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Down With Weeds

Publication: Ag Innovation News
Date: Jan-Mar. 2003
Author: Dan Lemke

Bloomington, Minn. — AllDown Green Chemistry Herbicide, an all-natural weed control product developed by Summerset Products, is ahead of its class.

AllDown is the first and only herbicide to be listed on the approved products list by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). That approval, obtained in May 2002, makes AllDown a viable option for organic growers, for whom weed control is a constant battle.

“The OMRI listing was very important to us,” says Summerset Vice President Bruce Marrs. “Without it, we would have had to get approval from a number of smaller organizations for it to be available to organic farmers. Once OMRI gives it their blessing, the others accept it, too.”

AllDown is a nonselective weed and grass herbicide made from natural ingredients including acetic and citric acids, garlic and yucca extracts.

“It’s a broad use herbicide — it works on broadleaf weeds, thistles, dandelions, velvetleaf and more,” Marrs says. “It also works on a number of grasses like quack. It kills most of the weeds, others it browns and retards their growth for a period of time and allows a crop canopy to cover them.”

Suck ’em dry

AllDown has quick knockdown and is effective on killing whatever plant it contacts.

AllDown works as a desiccant, meaning plant leaves are burned by dehydration. Research from Iowa State University shows AllDown has quick knockdown and is effective on killing whatever plant it contacts.

The formula for AllDown took more than seven years to develop, as company founder and president Paul Marrs worked with a plant scientist to reach the right mixture. The first products “ate holes through the leaves but didn’t kill the plant.” Encouraged by early results, Marrs continued to do research. He finally came up with a winning combination.

Unlike its well-known synthetic counterpart, Roundup, it takes more than a few drops for AllDown to successfully kill weeds. Paul Marrs says it takes a fairly heavy coating with a spot sprayer for the herbicide to work. It is also more effective on smaller plants.

Currently, AllDown is being marketed predominantly to the Midwest farm industry. However, Summerset Products is designing a consumer retail package for the lawn and garden market. Summerset also markets organic-based, phosphate-free fertilizers, developed with AURI’s assistance.

While organic farmers and gardeners are the market target, other opportunities are emerging for AllDown. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is using AllDown in Washington and Oregon to help control noxious and invasive weed species in national parks and protected prairies.

“The government is also restricted in what they can do in certain areas,” Paul Marrs says. “They can’t just go in and knock a whole area down because it may contain protected or rare plants.”

Marrs says AllDown’s coverage requirement is about five gallons per acre, more than many traditional chemicals. But for organic farmers, government applicators or environmentally conscious homeowners, AllDown is a natural alternative with a future.

“We have a lot of hope for this product,” says Paul Marrs.