PARKS AND HORTICULTURE
Healthy Practices for a Healthy lawn!
There are presently some alternatives to maintain
your lawn without damaging the environment.
For example, recently a product called “Persea”
contains a package to maintain your grass from
the beginning of spring right to autumn, for an
area of 3000 square foot.
Besides a complete instruction guide, every kit con-
tains some Neem oil that allows the grass to resist
to stress, as well as a bio-stimulant and some fish
emulsion fertilizer to improve the growth and the
strength, by building the natural immune system of
your lawn. The kit also includes a handy tool that
will help you to remove undesirable weeds. If you
need more information, please consult their web-
site at: HTTPWWWPERSEACAINDEXPHPLANGEn.
However, we should pursue our search to find the
best way to take care of our lawn with respect to
the by-laws.
First, seek to improve your soil by using the good
practices in order to make your lawn more resist-
ant, dense and vigorous, since healthy lawns are
less sensitive to harmful insects. Improving your
lawn maintenance practices often avoids the use
THE POPULATION AWARENESS PROGRAM CONTINUES
THIS YEAR WITH THE ADDITION OF THE FOLLOWING
Many information brochures on insects, weeds,
proper maintenance practices for your lawn,
etc. are available at the Parks and Horticultural
ARLACA HTTPWWWOMAFRAGOVONCa
Division of the Public Works Department, 94
Douglas-Shand, 2nd floor.
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS FOR
THE USE OF PESTICIDES
If you wish to obtain more specific information
NATURe
pertaining to the alternative products for the
use of pesticides, or on the biological products,
gardening, trees and shrubs, grass, devastating
insects and diseases, you may contact:
THE EUROPEAN BUCKTHORN, A SHRUB TO CONTROL
We can find the European buckthorn (Rhamnus
cathartica L.) in Québec. The shrub which may
vary from 2 to 7 meters tall, has many thorns.
The leaves are more or less oval from 3 to 6 cm in
length and have green flowers. Blossoming take
place in spring shortly after leaves appear.
One of the characteristics to identify this plant is
that the foliage will remain green until late fall.
The berries are round and black individually set
with short stalks clustered among the leaves. Each
fruit contains two or three haul seeds very bitter
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and extremely cathartic and dangerous.
14
of pesticides, gives long-term results and prevents
other problems of devastating insects while pro-
tecting the useful ones. You can inquire about
available and suitable integrated pest manage-
ment (mechanical, physical, biological and chem-
ical) to fight against the concerned population.
Therefore, in August-September,
it is recommended to:
> Mow the lawn at approximately 7,5 cm;
> After mowing, leave the clippings on the ground
(GRASSCYCLING);
> Water in depth and if needed (approximately
2,5 cm of water weekly);
> If the soil is too compacted, aerate the lawn;
> Check the pH and if needed, apply lime;
> Use a 100% natural fertilizer and read the rec-
ommendations of the manufacturer;
> Apply 0,5 cm of compost;
> Over sow the sparse areas and the ones dam-
aged by dryness or by insects.
During autumn:
> Use the dead leaves as a source of natural car-
bon by shredding them with the lawn mower; if
there are too many, pick them up and use them
in the compost;
> Pest management regulatory agency (ARLA)
HTTPWWWHEALTHYLAWNSNET
HTTPWWWPMRA
> Coalition pour les alternatives aux pesticides:
(CAP)
www.cap-Québec.com
> The Botanical Garden:
WWWVILLEMONTREALQCCAJARDINCARNEt
> Ministère du Développement durable,
Environnement et Parcs du Québec (MODEP)
HTTPWWWMENVGOUVQCCa
> Ministère de l’agriculture, Pêcheries et
Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ)
HTTPWWWMAPAQGOUVQCCA
This shrub, originated from Europe has become
a nightmare for some parks and forests of the
Island of Montreal and along the St-Lawrence
River. This specie is classified as invasive and
poisons the earth around it; by doing so, it kills
all other plants and takes their place. Berries
are eaten by birds who spread the seeds in
their droppings.
It is important to properly identify the European
buckthorn and to control it. To eliminate a small
isolated plant, you must pull it or dig it out, for
the more mature plants it needs to be cut at the
> It is not too late to over sow if you have forgot-
ten to do so earlier in the season;
> You should sow when the weather during day
time is inferior to 5 oC because low temperature
will prevent germination of the seeds through-
out winter when the earth is cold and covered
with snow. Seeds will germinate in Spring with
the warm weather;
> It is not too late to fertilize;
> It is not too late to apply lime but do not make
an application after the soil is frozen;
> If needed, for the last cut of the season, cut at
5 cm high.
> Ministry of agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs (omafra)
> Université McGill, Faculté des sciences de
l’agriculture et de l’environnement
LE SINMU: “Service de l’information sur la
nature en milieu urbain”
Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon
and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 514-398-7882.
HTTPWWWAGRENVMCGILLCAURBAN
HTTPWWWMCGILLCANRs
> Garden and renovation centres
> Librairies
surface of the soil. The permanent solution is to
remove the stumps and roots.
For more information about the European buck-
thorn, you may consult the following websites.
> WWWMAPAQGOUVQCCQDGARARICOHERBIERV
rhamnherbier-rhact.htm
> WWWCBIFGCCAPLSPPPPACKINFo?
> WWWCWS
www.ville.pointe-claire.qc.ca