Gardener touts wormy weapons against grass destruction
26.05.2008 13:00
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- Source: cbc.ca
 Chafer beetle grubs attack grass roots. Skunks sometimes tear up lawns looking for grubs to eat.(CBC)As Ontario's ban on lawn and garden pesticides looms, experts are encouraging gardeners to try using a parasitic worm to mow down grass-destroying grubs. Ontario announced that it will ban more than 300 pesticide products in the category known as cosmetic pesticides, by 2009 over health concerns, and the ban is expected to include chemicals used by many gardeners to kill the chafer beetle grub. The grubs attack grass roots and are sought after by skunks, which uproot lawns in search of the succulent snacks. The pesticide ban doesn't mean gardeners will have to put up with the grubs and skunks ravaging their grass, but they will have to adapt, says Mark MacKenzie of Appleseed Organic Lawn Care in Ottawa.  Mark MacKenzie says Ontario's imminent pesticide ban means many gardeners will have to learn new techniques for controlling grass-destroying grubs.(CBC)"A lot of people are going to have to learn new techniques and new methods, but there are excellent organic methods out there," he said. MacKenzie said he has been using organisms called nematodes as a "biopesticide" against chafer beetle grubs for the past 10 years. "They're microscopic worms, and once they infest the [grub's] body, they will inject a bacteria that's is harmful to the grub and kill the grub," he said, adding that the bacteria are "completely harmless to any other life form — [humans] or pets or skunks." The worms are dormant while in cool storage but become active when exposed to water and sprayed onto the ground or lawns. One application costs about $80, MacKenzie estimated. According to Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, biopesticides, which can be either chemicals or organisms, are becoming increasingly available but should only be used in organic gardening or farming as a last resort. The ministry instead recommends keeping plants resistant to pests by ensuring they are healthy. In the case of grass, MacKenzie recommends making sure it never gets cut shorter than three inches, which will allow it to grow deep roots to reduce grub damage. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksOntario to ban cosmetic use of pesticidesMcGuinty admits he bumbled on Ontario pesticide banVideo CBC-TV's Cory O'Kelly reports (Runs: 2:18)Play: QuickTime »Play: Real Media »Consumer HeadlinesVintners seek sunny side of warmer worldAs global warming threatens to change the land, established wine-growing regions around the world are deploying techniques old and new to adapt.New website helps pair up Halifax commutersHalifax wants more commuters to carpool to help cut down traffic congestion and the emission of greenhouse gases.Oil prices rise as investors eye U.S. economic dataOil rose to near $133 US a barrel Monday in Asia on persistent worries about global petroleum supplies and the outlook for the U.S. dollar.Jet lagged? Next time skip airplane food: studySkipping airplane meals and fasting for an extended period of time may help ease travellers' jet lag, suggests a study on circadian rhythms.Microsoft scraps book-scanning planMicrosoft Corp. is abandoning its effort to scan whole libraries and make their contents searchable, a sign it may be getting choosier about the fights it will pick with Google. Consumer Life FeaturesIN DEPTHFitnessThe swimsuit competitionIN DEPTHLegal limitsQuestionable cases that have clogged the courtsTRAVELGetting out thereWorld's hardest-to-reach vacation spotsBLOGFood BytesThe art of the barista - Andree LauBLOGComm-OdditiesHigh gas prices drive farmer to switch to mulesPeople who read this also read …
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