These are just a few of the questions, answered at our RHS Educational Event - "Pesticide Free
Over 75 people filed in to watch her presentation at the United Way on May 28, 2015 and I believe we all left with a little more awareness and knowledge in our back pockets.
Dr. Dahms talked a bit about the proposals for the City of Regina to ban the use of pesticides for cosmetic use in the city, her journey in the fight against the use of pesticides, her research on pesticides, as well as some alternatives we can use in our own backyards.
A few of her helpful ideas included, but are not limited to; Quit using pesticides especially those that contain 2, 4-D, Partake in the "Plant Health Care Model" (PCHM) - the idea that a healthy plant, is its own best defence against weeds, High mowing (keep your lawn at a higher length), Over Seed and over water in spring, Use Compost tea, organic fertilizers and aeration in your soil. A few other ideas are the use of essential oils, planting compatible plants that ward off pests for one another and to introduce insects such as ants and ladybugs in to your garden, which will naturally take care of some pests such as aphids. We also learned that most species of "weeds" are safe and can be used as medicinals, such as dandelions, by eating the leaves and petals in salads and drying and crushing the root for teas.
This is only a snip of information that was presented and I can guarantee that her pool of knowledge is far deeper than the root system of any plant! If you would like to see the entire presentation, please stay tuned for dates as it will be aired in the upcoming month.
Again we thank Dr. Tanya Dahms for coming out and educating us a little more!
