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Old 03-07-2007, 11:56 PM posted to rec.gardens
Stephen Henning Stephen Henning is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 176
Default Some Preen is toxic and can contaminate waterways.

Preen is not always Corn Gluten

I got a 5# container of Preen Vegetable Garden Weed Preventer and it was
100% Corn Gluten Meal. The only precautionary statement was: "Possible
allergic reaction to inhalation of dust in affected individuals" [Exempt
from registration under federal pesticide act.]

Then today, I wanted to get a larger size bag to refill the container.
I bought a bag of Preen which looked identical to the original
container, but when I got home I found I had:

Preen Garden Weed Preventer and it was not Corn Gluten, but was 1.47%
Trifluralin. The extensive precautionary statement included: Do not
let product contact persons or pets. Causes moderate eye irritation.
Avoid contact with eyes, skin or clothing. Keep away from food,
feedstuffs, and domestic water supplies. This prduct is extremely toxic
to fish and aquatic invertibrates. Do not expose dust to canals, lakes,
streams, ponds, marshes, or estuaries.

Wow. What a difference. And the only difference in the name is one
word, Vegetable.

For large quantities, you can get corn gluten meal for about $0.60 to $1
per pound from:

Espoma Corn Gluten Organic Weed Preventer - 25LB ($25)

Woodstream Concern Weed Prevention Plus - 25LB ($16)

SAFE N SIMPLE WEED CONTROL - 50LB ($32)
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