http://www.preen.com/products/preen-garden-weed-preventer

I have used Preen in my flower beds and vegetable gardens for many years and wouldn't be without it. I sprinkle it on in early spring, when it is just getting warm enough for weed seeds to sprout. I go out later in the spring and remove the few weeds that sprouted before the initial application, sprinkle a bit more on, and then I mulch with straw. I use it again at about this time of the growing season, I do have to remove very few weeds, and I add a little more straw.

Preen and Round Up, wouldn't want to garden without them!

Oh, I forgot, I have 4 small dogs that are in and out of the gardens everyday, doesn't seem to hurt or bother them.

Thanks Nancy. Lots of good information. Round Up is fine in it's place, but better not to have to use it if I can help it. I think I'll give Preen a whirl early next year........ Maryl. P.S. thanks for the info on your pets too.

Glad to hear Preen is working for you, Nancy. I was thinking about using it this spring. I have 5 small dogs that occasionally wander into the beds. I'm glad to know you have used it with success.

Sherry

I find it interesting that when I just searched this product on line , the label does not say what exactly is in it . All kinds of directions but sounds a little scary when they say "Causes moderate eye irritation. Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Avoid contact with eyes, skin or
clothing. Users should remove clothing immediately if pesticide gets inside. Then wash thoroughly and put on clean clothing.
Prolonged or frequently repeated skin contact may cause allergic reaction in some individuals. Wash hands before eating,
drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco or using the toilet."

First aid if on skin says "• Take off contaminated clothing.
• Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes.
• Call a poison control center or doctor for treatment advice." Ack!!!!!!!!

Hazards not otherwise classified (HNOC): None
Unknown acute toxicity <1% of the mixture consists of ingredients of unknown toxicity ( so they are using ingredients without knowing whether they are toxic or not ? really ? )

Environmental Hazards says " Do not contaminate water when disposing of equipment washwaters or rinsate. To
protect the environment, do not allow pesticide to enter or run off into storm drains, drainage ditches, gutters or surface
waters. Applying this product in calm weather will help to ensure that wind does not blow pesticide off the treatment area.
Sweeping any product that lands on a driveway, sidewalk, or street, back onto the treated area of the garden will help to
prevent run off to water bodies or drainage systems."

Given all this , I think I personally would rather have weeds. Can't imagine it would be harmless to pets if it is this harmful to water and humans.

The only issue with Preen is once you apply it to a given area you cannot disturb/dig that area otherwise it will not be effective.

Thanks Signet for taking the time and caring enough to type all that information. Given the litigious nature of Americans many companies feel it necessary to publish a plethora of warnings on their labels in order to protect themselves from lawsuits. I certainly am concerned or I wouldn't have asked people about it here. But I'm not going to do 40 acres just a few small strips of a garden bed so my impact on the environment will be non existent, and my personal exposure will be minimal. I DO worry about my cats getting it on their paws and licking it off however, so in that sense I am going to be very cautious about anything they might have access to.- from carpet cleaner to pesticides........Julia: Appreciate the info. I think I remember reading it's good for up to 4 months. Do you take that to mean I can't plant anything for those 4 months because I will disturb the herbicide?.......Maryl

I feel like I need to repeat that when I use Preen, I water it then put a layer of straw over it for mulch. When my dogs go into the gardens, they are walking on the straw. When I have to move a plant, I just sprinkle a small amount of Preen on the disturbed area and again cover it with straw. I have had great success with it. My gardens are flat, there is no runoff, I always put the clothes I was wearing to garden in the laundry when I'm done for the day and I always shower after working in the garden. I typed into Google 'What is Preen made of' and this is what popped up on top: Preen Vegetable Garden Organic Weed Preventer is made with 100 percent corn gluten, a natural herbicide that works as a pre-emergent — it keeps weed seeds from sprouting. And, Preen Vegetable Garden Organic Weed Preventer is safe to use around children and pets.Mar 10, 2010. Also this: http://www.preen.com/videos/pets-and-preen. Hope this helps.

The active ingredient, although less than 2%, is a chemical called trifluralin...which is the same ingredient that farmers have used (called Treflan) on row crop production. Since it is a grass killer, pay attention to the list of vegetables and flowers that are recommended. I use it to cut down on weeds--that and a heavy mulch!

Nancy/Lemonthyme: Thanks for the update. There must be more varieties of Preen on the market then the Vegetable Garden Organic Weed Preventor because the "Preen" container I glanced at while at Home Depot said specifically not for use on Vegetables or edibles. That's why I got nervous about my cats.........We've tried Straw/Hay as a top dressing in our gardens before but our wind is just too fierce, especially in spring. Still at the preliminary stages of thought on Preen, so will investigate further. You've all been very helpful..........Maryl

Well , to each his own and of course you can use anything you want. Far be it for me to tell anyone what they should do. I can only decide for me and I decided a long time ago to go as organic as I can in a very polluted world.

I just checked the MSDS sheet for trifluralin and it says " Carcinogenicity:
Possible human carcinogen. Classification is based on the
induction of urinary tract tumours and thyroid tumours in rats
in one study. Trifluralin is structurally similar to ethalfluralin,
a carcinogen in rats" The way people are dropping like flies these days from all kinds of cancers I still would rather not take the risk by exposing myself to any kind of chemical . If the main ingredient is Corn Gluten why not just use corn gluten ? I use no chemicals here , no chemical fertilizers , no chemical weed killing agents . I have no interest in even possibly exposing myself , my hubby or my animals to any kind of chemical if I can help it. I myself will continue to just weed manually although I have a friend who uses plain ordinary corn gluten to cut down on weeds and says it does a decent job.

As a bonus , my little potbellied pigs LOVE all the weeds I throw in their pens so they dont even make it to my compost heap.

Signet, again I appreciate your time in posting the warning of a "possible human carcinogen". But all human activity has its "possible" risks including getting behind the wheel of a car......Also you must understand that the growing conditions in the south as opposed to the regions in the northern tier states, west coast and Canada (which is where I believe you are located) are different. We have a long long growing season where the insect, disease and weed pressure are intense and repetitive. If some of us assay the risks and decide to get a helping hand with controlling the jungle that threatens to overwhelm our gardens during our 9-10 month long growing season then so be it.... For over a decade we had the same disagreements on the rose forum and the discussions got so acrimonious on both sides that Gardenweb started an organic forum for those who wish to go pure organic. There should always be a free flow of information and opinions on this forum where people do not feel bullied or shamed for disagreeing or asking questions. I know you will agree with that and are not trying to pressure anyone.....Again, thank you for all your input. I still haven't decided if I will use Preen until I find out just WHICH Preen I will be using and how it works...........Best to you........Maryl

Just a comment on the culture of litigation in our country and the warnings. We have many friends that are missionaries, and what they have seen over the years is that every time they come back our country is more and more paranoid. I can appreciate Signet's opinion and she is probably more safe that the rest of us! While I do want to be safe, for me I also don't want to fall into the category of paranoid. NO, I am not saying everyone is paranoid who is so cautious. Some are just smart--that's what I'd say about Signet.She's done research not just reacted from hear-say.

Here's an example of a paranoid from about 10 or so years ago. A government agency [FDA? USDA?] decided that children's baby teeth were full of germs and a health hazard, and issued regulations to dentists to not give the kids back their teeth for the tooth fairy. Fortunately, the dentists said "no way" and continued to give back the teeth.

The key is balance! Be safe, be aware, but not paranoid. I usually try to find someone in the industry that knows first hand about whatever it is I am wondering about. MSDS sheets will give you the worse case scenario, just as the warnings on medicines and other things do so they won't be sued.

Maryl , you know , it is good that we are all different . Think how boring it would be if we were all alike , thought alike , lived alike . Differences is what makes the world go around . Let us know what you find out Maryl , I for one will be interested to hear what you discover.

I probably should explain my position on chemicals. I wasn't ever so adamant about using chemicals until about 6 or 7 years ago.

I moved from the Laurentians ( little farmland there ) to Southern Ontario 30 years ago and live surrounded by farm land and became aware of the masses of chemicals used to grow the soybeans and corn crops that proliferate in the fields around here. Shortly after we moved to where we are, I was pregnant for my oldest son. I began to be concerned about the chemicals used on the fields surrounding our property . Chemicals that when questioned the farmer either couldn't be bothered to know and explain when I asked or didn't know whether they would leach into the ground water. I stopped drinking the water and bought bottled water . All these years later It hasn't changed or improved . They still try to spray when the winds are too high if they think they can get away with it ( I have pictures of the leaves of the trees on our property growing out fused together and some so severely distorted you would never know they were maple tree leaves ) .This sparked my concern and I started to research chemicals and their effects. I inquired about the regulations regarding spraying the fields etc. Around the same time I also discovered a book called " Our Stolen Future" by Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanosk, and John Peterson Myers. That was a heck of an eye opener . http://www.westonaprice.org/book-reviews/our-stolen-future-by-theo-colborn/

A few years ago I started noticing problems with my beehives . Now we know that neonicotinoids are killing the bees ( the chemicals used to coat the corn seed and soybean seeds). We now see bees sporadically early in the spring and then not again after the corn and soybeans are planted. I can no longer keep bees as it is a losing proposition. the hives don't last more than one season before the bees start to die and at $150 to$200 dollars a nuc it is a way too costly for something that has turned into a temporary hobby. Plus heaven only knows what kind of chemicals they are picking up when they forage and then deposit in the honey ..... bees can travel 5 miles to collect nectar and pollen .

So that is where my concerns started and continue to this day and why I avoid chemicals on our land at all costs. Am I paranoid ? I don't think so , I am very cautious though and I do the best I can as I can't control what travels through the air or into the water but I don't add to it.

I don't expect anyone to do anything that they don't feel comfortable doing and I am not a militant about it. I am a realist .I can control only my own situation ,so unless I move to some remote part of the planet ,and if you read " Our Stolen Future" you will discover why even this wouldn't work, then I have to live with what goes on around me and try to keep my little corner of the world as free of chemicals as I can .

Oh I forgot to mention another situation . One of my boys used to go down to the farmer's drainage ditch to catch frogs until the day he came home with a frog with 6 legs . Do i think chemical run off from the farmer's fields was responsible for this ? Yes I do. The fields are all systematically tiled and the runoff is directed to the drainage ditches . Guess where the chemicals from the fields are ending up ! I had to stop my son from going there .... not exactly like the frog ponds I used to visit as a child.

Just did some more reading about organic Preen. According to the label trifluralin is not the active ingredient, it's not on the label. The active ingredient is corn gluten like Nancy stated above. Please tell me why corn gluten is bad. Just want to have a better understanding.

Sherry

Sherry , I guess it depends on where you read the info . On this site , http://homeguides.sfgate.com/ingredients-preen-85568.html it states that Trifluralin IS the active ingredient . Oh, and upon more research , Trifluralin has been listed as an endocrine disrupter. Just an FYI

Sherry, Preen ORGANIC is only corn gluten, no matter where you read. Preen weed preventer (not organic) has Trifluralin in it. The Preen SOUTHERN weed preventer has Dithiopyr in it, that is the bad one, the one that is harmful to animals and children. Hope this helps.

Did a comparison at Preen's web site. Preen with Trif. lasts 8-12 weeks; S. Preen with Dith. lasts up to 4 months; Organic only 4-6 weeks. Preen organic has a much shorter list of weeds controlled as well. Before buying organic, be sure it kills the weeds you have. There is a list for each product. http://www.preen.com/