Latest news with #weedcontrol
CTV News
05-07-2025
- CTV News
Brighton residents alarmed by planned use of toxic herbicide in neighbourhood park
Mallory Maloof holding the notice she received about the city's plan to test a toxic week-killer in her neighbourhood park. (Keenan Sorokan / CTV News) Residents in Saskatoon's Brighton community are concerned about the city's use of a toxic herbicide in a public park. In May, city councillors unanimously approved a $65,000 pilot project to control a growing number of weeds in new neighbourhoods. Based on the number of complaints, a section of Prairie Lily Park in Brighton was chosen as the ideal location for one round of herbicide spraying, four courses of treatment and higher levels of irrigation. Notices went out to residents living near the identified area last week. Mallory Maloof was one of them, and she was alarmed to see the city's plan to use a toxic herbicide in such a public area. 'After two, three decades, why are we introducing this again?' Maloof said. 'We want to have more information and public engagement before this pilot project goes forward. Why do it in Brighton, which is a young neighbourhood with young children?' According to the approval report, the city has not had an herbicide program in turf and sport fields since 1994. The use of herbicides to control turf weeds halted in 2004. 'The elimination of the chemical herbicide program was considered environmentally prudent and in line with the general direction taken by other major cities across Canada,' the report said. Maloof's primary concern is the harm an herbicide spray could cause to not only the vegetation in the area, but pets and young children using the park every day in the summer. She says many people from outside the notified area likely don't know this is happening, and there's a daycare across the street. She says Canada has been slow to ban or not approve several active ingredients in herbicides, compared to many other countries, and the city should be taking extra caution before spraying herbicide on city land. 'What does it mean for our tomato plants growing in our backyard? How long should we stay off our decks and keep ourselves safe? I think the city needs to engage with the public,' Maloof said. Saskatoon herbicides (Keenan Sorokan / CTV News) City administration says herbicide will only be sprayed once at the start of the season and only when necessary, if more parks are included in the pilot, or part of a larger plan moving forward. A similar approach was used in McKay Park in Rosewood with 'relative success' when it was turned over to the city after it was built. Chris Zerebeski, the city's parks operations manager, says the city hasn't identified which product it will use just yet, but it will likely be Trillion. The Group 4 herbicide contains the chemical 2,4-D, which makes up 31 per cent of Trillion. In 2015, the World Health Organization said the chemical was 'possibly carcinogenic' to humans. Dicamba, which makes up four per cent of Trillion, has been banned in a number of countries, including the United States. Trillion's label warns the product is toxic to birds, small animals and aquatic organisms and plants. It also warns of 17 potential symptoms if overexposed to 2,4-D, including coughing, burning, vomiting, decreased heart rate, shortness of breath, muscle spasms, loss of voice and temporary loss of muscle coordination. 'It's not the first line of defense,' Zerebeski said. 'The first line of defense is always the horticultural, cultural or mechanical methods that we use.' Zerebeski said the city will put up signage at every entrance to the park displaying the name of the chosen product and when people can safely use the park again. He said an application like this will warn people to remain away from the park for 24 hours after the herbicide is sprayed. He said the city has been in contact with the nearby daycare, and caution will be used to avoid the herbicide — which will be applied by a licensed professional — from being sprayed during a windy day, or near back fences or playground structures. 'We'll be following the guidelines and also making sure the contractors work in accordance to the product guidelines, as well, and mitigating those concerns as best as we can,' he said. 'It's a one-time application. It's not a cyclical herbicide program.' The city will be sending out a survey to gather data on what acceptable park conditions look like to residents. It will also ask about public perceptions of herbicide use, among other things related to weed control. The plan is to take the findings from the pilot project and survey to present another report to council. 'What does that mean for taxpayers and taxpayer dollars if we reopen up city-wide spraying?' Maloof said. Work will continue on Prairie Lily Park this summer.
The Sun
30-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
The Range is selling a nifty £5.99 tool to help blitz garden weeds in the hot weather
THE RANGE has the perfect budget tool to help blitz pesky garden weeds this summer. 2 However, whilst you're out topping up your tan on the patio, you may have noticed pesky weeds poking through the cracks of your slabs. Weeds grow faster during the hot summer weather, and can be tricky to manage. The Range Weed Spray Rose However, with The Range's Weed Spray Rose, your garden will be weed free in not time. The nifty gadget costs just £5.99, and can be cut to size to fit a variety of watering cans and spout sizes. Simply place it on top of your watering can spout, place weed killer inside, and spray your weeds with the spray. The Range said: "The curved surface design ensures even distribution every time. }Featuring a graded End Fan-shaped rose for applying liquid weed control straight from your watering can. "Can be cut to size for use with a variety of spout sizes and watering cans." You can purchase the weed killer online, or at your local The Range store. More Weed Killing Hacks An expert from Moral Fibres revealed that another budget friendly way to kill weeds is to add three teaspoons of washing liquid to a vinegar and salt solution and pour this on the unwanted plants. According to the expert, the homemade weed killer 'works indiscriminately on all plant life and can turn your soil acidic'. "My main tip is that this homemade weed killer recipe works best on a dry sunny day," they continued. "I'd suggest applying it at midday, or just before, when the sun is at its peak. It really helps to dry out the weeds." According to the experts at House Digest, a £2 product can be used on patio weeds that will cause them to weaken and die fast. Why you shouldn't use fizzy drinks as a weed killer THE internet is full of gardening hacks - some incredibly useful, and others just downright stupid. Fabulous' Associate Editor and gardening enthusiast, Rebecca Miller, has shared her thoughts. "The latest suggestion is to use fizzy drinks as a weed killer - but this will cause more harm than good. Fizzy drinks contain acidic ingredients which, yes, will effectively kill weeds - but also any other plant it touches. More importantly, it will impact your soil quality because of the artificial sugar content. While this may not seem like a bad thing because plants need sugar to survive, the issue is, the sugar in fizzy drinks, is the wrong type of sugar plants need, and it cannot be absorbed by them. Instead, the plant which has been covered in soda will pull water from the roots of surrounding plants, causing them all to become hydrated. So yes, you might kill a weed or two, but you'll also see a lot of your other plants and flowers dying. To add to this, the microbes and underground critters that like the sugars found in fizzy drinks, are often not good for plants - and some of them can be actively harmful. If you have pesky weeds, the old fashioned way is the best. Get a kitchen knife, a weed puller or brush and remove them by hand. But remember - a weed is just a plant growing in a location you don't want it to." The gardening gurus stressed that rubbing alcohol - a very powerful disinfectant which you'll find from just £2 on Amazon - can serve as an excellent way to get rid of weeds for good. However, green-fingered gardeners should note that rubbing alcohol should only be used on patio weeds and not around any other plants, for a very important reason. The experts explained: "The challenge with most weed killers, including rubbing alcohol, is their non-selective nature. 'This means they don't just target weeds; they can also harm other vegetation, such as your beloved plants and lawn grass." So if you want to ensure your other plants don't get harmed in the process, using it in between your paving stones - where you've likely not got any other plants or grass growing - is the best way to go, as there's less risk of contamination.
BBC News
27-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Wolverhampton's weed problem tackled by council quad bikes
City of Wolverhampton Council has decided to use quad bikes to tackle weeds and other unwanted vegetation. About 475 miles of the city's highways and footpaths have been targeted by the bikes, which allow council staff to spray herbicides more quickly and efficiently.A council spokesperson said using the vehicles reduced both time and costs as previously weed control had been undertaken by council staff on foot and by external contractors. In addition, the new method reduces the amount of herbicides used by up to 70% to minimise the impact on local wildlife, they said. Council staff will be using the quad bikes for about 20 weeks until September and once sprayed, the treatment can take up to 14 days to take Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services, said: "We know that weeds can make our city look untidy and unattractive, especially when they grow around pavements, block paved areas and footpaths."By using the quad bikes, we can better target the weed control. This will reduce costs and free up resources, helping us to spend money more effectively." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Lethbridge brings back goats for river valley weed control
Lethbridge brings back goats for river valley weed control If you're out and about in Lethbridge's river valley in the coming weeks, be on the lookout for goats—205, to be exact.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Weed-eating goats return to Lethbridge for another summer of yum
The City of Lethbridge has rehired 205 weed-eating goats to graze various neighbourhoods in the summer of 2025 The goats of summer are back in Lethbridge for another weed-eating season. The city posted the news on its social media Thursday, 'The great grazin' goats (not their official title…) are eating their way through leafy spurge, wormwood and thistle,' they wrote. 'It's their seventh annual tour of duty in Lethbridge.' The goats will be herded between three different communities over the coming weeks, starting with two weeks at Indian Battle/Botterill Bottom Parks until June 23. Lethbridge goats, June 12, 2025 Over 200 goats will be grazing various Lethbridge parks this summer, their seventh season of weed eating. (Karsen Marczuk) Then, they move to Alexander Wilderness Park from June 23 through July 7, followed by Pavan Park from July 7 to 21. On Aug. 6, they'll repeat the cycle, spending a week in each location to clean up any regrowth that occurs. The goats have done such a good job over the past six years, their area of coverage may be expanded, a parks spokesperson said. 'After six years, spurge in their typical grazing areas is coming up very sparse,' says Jackie Cardinal, Parks Natural Resource Coordinator. 'So, we might be able to move their buffet into the Nature Reserve, north of the train bridge, for a few days, like we did last year.' The goats are looked after by a skilled herder and a team of dogs, who help guide them and keep them safe from predators. While the dogs are friendly, residents are asked to keep their dogs on a leash away from the herd to allow the goats to do their jobs. For more information on the grazing goats, go here.
