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SAFER'S® GARDENING PRODUCTS

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OUR MISSION

Safer’s® and Chemfree® offer a broad line of organic gardening and pest-control solutions at a consumer-friendly price. Our products will solve common insect pest problems inside, outside and anywhere our consumers need them!

ABOUT SAFER’S®

Safer’s® was founded on the west coast of Canada over 35 years ago. Over time, the company branched into the United States, but has always maintained its Canadian roots. Safer’s® focuses on providing pest control products for organic gardeners across the North American continent.

In 2009, Canada established its guidelines for organic labeling. This effort was applauded by Safer’s®, which has long focused on the organic segment of the Canadian gardening market. These Canadian Organic Standards set out specific guidelines for manufacturers and retailers of organic products and by meeting these standards, individual products may apply for the EcoCert label. Consumers know that products that carry the EcoCert label, including a growing list of Safer’s® products, meet Canadian Organic Standards.

To achieve this organic labeling, key Safer’s® products have undergone extensive review processes, which include using ingredients from Canada’s Permitted Substances List and maintaining these standards throughout sourcing, manufacturing, and final production. The result? Safer’s® keeps adding products that have earned the EcoCert label.

Because many Canadians care about their impact on the environment, they want to know what’s being used on their plants. They also know to look for certain ingredients in their gardening products. These same ingredients, including Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids and PyGanic Pyrethrin, can be found in many Safer’s® products.

At Safer’s®, we have an ongoing commitment to offer our consumers the right product when they need it! It is with that commitment that Safer’s® serves Canadian gardeners and plant lovers who are dedicated to growing in an environmentally friendly manner.

TOP PRODUCTS

  • Safer’s® Insecticidal Soap RTU – This ready-to-use insecticidal soap kills garden insects on contact! Stop harmful insect infestations with this formula that is gentle on plants.
  • Safer’s® TopGun Weed Killer RTU –Fight problem weeds with this fast-acting herbicide spray that can be used on and around a variety of structural surfaces and gardens. Ready to use, this formula controls a broad spectrum of weeds.
  • Safer’s® Trounce Lawn & Turf Concentrate – Fast-acting, this insecticide kills insects on contact while being gentle on plants. Designed for lawns and turfs, you can use this concentrate up to the day of any fruit or vegetable harvest.
  • Safer’s® Sticky Strips Insect Traps – Attract and trap flying insects in your home, both indoor and outdoor, with the ease of Sticky Strips Insect Traps. These double sided sticky traps attract multiple types of insects, such as Whiteflies, Thrips, Leaf Miners and Aphids.

FAQS

Q: My plant leaves are full of holes. What is eating them and how can I get rid of them?

A: Not all insects will eat from every type of plant. Instead, many insects are specialized feeders that seek out certain plants. As a result, a colony of insects may totally defoliate one row of plants in your garden while ignoring another.

To best identify the bugs attacking your plant, look for them on the plant and observe their features. Then search through the Insect Library and your gardening books for the bug types that target that specific plant.

From there, look to Safer’s® and Chemfree® to help you eliminate these insects. Among your options are Safer’s® End-All®, a miticide for indoor plants; Safer’s® 3 in 1 Garden Spray, a combination fungicide and insecticidal soap; and Safer’s® Trounce Yard & Garden Insecticide, which, like the sprays listed above, features Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids as well as Pyrethrin.

Q: When should I plant my outdoor garden?

A: Planting a garden in Canada can be a tricky endeavour. First, look for a hardiness zone map of Canada and select plants that can thrive in your zone.

Next, know that your window for planting is limited to the period between spring’s last frost and fall’s first frost. To some extent, planting frost-resistant strains can expand this planting season a bit.

Growing season, of course, varies by plant type and your specific location. The Toronto area, for example, sees an outdoor season that begins in late March with harvesting occurring through mid November.

Q: How can I protect my garden from bugs?

A: Some of Safer’s® products can be applied to provide protection over a period of time, while others use a kill-on-contact agent.  Safer’s® BTK, for example, is a biological insecticide that targets caterpillars. Worms and caterpillars that eat the leaves of treated plants stop feeding within a few hours and die a few days later.

Read the labels of each Safer’s® and Chemfree® product to best understand its use as an insect control.

Q: How do insects survive the freezing winter temperatures?

A: Insects can survive harsh Canadian winters through a number of adaptations. First, many insects are able to find shelter in the ground, in decaying wood, under the water or in buildings. They then enter a hibernation-like state called diapause. When spring arrives, they revive and are ready to do what insects do best.

Another adaptation is by developing a sort of anti-freeze as cold weather approaches. This anti-freeze protects them from the cellular damage that occurs in cold temperatures.

Finally, other insects simply don’t survive. They die off in the fall, but that’s not the end of the species! Instead, they are replaced in the spring when over-wintering eggs hatch. These cold-tolerant eggs survive the winter to bring out a new generation.

Q: What do Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids do to insects?

A: Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids are included in many Safer’s® products. While scientists aren’t exactly sure what Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids do to insects, they do kill many of them on contact. The primary theory is that the compound dries out the waxy, outer skin of insects and leaves them vulnerable to evaporation of their internal fluids.

As a further benefit, Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids offer weed-, moss- and algae-killing properties.

Safer’s products that use Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids include:

Q: What does Pyrethrin do to insects?

A: Pyrethrins are compounds derived from chrysanthemum plants, which have a natural insecticidal adaptation. As an insecticide, pyrethrins target certain nerves of the insect, which ultimately leads to paralysis and death.

As a further benefit, Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids offer weed-, moss- and algae-killing properties.