Why I Don’t Use Weedkiller – A Love Letter to the So-Called Weeds

I’ve been seeing more posts lately about people spraying weedkiller, and honestly, it breaks my heart. Not just because it’s toxic (though it is), but because so many of the plants we’re told are “bad” or “unwanted” are actually full of value, beauty, and medicine. Many common weedkillers, like Roundup, contain a chemical called glyphosate. It's designed to kill plants by disrupting their growth processes. While effective at killing everything it comes into contact with, it doesn't just kill the weed, it can harm a wide range of living organisms too.

To me, weeds are wild kin. They grow where the earth needs healing. They show up with purpose—often the first to arrive in disturbed soil, helping to restore balance. Many of them are edible, medicinal, and deeply useful to us, if only we’d take the time to learn from them instead of trying to wipe them out.

The Hidden Cost of a “Tidy” Garden

Weedkiller doesn’t just stay where it’s sprayed. It leaches into the soil, the air, the waterways. It harms bees and butterflies, birds, pets, and the tiny unseen creatures in the soil that are the true foundation of life. It depletes the earth’s ability to regenerate. And it doesn’t stop there—it affects us, too.

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in many common weedkillers, has been found in water supplies, rain, and even human urine. It is carcinogenic to humans and dogs.

What Happens to the Soil?

Soil is not just dirt. It’s alive. It’s a delicate web of fungi, bacteria, insects, and roots, all working together to support life. Glyphosate disrupts this web. It harms beneficial microbes, which weakens plants, reduces biodiversity, and slowly drains the fertility from the land.

The Wild Ones We Call Weeds

Plants like dandelion, plantain, nettle, cleavers, and chickweed aren’t invaders—they’re helpers. They are food, medicine, and teachers. They arrive in abundance when we need them most. Nettles, full of minerals, nourish tired bodies in spring. Dandelions help with digestion and liver support. Cleavers gently move lymph. Every “weed” has a story.

To pour poison on them feels like an act of violence against something that is trying to help. Against life itself.

It’s Not Just Plants Who Suffer

These chemicals don’t just kill plants. They harm amphibians like frogs and toads, insects like bees and moths, birds, mammals, and even aquatic life when the toxins run off into streams and rivers. The US Geological Survey has documented how widespread glyphosate now is in the environment, and its long-term impact is still being uncovered.

There Are Gentler Ways

I’m not saying never remove a plant—sometimes we need to. But there are better ways to do it than reaching for something harmful. Pull by hand, lay down mulch, pour boiling water in the cracks. It might take more effort, but it’s an act of care.

And if you can, try sitting with these plants before you pull them up. Learn their names. Ask why they’ve come. You might be surprised what they tell you.

Living in Harmony with the Land

We don’t need to wage war on weeds. We need to listen, learn, and find balance. To garden in a way that supports all life, not just the parts we find useful or pretty.

So this is my gentle plea—from one earth lover to another. Please think twice before spraying. We have enough poison in the world. Let’s not add more.