Spilyay T y moo
Thatching helps lawns green up
If the home lawn seemed less
vigorous this year when it
began spring growth, thatch
buildup may be slowly choking
the grass turf to death.
Thatch is old leaves, stems
and grass clippings. This
organic debris builds up on top
of the soil at the base of the
grass plant.
Thatch is responsible for
many lawn problems and its
removal is an important lawn
maintenance operation.
Thatch sheds water, which
keeps water from the root zone
of the grass plants. This will
cause brown spots to appear in
the lawn.
Thatch also blocks air and
fertilizer from reaching grass
roots and provides a haven for
weeds and diseases, says Ray
M cN eilan, O regon S ta te
University Extension home
gardening agent.
Remove .th atch buildup
either by hand or with power
tools. For small lawns less than
1,000 square feet insize,
h a n d r a k i n g is u s u a lly
sufficient. For larger lawns
power tools such as a power
rake or rotary mower make the
job easier.
Begin the thatch removal
process by first mowing the
lawn. Cut the grass as low to
the ground as possible. Then
remove all the lawn clippings.
The lawn is now ready for the
dethatching process.
Set the dethatching tool to
slice into the thatch near the
soil surface and go over the
lawn with it, says McNeilan.
After removing all debris by
raking or sweeping, go over the
lawn a second time with the
dethatcher in a direction cross
wise to the first cutting. Then
remove all the debris and go
over the lawn with the lawn
mower again.
As in the first mowing, set
the mower to cut as low to the
ground as possible. Remove all
the clippings from this mowing
and the dethatching process is
done.
Thatch removal will leave
the lawn in pretty sad-looking
shape, but the grass will recover
with renewed vigor, McNeilan
notes.
You may want to thicken the
stand of grass by overseeding
after thatching. Also, if lime
hasn't been applied in several
years, this is a good time to put
some on. Apply lime at the rate
of 50-80 pounds per thousand
square feet, depending on how
long it's been since the last lime
application was made on the
lawn.
To stimulate quick recovery,
fertilize the lawn and water it
thoroughly. It will recover and
look good again in about three
weeks.
Let teens in on $$ management
So your teenager wants to
buy a moped, but the money is
needed to replace the washing
machine that’s on its last legs.
“ M oney can touch off
conflicts between teens and
parents, but parents can help
the situation by letting the teen
in on the family’s financial
situation,” says Teresa Hogue,
Jefferson County Extension
agent. Young people probably
won’t be interested in every
d e ta il. But they should
understand all the expenses
that the family income has to
cover.
“If the teen is included in the
family decision to fix up the old
car rather than buy a new one,
he or She may learn the
valuable lesson that taking care
things saves money,” notes
Alice Mills Morrow, Oregon
State University Extension
family economics specialist.
Take the teenager along
when you shop for a major
household item that will affect
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him or her directly, such as the
lawn mower the teen will be
expected to use. That way, he
or she will learn about
comparison shopping.
“Teenagers also need to be
involved in family financial
decisions,” M orrow adds.
Whether they earn their own
money or receive an allowance,
it’s good money management
experience for them to have
money that they determine how
to spend and save.
And as far as the moped
purchase goes—if the teen has
to earn and/or save his or her
own money for a wanted item,
fin a n c ia l m a n a g e m e n t
experience has begun.
Summer Fun in session
Swim suit making, hiking
and day camps are just a few
activities sponsored by the
OSU Extension Service for
Jefferson County youth. The
activities are open to all youth
ranging in grade level from first
to twelfth grade.
O p tio n s o p en in c lu d e
gardening clubs, day camps,
swimming, k arate, weight
lifting, food preservation,
manners and modeling, swim
suit construction, kite making,
field trips to the coast and local
areas, bike trips, cooking
classes for younger youth and
quisine classes for older youth.
Some of the activities have
£
nomimal charges to cover
supplies being used in the
activities.
The OSU Extension service
is coordinating the programs
with the aid of local support
people. Adults and high school
adults will aid in the activity
instruction and guidance. The
local 4-H leaders association
contributes to the financial
support.
Specific information as to
dates, cost and times will be
available at the M adras
Extension Office, 530 D.
Street, Madras, Oregon 475-.
3808. The activities will be on
the first come first serve basis.
V J
.S
from Pennie Albrandt, Lee Hamilton
and Doris Brackett
C ut fo o d w aste
Did you know that one slice
of bread wasted everyday adds
up to more than 22 loaves of
bread—purchased but not
eaten—during the year? Good
habits in the kitchen can help
avoid waste. Simply put, a cut
in food waste can decrease food
costs as well.
Eight to ten percent of food
purchases are thrown in the
garbage according to a 1975
University of Arizona study. If
your family spends $3000 a
4-Hers attend Summer Week
Fourteen local 4-Hers left for
Oregon State U niversity in
Corvallis Monday to attend as
delegates to 4-H Summer
Week.
The 4-Hers will represent
Jefferson County and the
W a rm S p r in g s I n d i a n
Reservation in a week long
learning experience and getting
to know over eight-hundred 4-
Hers across the state.
“ Reach for the Stars: A
shared Journey,” is this years
theme, and features work
shops, exploring careers and
involving delegates in a number
of fun activities.
Local sponsors have made it
possible for this years delegates
to attend. Erickson’s Sentry
Market, 3-S Cattle Co., I.P.
Callison and sons. Federal
Land Bank, Brightwood, Full
Circle, Gordon and Louetta
Galbraith, Jefferson County
and Warm Springs 4-H leaders
Associations have all provided
sponsorships.
Local delegates are Tammy
Smith, Trudy Blann, Mikal
Bowden, Dennie Smith, David
Lucei, Leo Lucero, Edith
Dominguez, Edward Harris;
Barb and Sandy Larson, David
Redfox, Stacy Peckham. Toni
Stoddard, and Chris Thomas.
In a d d i t i o n , M ic k e y
Killingsworth, Chris Brunoe
and C lifto n B runoe are
attending as 4-H leaders and
will be teaching and acting as
counselors.
Save $ for future
Would you like magic tree
that sprouts enough dollrs to
buy evervthine vou want? Well,
you can’t justfin d one you have
to grow your own. How? Read
on.
To grow a sturdy money tree,
you need to understand the
financial resources from which
it springs and the economic
powers that ensure its growth.
You begin by: Starting at the
roots—your present income.
Do your pockets lost their
jingle before the week is up?
Analyze your income. If your
paycheck doesn’t cover your
expenses, can you tap other
money sources?
Planning—the sturdy trunk
that supports your goals. How
can you balance present
p le a s u re a g a in s t fu tu re
enjoyment? A spending plan
will help you stretch your
money to reach your goals.
Children recently boarded the bus heading for Round Lake 4-H camp. The camp activities included
swimming, hiking, arts and crafts, campfire activities and, in general, five days in thé fun o f the
woods. The week, ended with a p o t luck dinner with fo o d being provided by parents of the 4-Hers.
year on food, that means about
$300 is being discarded as food
waste. (This study did not
include food that was ground in
the garbage disposal, fed to
pets or otherwise discarded.)
D ecreasing food w aste
requires planning ahead. It
means preparing only enough
for adequate portions so food is
not leftover or planning to use
leftovers immediately before
they are forgotten. It means
rotating foods and not over
cooking.
Purchasing power—bran
ches that grow in every
direction. W ith so many
products to choose from, how
can you decide which one to
buy? How do you know you
won’t regret your purchase
later? Good planning and wise
use of your dollar power can
bring you immediate happiness
and lasting satisfaction.
Saving power—ever green,
ever erowine dollar«. T h e
dollars you save not only hold
th e p ro m is e o f f u tu r e
enjoyment, but more of it.
since properly invested dollars
m ultiply while you wait.
Every family looks forward
to the day it can meet all of its
expenses on time, have a
growing savings account, and
the peace of mind which comes
from a well-organized financial
plan.
It is possible to have all of
these things if you can develop
a spending plan that is realistic
for your family. A written
spending plan is not an account
of how every penny of the
family money is spent. It is a
plan for the use of family
monev to meet all of the family
needs. The families must decide
how to allocate money on the
basis of their values and goals.
Start planning your money tree
today.