It has been a grueling process since July of 2003, when industry representatives began negotiating with the city on what would be included in the bylaw. When the bylaw was passed last May, council gave explicit instructions to include dandelions in the thresholds, yet city staff ignored those instructions in its report to council. What was to be a “compromise” by both the city and LCOs turned into something quite damaging for our industry.
Insect infestations can be treated, however those thresholds have yet to be set. It will be another several months before the Toronto Board of Health, in consultation with Parks, will come up with its made-in-Toronto threshold values.
Alternative Services Project underway
Weed control in lawns will be decidedly more difficult within Toronto city limits come next fall. While various methods of improving turf thickness are well known, combinations of these have not been compared side-by-side in replicated trials. This will change with a project I am conducting – the Alternative Services Project – which will look at rehabilitating weed-infested turf using a pesticide-free approach. To boot, this project is being conducted in an area with some of the worst soil conditions in the province.
Just as critical for success are the business aspects of these various services. Issues such as marketing, pricing, productivity, equipment options, capital equipment costs and labour requirements are also being examined.
The project started in early May, and will continue through this fall. Results of the work will be discussed at the various turf conferences and seminars this winter.
