Stephanie Martin, a manager at a Canadian Tire in Kanata, says residents have to put more thought into their purchases now that cosmetic pesticides have been banned. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC)

The ban on cosmetic pesticides that took hold in Ontario on April 22 has changed the face of residential lawn care, say some Ottawa residents.

Now that spring is in full bloom, dandelions and weeds have sprouted on lawns and residents say they've had to come up with some creative ideas to make sure the lawns stay green for summer.

"We had grub worms last year," said Rick De Pauw, who lives in Kanata and has used pesticides on his lawn in the past.

But he had to come up with a new plan when raccoons ripped up his lawn to find the grubs so they could eat them.

"What we'll do now, I don't know — probably something more natural. But what I've heard is the natural stuff is not as effective."

Anne Marie Goodman, who also lives in Kanata, said she had previously hired someone to look after her lawn. But this year, she thinks she might already have taken care of the weeds herself.

"They came the other day and offered to look for weeds on our property, but we didn't have any, because I had already purchased one of those weeders you get at Canadian Tire, and they work really well," she said.

Stephanie Martin, a manager at a nearby Canadian Tire, said some customers have been confused by the change in rules.

Rick De Pauw heads out to a golf course on Thursday, one of the few grassy areas in Ontario where weeds can still be controlled with pesticides. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC)

"A lot of people are disappointed because the stuff that they know works is not on the shelves," she said.

Residents may be on the search for creative solutions, but so far golf courses are exempt from the ban.

David Graham, who was headed to a golf course on Thursday, said his lawn in Dunrobin already had plenty of dandelions.

"Our yard is just full of dandelions, and I know that my wife and I spent several hours last weekend bending over and taking out the weeds," he said.

Even when they do get all of the weeds, said Graham, they quickly return.

The problem is if your neighbours don't clean up, then you get it all over your yard," he said. "They just migrate."