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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2012)
6 community june26 2012 Diggin in the Dirt: Zombie Trees and Shrubs! By Chip Bubl 2012 Summer Food Preservation Classes Call now to reserve your spot! Back by popular demand are our OSU Extension summer food preservation classes taught by Jenny Rudolph. This series of classes is great for both the beginner and the experienced canner. Classes will be held in St. Helens at the First Lutheran Church on 360 Wyeth Street (the corner of North 4th and Wyeth). Class size is limited to allow for hands-on involvement in the kitchen: July 11, 5:30 to 8:30 pm – Jams and Jellies; July 25th, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Fruits and Pie Fillings; August 8th, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Pressure Canning Vegetables and Meats; August 22nd, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Canning Pickles, Tomatoes and Salsas. Cost to attend is $20 per class or $70 for all four. A small number of scholarships are available. Payment must be made in advance to hold your spot. Contact the OSU Extension Service – Columbia County office at 503- 397- 3462 to register. Soil crusting Some seeds really have to struggle. Carrot, lettuce, dill, beet and chard all have to work to get through soils that have formed a significant crust. Given our standard clay-based soils and any rainfall or sprinkler irrigation, crusting is a fact of life. The enterprising gardener will plan for crusts. Sensitive seed should be sowed in furrows and covered with potting mix instead of soil. Floating row covers, which are useful in keeping the carrot rust fly out of the carrot patch, also intercept the drops of rain and allow the water to float softly to earth, slowing the crusting process. The addition of organic matter to soils will lower reduce the crusting potential. Zombie trees and shrubs Every gardener makes mistakes. Most of the time, the mistakes can be pulled up, composted, and forgotten. But there are some plants that don’t go quietly. Certain annual plants are prolific self-seeders and will supply your garden with their progeny for years to come. Herbaceous perennials like comfrey and the Japanese knotweed group have very persistent crowns and running roots which can be a huge challenge to completely eliminate. But the most desperate calls I get are from homeowners that cut down a particular tree or shrub and thought that was the end of the story. Then the root suckers start to appear (the dead alive), spreading their shoots through lawns, flower beds, and anywhere else they can get some sun. If you mow these woody shoots, others quickly appear. Pulling them is difficult and not all that effective unless you are very, very persistent. Here is a list of some trees and shrubs that cause most of the aggravation: locusts, some ornamental and edible stone fruits (cherries and plum rootstocks, especially), Japanese quince (a shrub), some willows, some aspens and cottonwoods, sumac, Chinese elm, Liquidamber (sweetgum) and Rose of Sharon. If you have one of these trees and plan to remove it, you can treat the cut surface within 20 minutes of cutting by painting on an undiluted herbicide containing glyphosate (Roundup and other trade names) or triclopyr (Crossbow and other trade names). This approach is usually successful, though not always giving 100% control. The only organic stump treatments I have seen involve drilling holes in the stump and pouring rock salt into them. Results have been mixed with good results sometimes and little or no impact on other situations and/or species. If the tree or shrub was removed last year and now you have an invasion zombie suckers, treatment is more complicated. If you can make a new cut on the stump into still living wood, the herbicide paint-on treatment should still work. If no living wood is apparent, then your treatments have to focus on the shoots. The leaves continually renew the carbohydrate storage in the roots. If you never take vacations for several years and daily patrol to remove suckers, you might be able to wear out the roots. This was recently described as “carb starve” by a local resident to whom I was talking about her particular invasive sprout problem. It really does work if you are persistent. You can dig out “sprouting” roots that are close to the surface. This is also effective but often hard work. Mowing can be useful on some species and quite ineffective on others. The leaves can help move an herbicide down to the roots, especially in the fall when the tree is stocking up for winter. You might have to live with the suckers for several months and then treat with an appropriate herbicide in early October. Triclopyr doesn’t damage grass but is hard on most other plants. Glyphosate is completely non-selective and can damage both grass and broadleaves. Use any herbicide you purchase with care and follow all label directions. Plant an extra row or two (or three!) of vegetables for the Food Bank. What produce you can donate is really important. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people. Free newsletter The Oregon State University Extension office in Columbia County publishes a monthly newsletter on gardening and farming topics (called County Living) written/edited by yours truly. All you need to do is ask for it and it will be mailed to you. Call 503 397- 3462 to be put on the list. Alternatively, you can find it on the web at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/ columbia/ and click on newsletters. Contact information for the Extension office Oregon State University Extension Service – Columbia County 505 N. Columbia River Highway (across from the Legacy clinic) St. Helens, OR 97051 503 397-3462 Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu Wauna Federal Credit Union Recognized by Oregon Business Magazine and Portland Business Journal Debi Smiley Stacey Poor Wauna Federal Credit Union has been listed in the Top 100 Best Green Businesses to Work for in Oregon, sponsored by Oregon Business magazine. Based on its widely recognized Top 100 Businesses to Work for in Oregon, the Top 100 Green Businesses list is based on the results of an individual employee survey and an independent assessment of the employers’ sustainability practices. The Credit Union has also been recently recognized by the Portland Business Journal as a Top 5 Healthiest Employer in Oregon. The Healthiest Employers in Oregon recognizes employers based on their employee wellness programs and their innovative ways to reduce absenteeism and lower the average medical costs per employee. Wauna Federal Credit Union was ranked 4th in the Employers with 2-99 total employees. “We are extremely proud of our organization’s commitment to programs that support doing the right thing for an internal and external environment, including our Green Initiatives Program launched in 2008 and the exciting activities associated with improving the wellness of our employees and their families,” reported Debi Smiley, Executive Vice President & COO. Smiley, CEO & President Robert Blumberg, and Bob Horness, Building Maintenance Technician and architect of the Green Initiatives program, represented the Credit Union during the recent Top 100 Best Green Businesses to Work for in Oregon recognition luncheon. According to Smiley, the success of the Credit Union stems from 100% participation by the staff in the Green Initiatives program. “Having someone such as Bob to help champion our green program has been instrumental in our staff following recycle and energy-efficiency practices, both at work and at home.” A total of 431 businesses submitted an entry in the 2012 award program. The June edition of the Oregon Business magazine features the entire list of the 100 Best Green Businesses to Work for in Oregon. Wauna Federal Credit Union is the only credit union listed in the Top 100, and the only business listed from Clatsop and Columbia Counties. Stacey Poor, Training Coordinator, and Megan Gillespie, Call Center Representative and fellow Wellness Committee member, represented the Credit Union during the Healthiest Employers in Oregon recognition event. Wauna FCU Recognized as Top Oregon Business
