May 2010

SAY GOODBYE TO WEEDS ONCE AGAIN

“..…new bio-herbicide, Fiesta™ is officially announced and ready for use this spring!”

As you know, the Liberal governments’ ban on the use of safe and effective chemical pesticides took place at the beginning of last season. The ban has forced everyone to utilize proper cultural practices and some newer organic products to keep weeds to a minimum.

Last year, there was a need to reduce our weed control expectations, as there was no reasonable replacement for the chemical products previously used. But will all change in the very near future!

The use of corn gluten was somewhat effective in controlling crabgrass and some annual weeds, but our wet and cool summer, combined with the less than optimum results from corn gluten on some types of weeds, meant weed populations were higher than some customers were accustom too. Nevertheless, we believed the use of corn gluten, given the pesticide restrictions, was the best alternative for weed control. While corn gluten does not kill any existing weeds, research has shown that, with continued use, weed populations are kept lower than without the use of the product.

Some companies are utilizing a new product called “Sarritor™”. Marketed under different trade names by some of the larger franchise operations, Sarritor is a granular product that is dropped onto each individual weed and creates a fungus on the plant. It must be kept moist for several days to allow the fungus to develop to the point that it will kill the leaves of the weed. In some cases, the entire weed does not die and grows back within weeks. Sarritor is registered as a bio-pesticide under the new pesticide regulations but it is extremely expensive, impossible to apply to small weeds, difficult for applicators, and difficult for homeowners (as the product must be kept moist for days to be effective), and can only be spot dropped on individual weeds. Thus, Sarritor is far from being the organic replacement for traditional herbicides.

Now, a new bio-herbicide, Fiesta, has been officially announced and is ready for use this spring! This new organic weed control product has been approved by Health Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Research has shown the product to be as effective on many broadleaf weeds, including dandelions, as our now banned chemical products were. In some cases, results were superior!

We have been utilizing the product for a week (as of May 21, 2010) and customers are elated with the results already!
 

Glenn Wagner

www.wagnerlawncare.com