The City of Portage la Prairie's new natural strategy to deal with its dandelion problem has been working well.

Parks Manager Dave Green said the process involves using a type of corn meal gluten.

This is the second year the program has been running.

"It's an environmentally-friendly method of helping control dandelions in the spring," said Green. "It's a non-chemical product; it's the by-product of the making of corn meal."

The City has been doing research on the product, and if applied at the proper time it helps slow down the development of dandelions.

"We are in our second year now and where we have applied it, it seems to have reduced the number of dandelions," said Green. "It hasn't completely eradicated them, but it definitely has slowed them down."

He said the City will continue to use the dandelion-control product as it receives more funding for it.

The Province is looking at banning cosmetic chemicals, and chemicals to eradicate dandelions would be one of the products that would be banned for use. So, the new method the City is using is a good, safe alternative product.

Previously, the City used the pesticide 24-D Amine to control dandelions.

Another positive with using the corn meal gluten, Green notices, is that the product does have a small fertilizer effect.

The cost to use the corn meal gluten product is $28 for a bag that would treat about 1,500 square feet of area.

See more in Portage Daily Graphic.

angela.brown@sunmedia.ca