Until about 3 years ago, I had no seasonal allergies. Now, every year in the last 2 weeks of August, I start sneezing and snotting. I am pretty sure that I have ragweed pollen allergy. I have a home in the country, with a lot of about 1 acre. According to the weather network the nearest cities (Ottawa and Montreal) there is only one allergen pollen present in the air right now in any quantity, and that is ragweed.
Yesterday, my neighbour pointed out that I am running a ragweed sanctuary on my lot. I had no idea what the plant even looked like. Now I find that the ditches around my property are about 80% made up of this plant just coming into flower.
Can any fellow sufferers tell me if pulling this stuff on my own property really makes a difference? I mean, if they publish a pollen index for an entire city, is it possible that just pulling my local crop would help my condition appreciably, or am I just spitting in the ocean? Is the stuff all around me in the air anyhow, or will pulling a few hundred plants off my property help in some way?
The answer depends on how common ragweed is in the surrounding area. If there’s millions of plants upwind of your property, taking out a few won’t matter. But if you’re the primary local producer, it’s likely your house is within your own personal fallout plume.
In my personal experience, it can help. My allergies seem to get worse when I am in close proximity to the plants. The ones in my next-door neighbor’s yard bother me a little bit. Walking past the ones in my driveway bothers me more. And when they grow underneath my bedroom window, it bothers me a lot.
You can’t control what grows in your neighbor’s yard, but if you get rid of the ones close to your house, it will help a lot. Also, try to get rid of them before they develop the seed-heads.
You might also want to see an allergist, and get thoroughly tested, to see exactly which plants you are allergic to. It might be something you don’t suspect.
Think of it this way. If a man smokes a cigar 50 yards up the street, the molecules will be spread out enough into your window that you might barely catch a whiff of it. If he smokes right outside your window, you’ll get the full aroma. So, if you pull your own ragweed, your dose of ragweed pollen will be smaller.
Harriet the Spry has a point, but if you pull up the plants before they flower, there’s no pollen to torment you.
I am allergic to pecans and have found that pulling up seedlings, raking leaves (even very old leaves), and mowing the yard where the pecan tree is, will trigger my allergy. I found this out after moving into a house with a huge pecan tree in the front yard.
Best bet would be to have someone else deal with the ragweed for you.
