Ontario pesticide ban to mean lawncare changes

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Ontario pesticide ban to mean lawncare changes

Updated: Mon Apr. 13 2009

ctvtoronto.ca

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Ontario homeowners used to letting pesticides do their heavy lifting for

lawn care will see the rules change in just over a week.

 

On Earth Day, which falls on April 22, the province-wide ban kicks in.

 

Torontonians have a head start. The city implemented its own pesticide

ban, which started on April 1, 2007. However, the province says its law

supercedes municipal bylaws to **create one clear, transparent and

understandable

set of rules across the province.**

 

However, newcomers to the world of pesticide-free lawn care face a

learning curve.

 

**There really is no effective or cost-effective organic weed control

alternative,** Dan Passmore of Frechette Lawncare told CTV Toronto.

 

**We do have people that come in and they*re a little worried about the

pesticides going away,** said George Filopoulos of the Rona home improvement

store chain. **The only way you're going to be able to get totally weed-free

on your lawn is to promote a healthy lawn.**

 

Here are some tips:

 

-- Have your lawn aerated both now and in the fall

-- Sprinkle lawn seed both now and in the fall

-- Use your grass clippings as fertilizer

-- Water deeply and infrequently (2.5 centimetres of water once per week)

-- Pluck weeds by hand

 

 

**Another tip that you can use is when you're mowing your lawn, the longer

you leave your lawn, the better,** Filopoulos said.

 

The province also recommends that people selected grass varieties that

match well with local soil and growing conditions.

 

**There are some new varieties of grass seeds out there that are better

suited for our Ontario summers. Choose hardy grasses that don*t require a lot

of care and are specific for your property, either shady or sunny

locations,** it said.

 

Pesticide Free Ontario suggests homeowns should get used to a few

dandelions or insects, noting that some are important to the environment.

 

 

The group also suggests that homeowners consider alternatives to grass,

including:

 

-- trees

-- shrubs

-- perennials

-- ground covers and

-- wild flowers (native species work best)

 

 

Exceptions to the ban

 

Here are some of the exceptions allowed by the province:

 

-- public health and safety (including the protection of public works

structures)

-- golf courses

-- specialty turf

-- specified sports fields

-- arboriculture

-- to protect natural resources (if certain conditions are met)

-- for agriculture, forestry, research and scientific purposes

-- controlling wasps or mosquitoes that can transmit West Nile Virus

-- killing plants that are poisonous to the touch, such as poison ivy and

giant hogweed.

-- to protect the health of pets (e.g. to control fleas)

-- to control indoor pests or pests that can cause structural damage to

the home.

 

The province will allow for the use of **biopesticides,** which means

microorganisms that can control pests and low-risk pesticides.

 

**If you hire a professional to look after your lawn, that person is

required to post a green notice sign to notify your neighbours that

biopesticides or lower risk pesticides are in use,** the province said.

 

 

You might have some leftover pesticides on your property. The province

encourages you to go to the Do What You Can website to learn how you can

safely dispose of those chemicals.

 

 

Questions about the ban can be directed to the ministry's Public

Information Centre at 1-800-565-4923 or 416-325-4000.

 

With a report from CTV Toronto's Reshmi Nair