8
in other words
february16
2017
Diggin’ in the Dirt: Name That Weed
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
Small Woodland Association tree sale
set for March 11
The Columbia County Small
Woodlands Association has an annual
tree sale in St. Helens. You can purchase
a variety of trees in very small quanti-
ties. The sale this year will be on March
11 at the Lawrence Oil parking lot (845
N. Columbia River Highway) in St. Hel-
ens from 8:30 am - 1:30pm. They sell
both forest tree seedlings, some native
shrubs, and some ornamental tree seed-
lings. Get there early for the best selec-
tion.
Slug Patrol
Herbaceous perennials are showing
green tips, vegetable starts can be pur-
chased, and onion sets should be planted
soon. So what time is it? It’s slug time.
Yes, they’re back. Of course, I know
they never left but at least they stayed
out of sight for a while. As slugs emerge
from under rocks and from cracks in the
soil, the wise gardener must take action.
Slug baits come in two basic
formulations. The most common active
ingredient is metaldehyde.
Vernonia
Veterinary Clinic
Small and Large Animals
Open
Mon, Wed & Saturday
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Call for Appointments
(503) 429-1612
Or 24 hr. Emergency Number (503) 397-6470
700 Weed Ave. Vernonia, OR
This compound, which by itself
isn’t particularly attractive to slugs,
is paired with something they will eat
readily. Once consumed, metaldehyde
causes intense mucous production and if
there is any sun, slugs quickly desiccate.
This compound works well as a quick
“knockdown” of the slug population and
depending on the bait material, may stay
active for several weeks. The big concern
with “meta” baits is their toxicity to pets,
especially dogs. Recent formulations
have tried to create repellent compounds
that dogs will avoid but slugs will not.
The jury is still out on whether they have
succeeded in both objectives. I would not
allow a dog in an area that has had recent
slug-bait treatment with metaldehyde.
There are many trade names of products
with metaldehyde in them.
Iron phosphate is the other com-
mon active ingredient. It is far less toxic
to pets, though I would still discourage a
dog from playing unattended in a heavily
baited area. It does not provide as quick
a knockdown as metaldehyde but over a
period of several weeks, seems to give
comparable control. The trick is to plan
ahead. Bait where you know dahlias or
other slug-attractive vegetation will soon
emerge or where you intend to transplant
tender vegetables. Trade names for these
materials include Sluggo and Escargo.
I have noticed that the Sluggo formula-
tion is eaten by juncos and towhees. So
we have taken to covering areas that we
have baited with Sluggo (or any pelleted
slug bait) with row cover to keep birds
away.
The non-chemical options
include:
• Chopping them with a hoe – best done
early in the morning and made easier
if you put some wooden boards in the
garden that they can crawl under. That
concentrates them and makes the time
spent per slug eliminated a lot less. This
is a fairly effi cient management method
if you are persistent. Best for the large
slugs (Arion ater). Not so useful for the
small gray garden slugs.
• Beer or yeasty sugar water placed in
a shallow pan – they are attracted to the
liquid and then drown. Makes kind of a
Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each month
on the 1st and 3rd Thursday.
Look for our next issue out March 2.
• Kitchen & Bathroom Remodels • Finish Carpentry
• Ceramic Tile Work • Custom Home Construction
• Additions • Commercial Tenant Improvements
Jim Morrison, Jr.
General Contractor
CCB# 112057
Ph: (503) 429-0154
MorrisonRemodeling@hughes.net
Vernonia, OR 97064
• Licensed • Bonded • Insured
gloppy mess. Don’t let your dog drink
beer! They don’t make good choices af-
terwards. Roads and drunk dogs don’t
mix.
• People have sprayed or dusted slugs
with lots of compounds, none of them
registered for this act. Favorites seem to
be dry salt and ammonia solutions. For
me, a quick hoe is easier but to each their
own.
• Diatomaceous earth and physical bar-
riers are not very effective.
• Chickens and ducks work well until
your seedlings and transplants start to
grow. Then the bird plant damage often
becomes more than desirable.
Name that weed!
A quick glance at the vegetable
garden and landscape beds will dem-
onstrate that our rather intense winter
to date may slow some weed germina-
tion a bit but it will recover quickly as
temperatures return to normal. Most of
these weeds are loosely classed as “win-
ter annuals.” The name indicates that
they are quite comfortable growing in
the cool and dimly lit months now with
us. Less competition equals freedom for
these plants. Some of the most common
species are chickweed, little bitter cress,
red dead nettle (not a nettle at all but a
tually learn accurate names for the weeds
(and other plants) in their garden. Once
you can properly identify a plant, you
can learn about its life cycle (annual, bi-
ennial, or perennial), how it spreads, and
get some ideas about its management.
So how can you learn to identify weeds?
Every gardener should have at least one
weed identifi cation book. One I have
found helpful for gardeners is Northwest
Weeds by Ronald Taylor. I have never
met Mr. Taylor nor do I have any knowl-
edge of his publisher, I just think it is a
good reference and modestly priced at
that. Another helpful approach is to give
the weeds that are particularly irritating
to you a name that you will remember
and associate with that weed. Then, if
you look in a book and see “popweed”
is little bitter cress or if you bring the
“Velcro plant” to the offi ce and I tell you
it is Galium or bedstraw, you will have
a better memory connection. Learning
weeds is not an overwhelming chal-
lenge. I think that if you learned forty
weeds, you will know most of the ones
that cause gardeners here heartburn. And
you will amaze your friends with your
brilliance! What could be more fun?
Take excess produce to the food bank,
senior centers, or community meals
programs. Cash donations to buy food
are also greatly appreciated.
The Extension Service offers its pro-
grams and materials equally to all
people.
Little bitter cress,
often called popweed or shotweed
plant in the mint family), and groundsel.
I get a lot of calls about the cress because
it can be so abundant. It is a somewhat
fl attened weed with a deep emerald leaf
color. It will soon start producing white
fl owers which then lead to seed pods that
expel their seeds with a vengeance once
they are ripe, hence the common name I
often hear of “popweed” or “shotweed.”
It is helpful for a gardener to ac-
Free newsletter
The Oregon State University
Extension offi ce in Columbia County
publishes a monthly newsletter on gar-
dening and farming topics (called Coun-
try 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
sign up for email notifi cation of when
to fi nd the latest edition on the web at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/colum-
bia/.
Contact information for the Extension
offi ce
Oregon State University Extension Ser-
vice – Columbia County
505 N. Columbia River Highway (across
from the Legacy clinic)
St. Helens, OR 97051 (503) 397-3462
Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
