18
Grashom Outlook
Tu«»
March 30 1982 Sandy Po» t Thor»
Apr.l I
1982
Thatch can su ffo ca te yo u r law n
Thatch build-up in the home lawn can
prevent grass from having the breathing
space it needs to grow properly
‘ Thatch is the accumulation of old
leaves, stems and grass clippings a the
base of the grass plant,” says Ray
McNeilan, Oregon State University Exten
sion home gardening agent
Thatch causes many lawn problems
The layer it forms prevents water and
nutrients from reaching the roots of the
grass Thatch may also harbor weeds and
plant diseases and it prevents the lawn
from being cut at a correct height because
it raises the cutting level of the
lawnmower
Fescues, bluegrasses and bentgrasses
all develop a thatch of dead plan, material
on the soil surface Dwarf ryegrasses are
slow to develop thatch
Bentgrasses usually require yearly
thatch removal, says McNeilan Bluegrass
and fescue lawns, on the other hand, re
quire thatching less frequently
Most of Oregon s bentgrass lawns are
found in the Willamette Valley and on the
Oregon coast Bentgrass isn , used in mast
lawns east of the Cascades and doesn't
grow well south of the Willamette Valley
The size of the lawn dictates the type of
dethachmg tool that is most appropriate A
hand rake will do the job on lawns less than
a thousand square feet in size On larger
lawns, thatching is more easily ac
S tra w b e rry g ro w in g
is a delicate science
Successfully growing strawberries in
the home garden requires liberal doses
of effort and patience, bu, the returns
are worth the investment
New strawberry beds can be planted
in the spring after the danger of severe
frost has passed, says Ray McNeilan,
Oregon State University Extension
home gardening agent
Most garden stores and nurseries
have several strawberry varieties to
choose from For ties, results grow
thOM varieties developed for Oregon
climates because strawberries perform
best in the area where they originated
Two ajor types are available June
bearing and everbearing June bearers
produce one crop of berries in late spr
ing or early summer Everbearers pro
duce one crop In June and another in
late summer or fall
In areas where late spring frosts may
kill the June crop, everbearers usually
provide a summer or fall harvest
Check with your local garden store or
nursery for the best type of strawberry
variety to grow in your area
“ Look for plants that are certified
disease free when buying strawberry
tra n s p la n ts ," M cN eilan suggests
“ Non certified plants often carry
several virus and pest problems
Strawberries require fertile, well
drained soils, full sunlight and mild
winter temperatures They should be
planted on a site that has good air cir
culation and no poc kets 1 « cold air or
frost Avoid planting strawberries in
a rea s p rev io u sly used to grow
FITS LIKE GLOVE
Ezekiel Case, in 1103
sta rte d m a n u fa c tu rin g
gloves in G lo ve rs vtlle .
N Y . a town that eventual
ly became famous as a
glove-making center. —
CNS
HEART ON
YOUR SLEEVE
Young European women
in the Middle Ages would
plate their names in a box
tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and non
certified berry plants to reduce the
chance of diseases from contaminated
soil
Prior to planting, spread one quart of
a dry 8-10-4 fertilizer, or one similar,
uniformly over 100 feet of row area and
work it into the top six inches of soil
When planting, spread the roots out and
down and set the plant crown at soil
level
The matted row planting system is
often used lor June bearers Plants are
spaced at 1 4 to 2 foot intervals with
rows 3 to 3 4 feet apart Then runners
are allowed to develop and produce new
plants that form a matted row 18 inches
wide The remaining space between
rows is kept clear.
The hill system is preferred for
everbearers, although it is also used for
June bearers Plants are spaced 12 to 15
inches apart with rows 2 4 to 3 feet
apart All runners are cut and removed
during the growing season
Six weeks after planting, apply one
pint of ammonium nitrate per 100 feet
of row and water it into the soil Apply
the fertilizer when the leaves are dry to
avoid fertilizer burn to the leaves and
crowns
complished with a lawn dethatcher
available on a rental basis at many garden
stores
To remove thatch, McNeilan suggests
first mowing the lawn as low as possible
and removing all the clippings Then set
the dethatcher to slice into the thatch close
to the soil surface, go over the lawn and
remove all the resulting debris
After this step, run the dethatcher
across the lawn again in a direction
crosswise to the first cutting After remov
ing the debris a second time, set the lawn
mower as low as p<»ssible and mow the
lawn again Removal of clippings from the
last mowing completes the dethatching
process
GIRL FORBIDDEN
TO BUY NIGHTGOWN
Nightgowns were consid
ered an affectation as late
as 1908 when a Chicago
judge forbade an 18-year-
old girl to buy such a gar
ment against her father’s
wishes
Said tne judge. “A night
gown is ... undoubtedly not
a necessity, particularly in
this torrid weather. The
only possible use of a
nightgown is to keep off
flies and mosquitoes. and
the bedclothes will do just
as w e ll" - CNS
After thatching, you may want to
thicken the grass stand by overseeding If
you haven’t applied lime to the lawn in
some time, do so now Apply lime at the
rate of 50-80 pounds per thousand square
feet depending on how long it’s been since
lime was last applied
Lastly, fertilize the lawn to bring on
quick recovery and water thoroughly. In
about three weeks the lawn should be com
pletely recovered.
Dahlia tim e is upon us all
The over anxious flower gardener will
be glad to know that dahlia planting time
has arrived In areas where danger of frost
has passed and the soil is dry enough to be
worked, dahlias can go in the flower
garden,
“ For those gardeners who don’t have
stored dahlia plant material to use in the
flower garden, most garden stores now
have dahlia tubers in stock,” says Ray
McNeilan. Oregon State University Exten
sion home gardening agent. “If you get
tubers from the store, be sure to get the
healthiest available ”
Each tuber to be planted should have
just one bud
Making the planting hole four inches
deep and large enough to lay the tuber
horizontally in the hole. Cover the tuber
with an inch of soil at planting, and fill the
hole in gradually as the dahlia shoot
grows
Put a 1 x 2 inch stake next to each plant
after planting to give support as the dahlia
grows, McNeilan advises
Place individual plants two feet apart
for medium size dahlias, and four feet
apart for tall growing types
Don t allow more than one shoot to grow
from each plant tuber As the shoots grow
up, attach them to the support stakes
loosely with a light twine
No adjustments
through
thick or thin.
T he Bernina's se lf-a d ju stin g
tension, gear tim in g and
th e g re a te st pressure foot
m ovem ent of any hom e
se w in g m achine lets you
sew th ro u g h gauze to
le ather w ith o u t ever
ch a n g in g ad ju stm e n ts
Remove the blossoms on newly
planted June bearing varieties during
the first growing season to encourage
growth for the next year For overbear
ing types, blossoms may be allowed to
develop after July for plants establish
ed in the spring
on Valentines Day and
each young man would
draw out one name He
would wear the name of his
valentine — or sweetheart
— on his sleeve for a year
This supposedly gave
rise to the expression to
wear your heart on your
sleeve - - CNS
The dethatching operation may leave
the lawn in sad-looking shape, but accor
ding to McNeilan, the lawngrass will
benefit a great deal and come back strong
and healthy.
M a rso n ’s is P ortland s only
fa cto ry a u thon zed Bernina
dealer. O nly M a rso n ’s can
give you Bernina's fu ll 20-
year fa cto ry w a rra n ty plus
six free hours o f in s tru c tio n
BERNINA
vacuum and sewing center
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