NORTHBROOK — Northbrook residents who want their lawns to shine can take some advice from Expert Gardener Michael Brouillard, who is the grounds Operation Manager for the village.
Brouillard, who previously spent eight years working at the Chicago Botanic Garden, shared tips and ideas Thursday about how to make a yard look its best during a “Four Seasons of Landscaping” event at the Northbrook Leisure Center. He is passionate about what he does. “I love this industry, love the plants, and love learning about them,” said Brouillard.
He said the most important advice he can give is to not cut the lawn too short. “You only want to take off one-third of its height, otherwise you’ll stress it out,” said Brouillard, who has a Masters in Plant Science.
The stress will be evident because the grass will yellow and it will affect the root system. He added that even if the grass is a foot tall, do not just cut it all at once. Instead, do it little by little, only taking one-third off at a time.
Brouillard also suggests using a sharp blade, switching up the mowing patterns, aerating the lawn, fertilizing by either drop or rotary (just be sure to notice where you have already fertilized, he said), seeding, watering, and being aware of the different diseases and weeds.
“You have to know your weeds and what you’re dealing with. Is it an annual, a perennial? You should identify it first because if you don’t know, then you can’t fix it,” he noted.
Many of the event-goers asked Brouillard specific questions about their lawns.
Questions about landscapers were common, and Brouillard said that communication is key. He said to ask any questions and talk about products, treatment, and grass cutting, among other things, so that expectations are clear.
Brouillard also shared some garden tips with the close to 30 event participants. He suggests mulching, weeding and cutting back the plants on your property. He also urged local gardeners to watch for girdling roots, and to be aware of the planting depth and location.
“Make sure that you plant low enough, and also look at the plant site because there needs to be enough room around it. Use correct spacing,” he said.
Working with insects is also important.
“I practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with plant health care, so pesticides are used as a last resort,” said Brouillard. First, all other options should be used such as cultural care, watering, pruning, and mulching.
He also showed pictures to distinguish good insects from bad insects. “Many people might not know what the larva stage of a lady bug looks like, but its important to see so that we don’t kill lady bugs,” he said.
The biggest problem that he has seen around the North Shore area is the emerald ash borer. It is a shiny green beetle from Asia that feeds on ash trees and is responsible for killing more than 30 million trees in the northeastern United States and Canada.
When something like this occurs, identifying the problem correctly is the first step. “Bring in an expert, or bring a sample to somebody who knows about it,” said Brouillard.
“This is the first program that we have done cooperatively with the library, and it’s great to co-op with two government agencies,” said Nancy Graham, the senior center supervisor at the Northbrook Park District. “We also utilized staff that we have on hand, so it’s a free event.”
Graham said that the fourth and final talk of the series will be in August, and they might even continue for next year.
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