This post was sponsored by the makers of REACTINE®. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
August is the season for barbecues, softball, camping, bike rides, patio drinks, hiking—all things out doors, really. Unfortunately, August is the season for the enemy of all these things: ragweed. Well, ragweed, and having to sometimes work Saturdays, but we can only help you with the ragweed.
1. Identify!
Ragweed looks like this. No tell-tale berries or flowers, one to six inches in height, leaves might be arranged alternately or oppositely. People commonly mistake goldenrod as the source of their allergies, instead of the far more unassuming ragweed. It’s pretty inconspicuous—and by that, we mean that even avid gardeners sometimes can’t tell it from another weed. But rest assured, it is a weed—so if you’re not 100% sure if a weed you’re looking at is ragweed, better to be safe than sorry.
2. Destroy!
Wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, gloves, goggles, a mask—you’re going for the full post-apocalyptic Mad Max look here. Thoroughly weed your property, and do it now, before ragweed flowers. Yank stuff out by the roots—if you just mow, ragweed will grow back right away. In fact, we suspect that ragweed is related to earthworms, because if you cut them in half, their population just doubles[citation needed].
3. Pay Someone Else!
Know what’s better than doing war with your yard work while dressed like a crazy person? Pay someone else to get it done. You can go the professional yard maintenance route, but that’s expensive, especially when you can just pay a neighbourhood kid to do it. Or a nephew. That’s why nephews exist. As a bonus, they’ll play video games with you afterwards.
4. Be A Good Neighbour!
One thing about senior citizens: they aren’t that proactive about killing ragweed. That, and they put their recycling out about a day in advance. Anyway, offer to do their weeding for them (or offer to send the kid over, whichever). It’s a nice favour to do for someone, and it helps your puffy-eyed, runny nose situation.
5. Get Rid of Your Lawn!
Lawn, who needs it? Who are you, Hank Hill? One of our neighbours has a couple of trees and a nice rockscape. Another has gravel and drought-tolerant plants. We’re thinking of putting down cedar mulch with a few bushes to keep it interesting. Lots of people are going the low-maintenance route, with sedge, microclover, or even moss. If you have a green thumb or just like cooking, plant a garden instead.
6. Be Prepared!
You can take care of your yard, and you can take care of your neighbour’s yard, but that’s about it—you can’t fix the rest of the world. Not ragweed-wise, anyway. So, keep track of daily pollen levels, (you can use the REACTINE® Pollen Forecast App, available for iPhone and Android), think twice about going out at peak pollen time (late morning to mid-afternoon), and try and avoid particularly windy days.
7. Take REACTINE®
REACTINE® is the number one doctor and pharmacist recommended over the counter allergy brand. Non-drowsy REACTINE® can be taken for quick relief of ragweed allergy symptoms, including hives, allergic skin itch, itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, and runny, itchy nose. Take it when you start to feel allergy symptoms, and by taking it daily during allergy season, your body can maintain an even level of antihistamines, providing you continuous relief (talk to your doctor for daily use beyond 6 months).
___
Photo courtesy of pawpaw67.
