Ragweed season back for another round

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

With summer rolling into August today, ragweed season has officially begun, meaning many allergy sufferers are dealing with stuffier noses, itchier eyes, and sneeze-

ier days that can last until the end of September. To help ease the allergy symptoms nearly one in 10 Quebecers experience at this time of year, municipalities are taking steps to reduce the occurrence of ragweed and to inform residents about this pollen producer.

For the first time this year, Dorval’s public works horticultural employees have been inspecting private properties and distributing pamphlets showing residents where ragweed has been detected on their land. It is then up to the individual property owners to proceed with the removal. According to Dorval’s communication officer Sébastien Gauthier, residents usually always do their part once the weeds have been found on their properties, mostly by manually pulling them out of the ground. “We’ve gotten a lot of calls about ragweed so far,” Gauthier said, adding many questions are about how individuals can get rid of ragweed in their yards, and about ragweed patches residents have discovered on town property. According to Gauthier, some of the problem areas in Dorval this season include Valois Bay Park and roadsides where there is little or no vegetation. As a plant that has difficulty surviving with competition, ragweed does not usually grow in spaces where there is healthy lawn or other plants. In order to control ragweed on city property, Dorval Public Works employees burn the weeds using a hot water system, regularly mow and reap the lawns, and re-sow, aerate, and organically fertilize to make sure the grass is healthy and ragweed-free.

Beaconsfield is also currently looking into environmentally friendly techniques the city can use to control ragweed on its properties. For now, like in many other West Island municipalities, city workers mow the lawns before ragweed plants can release their pollen into the air. “That doesn’t kill the plant, but it’s the pollen that’s the real problem,” said Beaconsfield public works foreman Kovalski Lachance. “So, we cut it right before the season starts.”

As for individual residents, Lachance agrees the best way to control ragweed is to manually pull out the plants, because this will stop them from coming back.

Elisabeth Masson, who is in charge of the Quebec Table on Ragweed, says there are many steps people can take to reduce their symptoms. The first, Masson said, is to help limit ragweed occurrences by pulling out any weeds people come across on their property and by maintaining a dense, healthy lawn. “This way, you minimize the risk of having ragweed on your property,” she said.

People who suffer from ragweed allergies should also avoid going outside on hot, windy days when there is much pollen in the air, and are advised not to dry their laundry on outdoor clotheslines, as airborne pollen will stick to wet fabrics, only to be brought into the home later. “And there is also an abundance of allergy medications — antihistamines — that are available,” Masson said.

For more information on ragweed and how to control the plant and allergy symptoms, visit the Quebec Table on Ragweed’s website at www.tqhp.qc.ca.