Weed Control
To have an attractive and well cared for city, the City of Saskatoon must ensure property owners maintain their property to established standards. This is especially true in developing neighbourhoods.
Weeds are a nuisance to homeowners, making it difficult to establish landscaping, and in some cases, can also be a safety concern for pet owners.
The City’s Bylaw No. 8175, The Property Maintenance and Nuisance Abatement Bylaw, 2003, dictates that land is not to be overgrown with grass and weeds in excess of 20 centimeters.
In addition, the Weed Control Act, 2010 is provincial legislation that empowers municipalities to enforce the eradication, containment or control of prohibited, noxious and nuisance weeds by landowners within the boundaries of the municipality. The three weed categories covered in the Act are as follows:
- Prohibited weeds – Currently, there are no known prohibited weeds in Saskatoon. Two examples of prohibited weeds that are found in Saskatchewan are flowering rush, which is an aquatic invasive, and field scabious, a tall perennial native to Europe. Prohibited weeds must be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture Crops and Irrigation branch.
- Noxious weeds – Currently, there are 20 noxious weeds present in Saskatoon; they are: absinthe, baby’s breath, bull thistle, Canada thistle, cleavers, common burdock, common tansy, European buckthorn, field bindweed, kochia, leafy spurge, nodding thistle, oxeye daisy, Persian darnel, prickly lettuce, purple loosestrife (aquatic invasive), round-leaved mallow, scentless chamomile, sow thistles and yellow toadflax.
- Nuisance weeds – The nuisance weeds commonly found in Saskatoon are dandelions, foxtail barley, meadow goat’s beard, Russian thistle and quack grass.
For more information on the City’s approach to weed control in parks and open spaces, visit Park Maintenance.
Foxtail Barley
The City has received many complaints regarding foxtail barley (foxtail). In response, the City is managing current problem areas while taking a proactive approach to minimize the future occurrence of foxtail. This includes creating awareness and educating developers and landowners on the foxtail issues in Saskatoon and sharing viable control techniques.
Foxtail Be Gone is a guide providing detailed information for developers and landowners on what foxtail is and the issues it causes, prevention and management techniques, monitoring and enforcement processes and supports available.
View Foxtail Be Gone: A Guide to Preventing and Controlling Foxtail Barley
Related Resources
Saskatchewan’s Weed Control Act, 2010, including a full list of weeds
Saskatchewan’s Urban Guide to Weed Control