8
in other words
january18
2018
Diggin’ in the Dirt: Moss and Lichens on Trees
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
Master Gardener™ class signups
being taken for class in St. Helens
The OSU Extension office in
Columbia County will be offering the
Master Gardener™ training again this
spring. The classes will be held on Mon-
days from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm for about
10 weeks starting on February 5, 2018
at the OSU Extension office in St. Hel-
ens. Cost of the program is $95 which
includes a large resource book. Master
Gardeners are responsible for provid-
ing volunteer gardening education to the
community as partial payback for the
training. If interested in the program,
call the Extension office at (503) 397-
3462 for an information packet. Online
registration is now available at http://
extension.oregonstate.edu/columbia/
master-gardener-volunteer-program. We
can also send you an application and you
can come into our office to sign up.
Thinking of Spring: Everything
you need to know about seeds
There will be a program at the
St. Helens Library on Wednesday, Janu-
ary 24, from 6:30 until 8:00 pm on seed
starting, seed selection, and seed saving.
The program is free and open to all. It
will include topics like hybrid versus
heirloom seed, good planting tech-
niques, and seed germination problems.
Grafting workshop in February
The OSU Extension office in St.
Helens will be hosting a grafting work-
shop tentatively scheduled for Satur-
day, February 10 from 9:00 am - 12:00
pm. Participants will be taught how to
graft apple scions onto dwarf apple root-
stocks. Each participant will receive five
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.
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 li-
chens. 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
mosses and lichens for nesting materi-
als. So you can make a good argument
for not worrying about moss/lichens on
landscape trees that don’t need a dor-
mant spray. But don’t hesitate to spray
your fruit trees. Sulfur or copper dor-
mant sprays are a key part of home or-
chard disease management.
Whitewash to stop sun scald
Winter sun scald occurs when
tree bark is exposed to bright sunshine.
The sunlight coaxes the semi-dormant
bark tissues to life. Then those cambial
tissues require moisture. Yet the roots
and the rest of the tree are still dormant
and can’t move the necessary moisture.
The warmed bark dehydrates
and dies. Damage is usually on the south
side of the trunk and isn’t noticed un-
til spring or on into summer, then the
cracked bark will start to slough away
from the trunk.
Whitewashing the trunk effec-
tively lowers bark temperatures. Old
time whitewash formulas used mixtures
of hydrated lime. Call if you want some
old recipes. Many modern gardeners and
farmers use cheap exterior white latex
paint for the job, cut 50% with water.
Many Extension publications avail-
able online
Are you putting up salsa, saving
seeds, or thinking about planting grapes?
OSU has a large number of its publica-
tions available for free download. Just
go to https://catalog.extension.oregon-
state.edu/. Click on publications and
start exploring.
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.
Free newsletter
The Oregon State University
Extension office 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 notification of when
to find the latest edition on the web at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/colum-
bia/.
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
Vernonia’s Voice is published twice each
month on the 1st and 3rd Thursday.
Look for our next issue on February 1.
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