8 • The Southwest Portland Post
FEATURES
April 2014
April is a good time to check the condition of potted plants
GARDEN MIND
By Rebecca Hart
April is a good time to check the
condition of garden plants, par-
ticularly potted plants, and after a
winter like the one we just had. So
cold, so much snow!
I do a lot of container gardening,
with some fancy pots but mostly
with potted plants awaiting the
perfect place to settle.
Often I buy bulbs or root divisions
when available, pot them up, and
grow them on until a permanent
place in the garden is ready. But oc-
casionally, if a winter is extreme, my
luck runs out, and I lose treasures.
In the past weeks I’ve examined
pots that should have shown signs
of life. Gone are several pots of white
hyacinths, red Lucifer crocosmia, sev-
eral excellent clumps of both white
Calla lilies and the less hardy colored
pastel strains.
If a plant is “gone,” normally I
recycle the soil for another go, and
toss the vegetative remains in either
the compost or garbage can. If I see
insect or fungal activity I toss it. I
examine the soil too, and if I see
wireworms that soil goes well away
from the garden.
You must be vigilant with cleanup.
However, the Muscari (grape hya-
cinths) are lovely—they are the color
of faded blue jeans. My Casa Blanca
lilies survived, and even show signs
of slug damage, so it’s never too
early for baiting. Or other unortho-
dox means.
Recommended slug and
snail control
Some of you are familiar with
the good work done by Portland’s
Xerces Society, a group committed
to enhancing the existence of pol-
linators and particularly Monarch
butterflies (http://www.xerces.org).
Robert Michael Pyle is a founder
and his recommended method for
slug control is this: “Go into the
garden and pluck any and all slugs
and snails, put into a small paper
bag. Label the bag. Put the bag in the
freezer. After a few days, discard the
bag in trash or compost.”
Pyle’s reasoning? The gastropods
are sentient creatures, and do not
deserve to die an agonizing death,
no more than anything does. The
freezer duplicates nature’s slow
quiet death. This is how we deal
with gastropods at my house.
Do it yourself project: The
Crockpot Paraffin Dip Treat
Do you get stiff and sore hands
after a prolonged time in the garden?
Here’s a comforting non-analgesic
solution, easily made from on-hand
supplies.
A hand paraffin dip is a process
using melted paraffin wax to tem-
porarily seal moist heat into your
hands. It’s a simple salon treatment
and easily duplicated at home.
Basically, paraffin is heated in a
designated crockpot, blended with
a lubricant and essential oils, then
temperature-tested with a handy
candy thermometer to ensure a safe
experience! The treatment is good
for reducing pain and to loosen up
hand and finger joints.
You will need:
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) of paraffin wax.
1 cup of mineral oil.
Essential oils. (At least use
lavender, and tea tree for
microbial properties; add about
20 drops of each scent.)
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Robert Michael Pyle has some humane ideas on how to deal with gastropods like this
brown snail.
Crockpot or double boiler.
A candy thermometer.
Plastic wrap or plastic bags.
Terry cloth towel.
Process:
Melt the wax (use low heat); stir
in the mineral oil and essential oils.
Turn off the heat. Allow the wax to
cool; test with thermometer.
Wash hands to keep paraffin clean
for re-use. Generally, paraffin does
not harbor conditions that favor bac-
teria. Start your dip when the tem-
perature reads 125 to 130 degrees.
Relax your hand, dip it into the
paraffin. Note: Be very careful not
to contact the sides or bottom of the
hot crockpot. Do not “soak” in the wax.
Lift your hand out; repeat 8-12
times. Then wrap your hands in the
plastic bags; then wrap hand with
a towel. Leave paraffin on for 20
minutes.
Relax, for about 20 minutes, then
unwrap your hand and carefully
peel the paraffin from your hand,
back into the pot. The wax can be
melted and used again.
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