June 29, 2018 – Edmonton has tapped into the future of lawn mowing with a pilot project being conducted on one its soccer fields. The city is using the Husqvarna 450x robotic mower to cut the grass on the field at Coronation Park.

July 4, 2018 – In the movies, it has proved effective in warding off vampires. In real life, it is showing promise as a repellent against Lyme disease-carrying ticks. A garlic-based spray is being tested this summer in Kingston in hopes of keeping ticks at bay.

Turf & Rec is once again publishing its annual Buyers Guide & Directory in our August/September issue. To ensure your company (manufacturer, supplier or industry consultant) is properly listed in this edition, please click here.

July 3, 2018 – Participants in this year's Communities in Bloom program are ready for visits by the judges in the Canada-wide annual event, and Strathcona County in Alberta is preparing to serve as host for the program's international symposium in September.

June 29, 2018 – Dalhousie University's faculty of agriculture and the Correctional Service of Canada have teamed up to offer a horticulture skills training program that teaches female offenders vocational and technical skills to use in transition to employment post-release. The program has grown significantly since it began in 1995.

June 26, 2018 – The Sandy Beach Regional Park golf course in Lloydminster, Sask. has officially opened its bigger and better greens. The nine-hole course had previously operated with sand greens that measured about 1,000 square feet. The putting surfaces now measure about 4,500 square feet and are grown to a grass covering.

June 25, 2018 – A nine-year-old girl's school project about the history of baseball has turned into a campaign to have a local baseball field designated as a heritage site. During his research, Sophia Hillier learned the Jerry Marsh Ball Field in New Waterford, N.S. is Canada's second oldest ball field, at 107 years of age.

June 21, 2018 – A longtime Powell River, B.C. city employee, who found her true calling in landscaping and gardening in 2000, is retiring after 32 years. Brenda Powell credits working outdoors as keeping her fit and healthy.

June 20, 2018 – Artificial turf home lawns are becoming increasingly more popular in the Edmonton area, a local landscape contractor says. Perry Stothart of Classic Landscapes Ltd. said many suburban homeowners are looking for lower-maintenance alternatives to natural turf lawns.

June 18, 2018 – Mowing the grass on Toronto's traffic islands appears to be a hit-and-miss practice. Many are unsightly with tall grass and significant weed cover. Controversy arose last week when an elderly couple were ordered to cut the grass on the island in front of their home, until the mayor chimed in.

June 15, 2018 – Residential developers in British Columbia should favour native plants instead of cheaper, mass-produced invasive greenery, a development group's landscaping manager says. Native plants offer lower maintenance, are hardier and less dependent on irrigation, he said.

Understanding how fungicides work and knowing what part of the plant should be targeted will greatly assist golf course superintendents with their spraying programs, an audience of superintendents was told in March during a Syngenta-sponsored forum in Milton, Ont.

May 31, 2018 – Landscape professionals may have more choices of plant material than they think. Many imported trees and shrubs care fare well when mixed with native species, adding diversity.

May 17, 2018 – A Kitchener-area lawn care professional says aerating and overseeding lawns is an ideal way to choke out weeds, including dandelions. An a University of Guelph academic adds that regular fertility will produce the best lawns.

May 16, 2018 – A little bit of natural precipitation over the next few days will perk up dried out conditions at the La Verendrye Golf Club near Steinbach, Man., the club's manager has said. Tank watering is being done, much to golfers' dismay.

May 10, 2018 – Drought has beset southern Manitoba, affecting everything from farm land to golf courses. Cracks in the ground at the Old Drover's Run Golf Course in Niverville clearly reveal how parched conditions have become.

May 10, 2018 – While much of Atlantic Canada has been praying for rain to go away, the opposite is true in most of Manitoba. The superintendent at Quarry Oaks in Steinbach said a dry fall followed by one of the driest Aprils on record has left the golf course thirsty.

Lawn care professionals need to get out in front of a problem before it starts, incorporating integrated pest management into their programs, an audience of lawn care practitioners attending the Ontario Turfgrass Symposium were told in February.

Sodium and bicarbonates in the soil are a “big deal” and can rob golf courses of their nutrient dollar, superintendents attending BrettYoung’s annual spring turf academy were told in March at the Links of Kent Golf Club in Chatham, Ont.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Ontario’s cosmetic pesticide ban, and some lawn care professionals are still lamenting that they can no longer use some of the pest control products they once took for granted.

Sharp mower blades promote healthier turf. When they’re dull, it makes turf more prone to disease, and golfers will see first-hand how substandard a course looks and how poorly it performs.

Divots are a natural occurrence in the game of golf. They are particularly abundant on par three tees, especially when a hole is short enough to warrant a wedge or nine-iron shot to the green. They are also commonly found in the fairways of par four and five holes, especially from approach distances that are reachable for most recreational golfers.

June 20, 2018 – Early detection traps for the emerald ash borer are being set up in the Fredericton area to alert officials of the arrival of the invasive pest. The city, however, is still pondering what to do once the pest makes its expected arrival.

June 20, 2018 – The Vancouver park board has voted against the city's desire to explore alternate uses for Langara Golf Course, opting to proceed with $3 million in drainage improvements to the course. The park board vote was unanimous.

June 19, 2018 – Residents of the Glenora are of Edmonton are not taking kindly to plans to cut more than 1,000 trees to accommodate the Valley Line West LRT. The project is in its final design stages, but is being met with opposition from neighbouring residents who believe the area's true heritage is at risk.

June 19, 2018 – The future of Vancouver's oldest golf course was to be decided Monday night with two possible options: a separate review of Langara Golf Course or a continuation of the current path of examining Langara through a review of the entire park system that's already underway.

June 15, 2018 – An original plan to remove 19 trees from historic Officers' Square in Fredericton to make way for new development has been downsized to accommodate the removal of only five, but the compromise still leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of those wanting to save every tree. Council's decision yesterday to remove the five trees was met with a chorus of boos from members of the public.

June 15, 2018 – A Tree Canada spokesman says Fredericton's ash tree population could survive the threat of the emerald ash borer if the city inoculates its trees next year with a larvae-killing vaccine.

June 14, 2018 – The purchase of a 22-hectare parcel of land in Cambridge, Ont. has been conditionally approved to accommodate a new outdoor soccer complex. The cost of the land acquisition is $1.2 million.

June 14, 2018 – With the recent arrival of the emerald ash borer in New Brunswick, the City of Fredericton is warning its residents to prepare for the loss of tens of thousands of trees.

June 18, 2018 – Public consultations will help to decide the fate of a baseball field in Montreal, even though it has already been demolished. The field was deemed unsafe to pedestrians and motorists outside the property, who were at risk of being hit by an errant foul ball.

June 11, 2018 – The fate of 19 trees at Fredericton's Officers' Square – left off of Monday's council meeting – triggered another protest outside city hall. A group called Save The Elm Trees of Officers' Square has more than 5,500 signatures on a petition in opposition to new development at the city site.

June 12, 2018 – It took the clout of Toronto Mayor John Tory to intercede on a city ordinance that would have forced an elderly couple to cut the grass on a traffic island fronting their home. Disturbed by a newspaper story that said the couple – 91 and 88 years of age – were responsible for cutting the patch of grass, the mayor ordered city staff to tackle the job.

June 21, 2018 – Turf managers and public works departments can reduce the risk of spray drift on golf courses, parks and other public areas with a new planning tool that identifies optimal spray windows.

June 18, 2018 – Greenworks Commercial, a leader in battery-powered outdoor equipment for landscaping and turf management professionals, has expanded its 82-volt line with a new commercial-grade tool ideal for fall outdoor maintenance.

June 14, 2018 – Blade-mounted dozer rakes from Solesbee's offer an efficient solution for land clearing, raking brush and piling trees and branches.

June 5, 2018 – Little Beaver Inc., a manufacturer of earth drilling equipment, has introduced new auger adapters, allowing customers to match other manufacturers' augers with reliable single-person earth drills.

June 5, 2018 – The Toro Company has simplified the ease and productivity of outdoor tasks with its connectivity to Google Home and Amazon Alexa.

June 5, 2018 – Wright Manufacturing's Stander X, Generation 2 commercial mower has won a Twenty for 2018 new product award.

May 17, 2018 – Americhem, a designer and manufacturer of custom colour masterbatch, functional additives, engineered compounds and performance technologies, now offers a wider breadth of customized solutions to meet the needs of its customers.

May 16, 2018 – Unique Lighting Systems has introduced its new Flex Gold Vivid Series LED lamps, available in two adjustable colour types.

May 15, 2018 – High-performance jump starting is now available in a compact package designed for power-starved jobsite professionals. The Weego 66 is the most rugged 12-volt lithium-ion jump starting power pack among Weego's line of portable power products.

May 10, 2018 – Professional turfgrass managers in Ontario, limited by the number of pest control products legally available for use under the provincial cosmetic pesticide ban, have a newly-registered product they can add to their toolbox.

May 9, 2018 – A rear camera kit has been added to the list of available options for the Bobcat skid steer and compact track loaders.