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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2018)
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM ܂ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018 ܂ 3B ‘Peat-free’ potting soil aids environment Gardening Carol Savonen Guest columnist Question: Dear Carol, I often trans plant my houseplants into new soil and pots in the winter. And each year, I buy indoor potting soil, I go through the ago ny of indecision. Peat moss is often an ingredient in the bagged potting mix tures. But these days, I’m seeing coir, or coconut husk material advertised as a more environmentally friendly soil amendment in potting mixes. Could you shed some light on this? Answer: Both these fibers, peat moss and coir, are used as ingredients in pot ting soils for their water holding capac ity. They also add bulk to the soil, which promotes good air circulation in the soil. Peat moss has been mined for centu ries from wetlands known as peatlands or bogs. Chunks of peat have been cut out, dried and used for cooking and heating by people in northern latitudes that live where trees or other fuels are scarce. Ireland, Scotland, northern Can ada and other northern cultures have typically used these fuels. More recently, horticulturists have used peat moss in gardens and contain er plants. Sphagnum is the genus that has many species of these acidproduc ing mosses. The acidity they secrete in hibits bacterial growth and decomposi tion, so the moss layers build up over time. Thick layers of peat mosses, some times dozens of feet deep, have such tremendous water holding capacity. Layer upon layer builds up, eventually forming vast acidic wetlands. These peat wetlands are the single largest terrestrial store of carbon on earth, say, scientists. When humans mine peat, carbon gets released to the atmosphere, thereby contributing to at mospheric carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) increases. Peat builds up only about a quarter inch per year. Harvest ing removes deep layers of peat that are thousands of years old. Classified as wetlands, peat bogs help purify and store water. Over the last 40 years, professionals have identified more environmentally friendly soil amendments, including co conut coir, paper waste, and mixtures of other agricultural and industrial by products. In the UK, they have vastly curtailed the horticultural use of peat and are using alternatives. Kew Gardens has been peatfree since 1992. It takes some sleuthing, but it is pos sible to find alternatives to peat moss in seedling, potting and fertile mixes. Here are some things to pay attention to while shopping for potting mixes and amend ments. Read the labels on sacks of soil amendments, such as potting soil and planting mix. Ask for ingredient lists at landscape supply houses. Then request “peatfree” mixtures. Just because it is labeled “organic” or “green” doesn’t mean it’s peatfree. In fact, it could well contain 70 to 100 percent peat. Read the fine print. A peatfree mix will often highlight that fact in large print on the label. Peat is high in fiber, which maintains good porespace. It retains water and is low in nutrients. Peat is acidic. Func tional substitutes for peat include: PUBLIC NOTICE Flu season is here but it’s not too late for shot City of Silverton Municipal Court - Amnesty Program Have any outstanding court-ordered fines and fees with the City of Silverton Municipal Court? City of Silverton Municipal Court is offering a o- ne-time only amnesty program to forgive 50% of your balance when you pay in full between De- cember 1, 2018 through February 28, 2019. For more information please visit: http://www.s ilverton.or.us/courtamnesty or contact the City of Silverton Finance Department at 503-873-5321 option#1 you cough or sneeze ܂ Clean/disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs ܂ If you have respiratory symp toms, don’t visit sick people in the hospital, or if you must be here, wear a mask during your visit. David Davis Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK While influenza season has al ready arrived in Oregon, officials say it’s not too late to get a flu shot. “Ideally you’re vaccinated be fore it hits,” says Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical director for communica ble disease and immunizations at Oregon Health Authority. But Cieslak says the vaccine can re duce the severity of symptoms and make it less likely that you’ll land in the hospital. The message comes as the Centers for Disease Control & Pre vention kicks off National Influ enza Vaccination Week during the first full week in December. A man receives an influenza vaccination at a pharmacy in October 2018. Officials say it's not too late to get the flu shot. JOE RAEDLE, GETTY IMAGES two weeks to produce antibodies necessary to combat influenza. In addition to getting the flu shot Julie Koch, infection preven tion manager at Salem Health, says people should be taking pre ventative actions to reduce expo sure and spread of the flu includ ing: ܂ Wash your hands ܂ Avoid close contact with sick people ܂ Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth ܂ Use good respiratory hy giene: Cover your nose and mouth with your elbow or a tissue when Vaccines still widely available Vaccine providers say supply has kept pace with demand this year and flu shots can be easily found across the state. Flu shot seekers can find out lets near them by visiting flu.oregon.gov. After getting the flu shot, it generally takes the human body Juzgado Municipal de Silverton - Programa de Amnistía ¿Debe usted multas o costas judiciales al Juzgado Municipal de Silverton? El Juzgado Municipal de Silverton ofrece un programa de amnistía donde solo en esta única ocasión se perdonará 50% de su balance si usted lo paga por completo entre el 1ero de diciembre 2018 y el 28 de febrero 2019. Para más información por favor visite http://w ww.silverton.or.us/courtamnesty o contacte al Departamento de Finanzas de la Ciudad de Sil- verton al 503-873-5321 opción #1 Silverton Appeal December 12 , 2018 Last flu season was severe While early influenza numbers are tracking close to last year, it’s still too early to tell if this flu sea son will be as severe as last, which was the deadliest in four decades according to estimates from the CDC. “We lost 80,000 people last year to the flu,” CDC director Dr. Robert Redfieldtold the Associat ed Press earlier this year. The number is a jump from CDC estimates of flu deaths in re cent years which have ranged from 12,000 to 56,000. The number of adults who got a flu shot also declined from the previous season. An estimated 37.1 percent of Americans aged 18 and older got a flu shot, a drop of 6.2 percent from the 201617 sea son. PUBLIC POLICY NOTICES Public Notices are published by the Statesman Journal and available online at w w w .S ta te s m a n J o u r n a l.c o m . The Statesman Journal lobby is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can reach them by phone at 503-399-6789. In order to receive a quote for a public notice you must e-mail your copy to SJLegals@StatesmanJournal.com , and our Legal Clerk will return a proposal with cost, publication date(s), and a preview of the ad. LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICE DEADLINES All Legals Deadline @ 1:00 p.m. on all days listed below: ***All Deadlines are subject to change when there is a Holiday. The Silverton Appeal Tribune is a one day a week (Wednesday) only publication • Wednesday publication deadlines the Wednesday prior LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICE RATES Silverton Appeal Tribune: • Wednesdays only - $12.15/per inch/per time • Online Fee - $21.00 per time • Affidavit Fee - $10.00 per Affidavit requested CLASSIFIEDS Find a new job or career Discover Discover Disc Di scov sc over ov er your y your ourr new ou new ne w ho home home me JOBS.STATESMANJOURNAL.COM Kirsten Barnes Brokers licensed in Oregon Broker 503.873.3545 ext. 326 Ryan Wertz Broker 873-3545 ext. 322 Auctions, pets, services & stuff STUFF StatesmanJournal.com/classifieds in print Wednesday through Sunday STATESMANJOURNAL.COM/HOMES SERVING THE EAST VALLEY SINCE 1975 Principal Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 314 Place an ad online 24/7 at StatesmanJournal.com or call 503-399-6789 • 1-800-556-3975 AUTO TRUST THE HOMETOWN EXPERTS Michael ichael Schmid Schmidt silvertonappeal.com Turn here for your next vehicle HOMES & RENTALS JOBS Composted bark, made from by products of the forest industry. On its own, composted bark it makes a great soil improver for poor or heavy soil. Largergrade chipped bark is often used as weedsuppressing mulch. An added plus is that composted bark has been shown to suppress root diseases. The downside to bark is that if it is incompletely composted, it has a very high in carbon to nitrogen ratio; bacteria breaking it down in the soil can “rob” ni trogen from the soil and your plants. But if it is well composted and is only one ingredient in a wellbalanced multipur pose compost mix, it has shown to be a good substitute for peat. Next week, I’ll talk about coir, or “co co peat,” another peat substitute and some other amendments that can sub stitute for peat. Carol Savonen is a naturalist and writer. She is an associate professor emeritus at OSU and tends a large gar- den in the Coast Range Hills west of Phi- lomath with her husband and dogs. She can be reached at Carol.Savonen@ore- gonstate.edu or c/o: EESC, 422 Kerr Ad- min. Bldg., OSU, Corvallis, OR 97331. 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