Getting to the root of the problem

The trouble with Devil Weed



Arundo donax is also known as “devil weed” because it causes so many problems, spreads easily and is difficult to kill. It looks like bamboo, growing up to 30-feet high, mainly along the shores of local river banks.

It can grow thick enough to change the course of streams and crowd out native vegetation. Arundo does not provide habitat for local species of animals, it raises water temperature by eliminating plants that provide more shade and sucks up more than five times the water consumed by the typical streamside plants it replaces.

When Arundo dries out, it also presents a fire danger. It is not truly eliminated from a site unless the plant’s roots are removed or killed with herbicide. Unfortunately, digging out roots in waterways can cause erosion and the remaining pieces can spread downstream so it is often not permitted.

Keep your eye on the environment by discouraging anyone from cultivating Arundo in a garden. If any is growing on your property, address both the stems and roots, and do not place it in your yard waste recycling cart.

Alternatives to toxics

Some household hazardous waste can also be replaced with safe substitutes, preventing waste before it can be created. Also, when people avoid toxic products, they reduce risks and costs associated with handling, storage, use and improper disposal.

There’s an entire webpage— heloise.com/hints_ vinegar—devoted just to the ways in which vinegar and baking soda can be used as simple, safe substitutes for many household cleaning products.

Of course, it includes the wellknown baking soda-plus-vinegar solution for unclogging drains, but also a few more obscure tips.

For example, it details the time and brew cycles required for using vinegar to clean stains off a coffee maker—a mix of 2 cups of vinegar to 1 gallon of water and using crumbled newspaper to clean windows and mirrors; and it recommends 4 tablespoons baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of water, along with a damp sponge, for scrubbing fiberglass or porcelain sinks, tubs, or showers.

Less conventional advice sometimes seems more like home remedies, but occasionally a reliable source, such as the City of Madison, Wis., includes safe substitutes on their website.

For example, the site suggests this alternative for ant poison: “Sprinkle chili powder, talcum powder or powdered chalk” where ants might enter your home. For cockroach poison, it suggests using “a mixture of baking soda and powdered sugar or a light dusting of Borax . . . around refrigerator, stove and ducts.”

Acknowledging the efficacy of such solutions may not be sufficient; they also advise using cockroach traps, a solution for keeping toxic products contained in a small area and that are easy to handle.

Sometimes mechanical solutions avoid hazardous products. For example, according to www.cityofmadison.com/streets/hazardous/ alternatives, an electric sander can substitute for furniture finish-stripping chemicals. Soapy water can control infestations of aphids on indoor plants. A pan of white vinegar can kill snails and slugs. Toothpaste and a soft wet cloth can clean silver.

Turf Replacement

Kay Allen, an environmental compliance program coordinator with the City of Simi Valley, bought a house prior to our current drought, and that house had a front yard with beautiful, lush green grass. As we entered into the drought, she watered less and less until, by the summer of 2014, her once lush grass was all but dead.

Using a rebate from the water agency serving her area, she obtained funds that helped her replace grass with a simulated dry creek bed, including small rolling hills, rocks of various sizes and native plants. A bed of pebbles deters weeds.

One important tip she shares for this type of landscape construction is to keep dirt mounds covered with a tarp to keep the wind and any possible rain storms from moving the dirt off the property.

Several local water agencies, both private and public, offer the rebates in the area.

For more information, go to SoCalWaterSmart Rebates at www.bewaterwise.com or visit www.socalwatersmart.com/qualifyingproducts/ turfremoval.

Keep your eye on the environment by addressing environmental problems at their roots.

David Goldstein works for the Ventura County Public Works Agency, IWMD.



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