Talk:Triclopyr

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ortho manufactures two virtually identicle triclopyr products that are marketed for different applications. One product is named 'Weed B Gon for Chickweed, Clover & Oxalis'. It has a purple label, and is not to be confusd with regular 'Weed B Gon for Broadleaf Weeds in Lawns', which contains totally different herbicidal ingredients. Ortho's other triclopyr product is named 'Brush B Gon' and is marketed for use against woody plants. Both products use the amine salt form of triclopyr. The half-life of triclopyr *amine* in soil is from 30 to 90 days, depending on soil type and environmental conditions, with an average of about 46 days. Longer half-lives occur in cold or arid conditions. Triclopyr should not be a leaching problem under normal conditions since it binds to clay and organic matter in soil. Triclopyr may leach from light soils if rainfall is very heavy. Sunlight rapidly breaks down triclopyr in water. Its half-life in water is less than 24 hours.

There are serious concerns regarding the use of clopyralid type herbicides as they have been found to contaminate well water and compost because of their much longer term peristence (slower breakdown) than other herbicides such as 2,4-D. There are documented cases of clopyralid contamination of wells in Spokane County (Washington state, USA). There are also reports of such contamination found in the states of Virginia and Texas. However, it may be that those cases involve the ester, not the amine form of clopyralid.