Grasscutting

Frequently Asked Questions

Spring is quickly approaching, and with that comes the initiation of our grass cutting program.  Please find below some answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

When does the Town start cutting grass?

Our grass cutting program generally goes into full force at the beginning of May, with the arrival of our Summer Students, who account for about half of our seasonal staff.  If we have had a cool and wet spring the start date may be delayed as the grass is not yet growing.

It’s the second week in May.  Why hasn’t my park been cut yet?

While grass cutting generally starts at the beginning of May, it takes up to sixteen (16) days to complete each grass cutting route.  Parks that are scheduled at the end of the route may not be cut until the middle of May.  The Town is responsible for cutting over 1,100 acres of grass, which is the equivalent of about 4,400 average sized residential lawns.

How often is the grass cut?

Grass cutting frequency varies by type of park and type of usage within each park.  Weather and wet conditions may alter schedules slightly.

• Sports fields are cut once a week.
• Town and Regional boulevards are cut once every sixteen (16) days.  In the spring they are cut once every twelve (12) days for the first four (4) cuts.
• High profile/high priority parks and facilities are cut once every eight (8) days.
• Regular use parks are cut once every sixteen (16) days.

What is the Town doing about all of the dandelions in the parks and on the boulevards?

The Provincial Ban on the use of cosmetic pesticides greatly limits our ability to spray chemicals on plants and weeds that are only a problem from a cosmetic, or aesthetic perspective.  Pesticides are not used on any turf areas in Town of Whitby Parks to control dandelions.

Dandelion flowering is most prolific over a few weeks in early spring.  Regular grass cutting knocks back flowers and seeds to some degree, but the best approach is to enjoy the bright blooms while they last.

While some find dandelions a nuisance, the plant has many benefits.  Dandelions are non-toxic, have no negative impact on people, pets or the ecosystem, and provide a valuable early food source for bees, butterflies and birds.

Whitby has been a designated Bee City since 2018.

I spray my lawn with a biological herbicide?  Why doesn’t the Town use the same in the parks and on the boulevards?

Once the Provincial Ban on Pesticides came into effect, the Town experimented with some alternative bio-chemicals but saw very poor results.  Not only were they ineffective, they were and remain extremely cost prohibitive.  On a small scale, such as a residential lawn, better results can be achieved, through persistent applications coupled with other factors like fertilization and watering.  It would be quite costly to provide this level of service on our boulevards and in our parks.

Is the Town spraying the sports field for weeds?  The rest of the park is covered in dandelions, but the sports field doesn’t have any.

Our soccer fields and baseball diamonds receive a much higher level of maintenance than that of our regular parkland and boulevards.  User groups pay a fee to use these areas, and safety of the turf is important for the kids and adults that play on the fields.  These specialized areas are routinely fertilized, aerated, top-dressed, irrigated and mowed more frequently and at a lower height of cut than the surrounding turf.  It is the result of this maintenance program that gives the perception that they are being sprayed for weeds.  The fact is we do have weeds on all of our sports fields, but they have a much tougher time establishing on highly maintained turf.