Question
Dear Ms. Crowley,
I love eating vegetables but have been disturbed by the thought that many of the pesticides are absorbed by the plants via the roots. All this while i thought that washing the veges was sufficient. If the pesticides are absorbed by the plants via the roots, can we say that the the amount is negligible such that the benefit of eating them outweighs the risks. Kindly enlighten me. Thanking you in anticipation. God Bless.

Answer
Hi Roy, this is what I found out for you..I use Atomic Grow as it is organic and has been used in veggie fields.  So I wrote to the head of Atomic Grow and here is his reply to you.  The root systems purpose is for uptake of NPK, secondaries and water, if there are poisons in the soil there is a good chance that traces of those poisons will eventually end up in the fruiit itself.   There is much controversy about your topic.  Whether products like Temek and other soil sterilants translocate through the root system and into the vegetables and fruit.  Fact is yes they do, however the amount of residual in the fruit and vegetable   and its harmfull effects on the human body is questionable and can only be determined by a lab test.  The FDA probably knows but they might not disclose the information to the public.

Hope that helps  kathy