in other words
Diggin’ in the Dirt: Grafting and Pruning
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
2014 OSU/Columbia Master
Gardener™ Class Will Be Held
in Vernonia (again)
After twenty-one years of
having the Master Gardener classes in
St. Helens, Vernonia hosted the class
in 2010. It was a wonderful class. After
discussion with a number of people, we
have decided to come back to Vernonia
for the 2014 class. The classes will be
held at the Vernonia Learning Center
each Thursday from about 10:00 am – 3
p.m. starting March 6th. 2014; there will
be about 10 class days on successive
weeks. Classes will start in March to
avoid the worst weather and will go
through early May. Cost of the class
series will still be $75. Gardeners from
all parts of the county are welcome.
The classes will cover vegetable and
fruit gardening, soils and fertilizers,
insect and disease identification and
management, weed identification and
management, and lots of other topics of
interest to gardeners.
Payback projects (an obligation
for all Master Gardeners™) will be
focused in the Vernonia area and nearby
communities. If you are interested in
the Vernonia OSU Master Gardener
program, please call Chip Bubl at the
OSU Extension office 503 397-3462 to
get more information and to get on the
mailing/email list.
Grafting workshop in February
The OSU Extension office in
St. Helens will be hosting a grafting
workshop on February 8th from 9 a.m.-
12:00 p.m. Participants will be taught
how to graft apple scions on to dwarf
apple rootstocks. Each participant
will receive 5 rootstocks to work with
and supplies to secure the graft. Scion
varieties will be available or participants
can bring their own varieties they wish
to graft. Cost of the workshop is $15.
The class is limited to 20 people so
early registration will assure a place. To
register or for more information, call the
Extension office at 503-397-3462.
Pruning
January and February are prime
pruning months. We have an excellent
bulletin called Pruning to Restore
a Neglected Apple Tree that can be
downloaded or picked up at our office.
The two most important pieces
of pruning advice are:
• Learn what a branch collar is (a
swelling where the branch joins the limb
The Black Iron Grill
or trunk) and make the final pruning cut
to the outside of the collar. That way,
the wound can heal. We used to look for
“flush” cuts but no longer.
• Try to make as many “heading” cuts
as possible (cutting back to another
lateral branch). This will tend to reduce
suckering and strengthen remaining
branches.
The objectives of shade and fruit
tree pruning are necessarily different.
With the fruit tree, you prune to make
the tree easy to pick and spray and to
encourage good fruit production.
Landscape trees are best pruned
lightly to establish their natural form, to
remove limbs that interfere with roads
or walks, and to remove any diseased or
dead branches. Beyond that they should
be left alone.
Dormant sprays and moss and lichens
on trees
I have had several calls about
whether the dormant sprays lime sulfur
or copper will eliminate moss and
lichens. The answer is that they will, but
it is a slow process. Both types of sprays
will kill the moss/lichens but it can take
a long time for them to weather away,
often up to several years. Some people
pull off the mosses and lichens prior to
spraying, which speeds the process.
It is worth noting that mosses
and lichens do not hurt the tree. They
are not parasitic. Rather, they use the
tree to hang on. They extract nutrients
from rainwater and photosynthesize
sugars from sunlight. Many birds look
for insects within the lichen and moss
colonies. Hummingbirds and others use
january16
2014
9
mosses and lichens for nesting materials.
So you can make a good argument for
not worrying about moss/lichens on
landscape trees that don’t need a dormant
spray. But don’t hesitate to spray your
fruit trees. Sulfur or copper dormant
sprays are a key part of home orchard
disease management.
Take extra produce you might have to the
food bank, senior centers, or community
meals programs. Cash donations to buy
food are also greatly appreciated.
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
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