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Garden Column for the Salisbury Post Darrell Blackwelder November 24, 2004
Commercial producers are constantly educated on proper storage as part of their continuing education. Unfortunately, storage is one aspect of pesticide usage that is most often overlooked by home gardeners. Proper storage of pesticides and fertilizers protect the environment and the health of its users. Both commercial and private pesticide applicators are under close scrutiny and inspected regularly by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Growers and commercial applicators receive information on pesticide storage as part of their training to maintain their license. Pesticide storage areas should be well lighted and properly ventilated protecting chemicals from extreme heat and cold. Temperature extremes greatly reduce the efficacy or the viability of the pesticide materials. Never store pesticides where the temperatures fall below freezing or above 100 degrees F. Make sure the storage area is spacious enough to allow for separation of herbicides such as fungicides and insecticides. Grouping of like pesticides may prevent future accidents. Pesticides should always remain in the original container, properly sealed to prevent accidental spillage. Never store excess pesticides in unmarked containers or beverage containers. Also, do not store pesticides near food or water supplies. Damp areas present problems for proper storage. Excessive moisture weakens the effectiveness of pesticides and also causes metal and paper labels to degrade to a point that may be non-legible. Be prepared in case of an accident or spill. Have a plan case of an emergency with phone numbers of the local fire department and poison control center in close proximity of telephone and storage area. Adsorbent material such as cat litter or motor oil absorbent should be near by to absorb accidental spills. Careful planning is one method of reducing pesticide storage problems. Purchase only enough pesticides and fertilizer for one growing season. Consider purchase of the smaller-volume containers of pesticides since small containers prevent storage problems. Maintain a record of your pesticide usage. Growers are required to keep records of certain pesticides in case of emergency. Another benefit of accurate records would be to help gardeners determine control for problems that will occur in the future. More detailed information about pesticide safety can be found at this web site: http://ipm.ncsu.edu/pesticidesafety/
Darrell Blackwelder is an agricultural agent in charge of horticulture with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. For archived garden columns or other information, visit the Rowan County Master Gardener web site at www.rowanmastergardener.com ,e-mail Darrell_Blackwelder@ncsu.edu
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