There are plenty of alternatives available to replace the roughly 250 different pesticide products that were banned for cosmetic use as of Wednesday.
Although they may take a little longer to work and require a little more preparation, green-gardening experts say they can be just as effective as the chemicals they're replacing.
The province's Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act came into effect on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, making it illegal to use chemical pesticides for cosmetic purposes on lawns, vegetable and ornamental gardens, patios, driveways, cemeteries, and in parks and school yards.
Chemical-based products can, however, continue to be used for health and safety and agricultural purposes, as well as for golf courses and a few additional exceptions.
The ban was developed in response to concerns raised by medical experts, including the Canadian Cancer Society, about health risks associated with exposure to chemical pesticides.
But Stacey Hickman, an entomologist who has been working for the Niagara Region, as well as Stevensvillebased Natural Insect Control, said if natural products ranging from corn gluten to nematodes are used properly, they can be as effective as the chemicals they're replacing.
"Done properly and put down at the right time, they're just as effective," she said.
Hickman has led a series of Smart Gardening workshops for the region over the past four years.
In that time, she said interest in the workshops has grown exponentially.
"The last two years, we have had record crowds," she said. "We're packed and it has happened for the last couple of years. It's really encouraging."
However, many of the people who attend those workshops, including one last night at Renee's Greenhouses in Welland, are really concerned about the impact pesticide bans will have on their lawn and gardens.
"The public is very concerned about not having their traditional Weed 'n' Feed on the market -- what are they going to do."
The workshops, she added, are designed to educate the communities about "all the practices you can do, so you don't need the Weed 'n' Feed."
And the alternatives can be very simple and effective, she added.
"Even just having a thick lawn is going to smother a lot of weeds," she said in an interview, yesterday.
"Just watering properly is going to encourage your grass and discourage weeds, just practices like that.
"It's really back to basics I guess."
But it requires a different approach to gardening.
Instead of seeing weeds and reacting by spraying chemicals, she said environmentally-friendly natural alternatives require a proactive approach.
"Natural products take longer to get going so it's more of a proactive approach to using them. It's just a matter of thinking about it a bit differently."
Another alternative product is horticultural vinegar or salts to get rid of weeds growing up through cracks in sidewalks, added Sandra Mitchell, owner of Natural Insect Control.
"There are lots of alternatives," she said.
She agreed that many of those natural alternatives are just as effective as the chemical-based products they're replacing.
Corn gluten, for instance, can prevent the growth of broad-leafed weeds in grass, as long as it's applied at the right time.
Since it prevents the weeds from germinating, it needs to be applied in early spring.
A second application is also recommended in the second or third week of August, since that's when weeds like dandelions germinate.
She warned, however, that if people intend to plant new grass, they need to wait until the grass seed germinates before using the corn gluten - or it'll prevent the grass seed from germinating too.
"It's very effective," Mitchell added.
Sherri Tait, a program manager from the region's waste management department, said nematodes have also shown to be extremely effective at controlling grub infestations in lawns.
Nematodes, which are small worm-like insects, can be purchased in a dormant state, and are revived by exposure to water and heat.
But like the corn gluten, the nematodes also need to be applied at a certain time of the year to be most effective.
Once the problems are taken care of, Tait said "it's just a matter of maintaining it and you won't really need to use anything."
Hickman said there is still one more Smart Gardening workshop, being held April 30 at Gauld Nurseries in Niagara Falls from 6 p. m. to 8 p. m.
But the region is also considering a second series of workshops to be held this fall.
"Right now, spring is in and we're trying to give all great tips about what to do in the spring," she said.
But the fall workshops, she added, would focus on all the things you can do in the fall so you have a great lawn come the spring next year."
