Gary Megaffin is the type of guy who likes his lawn putting-green perfect.
The Kitchener, Ont., resident owns a lawn tractor, a power trimmer and a leaf blower. He believes mowing a lawn without trimming its perimeter is like "wearing a tux with dirty shoes."
Every spring and summer, he raids his shed for chemicals: some for bugs, some for grubs and some for dandelions he likes to squirt and watch shrivel. "It's a lot easier than getting on your hands and knees," says Mr. Megaffin, who is 71 and has arthritis.
Soon, however, it'll be goodbye to chemical killers for Mr. Megaffin and the approximately 6.6 million other Ontario residents living in communities that don't already have anti-pesticide bylaws. This week, the province announced a sweeping ban on the use of traditional pesticides and herbicides on residential lawns and gardens, similar to one already in place in Quebec. Home Depot has promised to voluntarily yank products such as Killex and Grub-B-Gon from Canadian stores by the end of the year, and Canadian Tire is doing the same in Ontario.
Gary Megaffin is an advocate of using pesticides and herbicides in pursuit of a greener lawn. 'It's a lot easier than getting on your hands and knees.' (Tory Zimmerman for The Globe and Mail)
But some lawn-loving diehards are not ready to surrender. "I don't want a pile of weeds in my yard," said Fred Snider, 46, who did professional yard work around Kitchener-Waterloo before getting out of the business 10 years ago. "I know where to get my own stuff. I don't care if they have a ban or not."
Asked if he'd adhere to the Ontario ban after it kicks in next spring, Mr. Megaffin would only say: "You're not supposed to speed over 100 kilometres per hour on a highway ... but look what happens."
The ban has highlighted a long-standing turf war among gardening enthusiasts over how their yards should look - and how it should be achieved.
On one side are naturalists who say pesticides are unnecessary and harm the environment and humans. Those arguments have persuaded an estimated 140 communities across Canada to try to eliminate pesticide use through local bylaws, as well as the bans in Ontario and Quebec. Prince Edward Island may soon follow.
On the other side are turf lovers who say chemicals keep their yards free of bugs and weeds. They point out that Health Canada says home pesticides pose "no unacceptable health or environmental risks." And they complain that with so many watering and pesticide bylaws already in place, this is just one more government-sanctioned crimp on their yard work.
"I'm just saying it's a double standard," says Mr. Snider, protesting the inequity of having to quit his twice-annual ritual of treating his lawn with weed killer, while his local golf course can continue to use it under the new Ontario rules.
After Quebec declared an end to pesticide use in 2006, hardware stores across the border in Ontario reported that Quebeckers were buying cartloads of products such as Roundup and sneaking them back home.
The stream of customers seeking their pesticide fix hasn't stopped, said Jean-Francois Bertrand, owner of the Home Hardware in Hawkesbury, Ont., about 100 kilometres west of Montreal.
"We see people with baskets full of [pesticide] products," he said, predicting there "might be some stockpiling" on the Ontario side, too.
Thom Bourne, owner of Ottawa lawn care company Nutri Lawn, says he received a half-dozen calls from dismayed clients when news of the Ontario ban broke on Tuesday. Mr. Bourne offers his clients organic yard treatments, but 70 per cent opt for traditional herbicide and pesticide programs because they're more effective, he said.
"People are going to have to come to terms with the fact that their lawn's not going to be as good," he said. "People want a nine out of 10. Now what they're going to have to accept is a six out of 10."
Others say turf lovers will come around - eventually. When Toronto first announced its pesticide ban in 2004, the city was flooded with almost 1,700 complaints about pesticide violations, mostly lodged by community vigilantes on the lookout for wilted dandelions and other signs of pesticide use.
But last year - the first year people could be hit with fines of up to $5,000 after a three-year grace period - the number of complaints plummeted to about 100, likely because a potential financial hit motivated people to comply, said Peter Gauthier, who manages Toronto's enforcement of its pesticide bylaw.
An education campaign also heightened awareness about organic alternatives, he said.
Rob Witherspoon, director of the Turfgrass Institute and Environmental Research Centre at the University of Guelph, said there are several things people can do to keep their lawns tidy but chemical-free.
Instead of pesticides, people can use microscopic worm-like creatures called nematodes to help keep grubs at bay. Instead of herbicides, it helps to sprinkle seeds of another grass species, such as perennial ryegrass, to out-compete weeds for space and nutrients, he said.
A crappy lawn is exactly what Donald Cangiano, 73, expected to see last summer when he reluctantly switched to organic products for his carefully manicured lawn.
Since moving to his Oakville home seven years ago, he has lovingly tended his grass, even hiring professionals five times a year to treat it with pesticides and fertilizers. But when Oakville announced its plans to implement a municipal pesticide ban last year, he decided to switch.
"The lawn looked surprisingly good," Mr. Cangiano said of his green grass, adding only time will tell if it lasts.
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Organics 101
Searching for a less toxic solution to your bug and weed problems? Here are a few:
For pests
Use biological pesticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis, a micro-organism that is toxic to certain insects, or tiny parasitic worms called nematodes.
Insecticidal soaps contain fatty acids, which are mostly used to kill soft-bodied insects such as aphids and spider mites.
Ferric phosphate is a common mineral salt used to eliminate slugs and snails.
For weeds
Acetic acid, or vinegar, is a key ingredient in some organic herbicides.
Perennial ryegrass sprinkled on patchy lawns can fill in holes before weeds move in.
Corn gluten meal, a natural herbicide, works by inhibiting the root formation of germinating weeds.
Source: City of Toronto
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