Herbicide spray can be blown in high winds from treated areas onto field margins and wildlife habitats. Animals who come in direct contact with vegetation treated with glyphosate products can also have a wide range of adverse effects.
Alternative glyphosate free weed killers
Manual Weeding
The extraction of weeds by hand, or using garden tools, is time consuming, costly, and labour intensive. This can be an effective longer term weed control treatment if the entire root is removed from the ground, but this can be difficult to achieve with larger and older roots. For these reasons, manual weeding is not a scalable solution for larger spaces.
Burning
Also known as flame weeding, this type of weed control is weather dependent and restricting as to when and where it can be used. The main concern surrounding the use of flame weeding is health and safety: due to the naked flame, there is a risk of fire. Plants with oily and waxy surfaces can be prone to catching fire and then spreading causing damage to the surrounding areas. In the worst case scenario, it can cause harm to the user or animals in the area.
Hot Water
Hot water is a natural weed killer and damages a plant’s cellular structure. The downfall of this method of weed control is that when the hot water is applied to the plant, the atmosphere impacts the temperature of the hot water, causing rapid heat loss. The loss of heat means that the plant isn’t kept in the kill zone for an extended period of time. As a result regrowth occurs sooner, contributing to a higher treatment rate over the course of the season.
Strimming
Another form of weed treatment is strimming, otherwise known as weed whacking. While it’s a pet safe weed killer for gardens and other outdoor environments, it’s ineffective as a long term solution as it disturbs the seedbed and spreads seeds and spores, increasing overall weed coverage and causing rapid growth over a wider area. This then requires a higher number of treatments per year, ending up more costly.
Foamstream
Foamstream is an eco friendly weed killer, using the combination of patented foam and hot water to cover and insulate the weed and maintain ‘kill zone temperatures’ for the required length of time to kill or sufficiently damage the weed. The organic weed killer solution is made using plant oils and sugars, so it’s completely biodegradable and poses no danger to humans, animals or the environment.
Why Foamstream?
Our non-toxic weed killer is the world’s leading commercial herbicide-free weed control solution. Foamstream’s benefits over other alternative weed control methods include:
- Lowest number of treatment cycles – Foamstream requires fewer treatment cycles than any other alternative solution on the market. It has been proven to be as effective as traditional herbicides without the environment and health risks.
- Suitable for use in all weathers – Due to Foamstream’s foam blanket, it can be used effectively in all weather, reducing costly labour downtime.
- Sterilises seeds and spores – The Foamstream blanket covers any surrounding seeds and spores, sterilising them and reducing future regrowth.
- Can be used in dry areas – Unlike electricity, there is no danger of fire risk when using Foamstream on dry weeds or unwanted vegetation.
- Controls moss and algae – With one treatment per year, Foamstream controls unwanted moss and algae and is more effective at treating it than glyphosate.
- Easily see where you have treated – With the visible foam blanket, operators can clearly see where they have treated ensuring they don’t waste time and money treating the same place twice.
- Lowest cost of ownership – With the fewest treatment cycles, all weather use and machine multi-functionality, Foamstream offers customers the lowest cost of ownership over any alternative solution.
Foamstream vs Alternatives
Foamstream requires fewer treatment cycles per year compared to alternative methods.
Foamstream vs Hot Water
The efficacy of hot water vs foam weed control has long been a source of debate in the industry. Alongside our own meticulous research and testing, Foamstream has also been subject to independently controlled studies.
While hot water is undoubtedly an effective weed control solution in comparison to many glyphosate alternatives, the addition of foam is shown to increase efficacy and efficiency, while reducing cost.
A study comparing the two methods by the University of Pisa summarised: “The foam insulates the weeds from the surrounding air and increases the energy transfer to the plants, thus lowering the dose of hot water required and increasing efficiency.
“Compared to hot water alone, the addition of foam has the advantages of less water being required, less susceptibility to weather changes, a high application accuracy and speed, more heat transfer and a lower cost.”
Hot water must stay above 57°C – the kill zone – to damage the plant structure and allow effective and efficient thermal heat transfer from the leaf to the root.
Compared to hot water, Foamstream holds higher temperatures at weed contact and maintains them for longer.
Additionally, Foamstream is the only system on the market with an electronically-automated dual phase burner, which guarantees stable temperature and pressure, unlike hot water systems that fluctuate in and out of the kill-zone.
Foamstream is also proven to require fewer treatment cycles than hot water, as it also sterilises seeds and spores and kills or sufficiently damages the root.
For more information on how Foamstream compares to hot water, find our factsheet here.
Case Studies
Useful Resources
To learn more about how Foamstream stacks up against other methods of weed control, take a look at our handy factsheets.
Take the first step towards being herbicide-free
The environmental, ethical, safety and business cases for herbicide-free methods of weed control have never been stronger. Ready to make the switch to chemical free weed killer? Talk to our team to learn more, or book a demo to see the leading glyphosate alternative in action on your site.