Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 22, 2016 7A
Mulch cuts down on weeding and watering
Grabbing a shovel, rolling
out the wheelbarrow and
digging into a mile-high pile
of mulch can put gardeners
into avoidance mode, but
the effort pays off with less
labor for the rest of the sea-
son.
“It really does reduce your
work load,” said Linda Brew-
er, a senior research assis-
tant in Oregon State Univer-
sity’s department of horti-
culture. “Once applied it
cuts down on weeding and
watering.”
Weed seeds struggle to
push through mulch, which
means fewer of them germi-
nate. Those that do are easi-
er to yank out of the looser-
than-soil layer piled over
them. Keep in mind,
though, that mulch discour-
ages any type of seed, in-
cluding those of self-sowing
plants you may want grow-
ing in the garden like Verbe-
na bonariensis, California
poppy, columbine, bache-
lor’s button, calendula,
alyssum and viola.
During warm weather,
soil under cover of mulch
stays cooler and retains
moisture longer than uncov-
ered ground, which reduces
the need for watering, noted
Brewer, who is a certified
soil scientist. In winter, the
same covering helps prevent
frost damage.
“In winter, heat that rises
off the soil is held in place,”
she said. “It’s the same as
when we sleep under a blan-
ket in an unheated house.
During the summer, it’s like
insulation that keeps the
heat out.”
Add to its other benefits
that mulch aids in erosion
control, reduces com-
paction from rain and foot
traffic and releases nutri-
ents. Not all mulches are
created equal when it comes
to the amount of nutrients
available or how quickly
they break down. Compost
is quickest to decompose
and one of the most nutri-
ent-rich, said Brewer, who
urges homeowners to use it.
BIRTHS
Anderson
K YM
P OKORNY
Amelia Rose Anderson was born on June 15 to Taylor
Demetroff and Warren Anderson, both of Independence,
at Salem Family Birth Center.
She weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces.
Grandparents are Sherry and Pete, of Independence.
Your
Garden
“If we expect the cart to
go away every week, it be-
hooves us to purchase com-
post to keep the cycle
going,” she said. “Compost
won’t smoother weed seeds
as well, though, because it’s
a great growing medium.”
To help with that, no mat-
ter the type of mulch, put
down five to 10 layers of
newspaper before spreading
the mulch. The newspaper
lasts longer than you may
think, said Brewer, who
used it under wood chips
over a weedy lawn. Seven
years later, she dug down
and found the newspaper
still intact. Landscape fabric
or plastic would do the
same.
“From my point of view,
the best mulch is one we
don’t pay very much for,”
she said.
An example of that is
mint compost from local
farmers, usually available in
August and a good source of
nutrients. An easier option
for urban homeowners are
the wood chips generated by
tree pruning or removal.
Catch them as you drive
around the neighborhood or
call a few companies to see
if they sell to the public and
how much they charge.
When applying mulch,
how much depends on
which type you’re using.
Spread finer-textured prod-
ucts such as yard debris
compost or mint compost 1
to 1½ inches deep. Coarser
wood products such as bark
dust, wood chips and ar-
borist waste can be as deep
as 3 inches. Keep any mate-
rial at least 2 inches away
from the base of trees,
shrubs and woody perenni-
als.
To help you choose a
mulch, Brewer discussed
Photo from Flickr by Eric Martin
Bark nuggets provide good weed control and last a long
time.
some pros and cons.
BARK DUST
Pro: Cheap. Easily avail-
able. Comes in several col-
ors. Good weed control.
Con: Ties up nitrogen in
the soil so not good for
plants that aren’t estab-
lished.
WOOD CHIPS
Pro: Easily available. Lasts
a long time. Good weed con-
trol.
Con: Ties up nitrogen in
the soil so not good for
plants that aren’t estab-
lished.
BARK NUGGETS
Pro: Attractive appear-
ance and easily available.
Lasts a long time. Good
weed control.
Con: Expensive. Ties up
nitrogen in the soil so not
good for plants that aren’t
established.
YARD WASTE COMPOST
Pro: Good source of nutri-
ents. Locally produced.
Con: Can promote weed
growth. Doesn’t last long so
must be refreshed each year.
TREE LEAVES
Pro: Free and easily avail-
able. Good source of nutri-
ents.
Con: Not easy to spread to
a consistent thickness. Must
be mowed or turned to get it
to break down in a season.
ARBORIST MULCH
Pro: Cheap and easily
available.
Con: Not consistent in
size or appearance. Low in
nutrients.
MINT COMPOST
Pro: Locally produced
material. Good source of
nutrients. Smells good. Nice
silver-gray color when dry.
Con: Only seasonally
available.
SAWDUST
Pro: Good for vegetable
paths. Holds down weeds
well.
Con: Repels moisture be-
cause it’s so fine. Fresh saw-
dust shouldn’t be used on
bedding plants.
HAZELNUTS
Pro: Nice appearance and
sound when walked on.
Durable.
Con: Hard to walk on
barefoot. Not good for
slopes. Expensive because
most often found in bags
rather than bulk. Only sea-
sonally available.
For more information
about mulches, refer to the
Extension publication
Mulching Woody Ornamen-
tals with Organic Materials.
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Matinees are all shows
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Pricing does not reflect
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Friday - Wednesday June 24 - June 29
MI TOWN
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
around dining room tables.
Discussion is good, and
learning about the issues
and the candidates gives us
an opportunity to make wise
and informed decisions be-
fore making our choices. In
the meantime, it’s difficult to
listen to messages of hate
and fear and strident con-
versations. Often it’s good to
either change the subject or
excuse one’s self from the
discussion.
—
The recent horrible
tragedy in Orlando, Fla.,
only serves to bring up more
heated discussions and con-
versation about religion, im-
migration, sexual orienta-
tion and the availability of
guns — any of which can
bring out points and coun-
terpoints and endless hours
of arguments on both sides.
Most of us have made up
our minds on all of those
subjects, but we can agree to
respectfully listen and
choose to agree or disagree
without being disrespectful
or mean spirited.
—
In the meantime, let’s all
try to do something that can
make a positive difference to
others. Volunteer at our li-
braries, help out at the food
bank, read to somebody in a
nursing home, or just smile
to people in line at the gro-
cery store. There are many
things we can do to chase
away the doom and gloom,
and bring sunshine into
somebody else’s world.
—
I’d like to wish a very
happy 50th wedding an-
niversary to friends, Dale
and Jeanne Cannon, who
have been MI Town resi-
dents for many years, and
members of our yoga group
at the Monmouth Senior
Center.
—
I’d also like to congratu-
late granddaughter, Nicole
Lukinbeal, who will be a
senior at Scappoose High
School in September. Nicole
was recently chosen to the
first team for all-state for
softball for her division.
We’ve spent many after-
noons and evenings watch-
ing kids and grandkids’
sports events, and enjoyed
basketball, soccer, track,
baseball and crew over the
years, and can’t say enough
good things about sports for
kids — of all ages.
www.polkio.com
There’s nothing like a
good, long walk on the
beach — or a hike in the
woods — or just taking the
time to relax in a quiet place
to help refresh mind and
body and gain some per-
spective on how to cope
with everything that is going
on around us. Rested and
refreshed, we can hopefully
set aside the fears that seem
to be consuming so many of
us, and be ready to handle
our own personal challenges
and fears.
—
It seems like we’ve been
listening to political rhetoric
for months and months …
and the elections aren’t until
November. In the meantime,
the words get more heated
and hostile, accusations fly
back and forth, myth and
folklore abound — both on
the internet and in conver-
sations in coffee shops and
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES:
OUT OF THE SHADOWS (Digital) (PG13)
(1:25)
WARCRAFT (Digital) (PG13)
(4:00)
XMEN: APOCALYPSE (Digital) (PG13)
FREE STATE OF JONES (Digital) (R)
(12:30 3:35)
INDEPENDENCE DAY:
RESURGENCE (Digital) (PG13)
(1:40 4:25) 6:30 7:15
FINDING DORY (Digital) (PG)
(11:30 1:15 2:00 3:45 4:30)
THE SHALLOWS (Digital) (PG13)
(1:00 3:10 5:20)
THE CONJURING 2 (Digital) (R)
(12:50 3:50)
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE (PG13)
(11:25 2:00 4:40)
6:45
9:25
6:40 9:45
9:15 10:00
7:00 9:30
7:30 9:35
6:50 9:40
7:20 10:00
Thursday June 30
FREE STATE OF JONES (Digital) (R)
(12:30 3:35)
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES:
OUT OF THE SHADOWS (Digital) (PG13)
(1:25)
WARCRAFT (Digital) (PG13)
(4:00)
PURGE: ELECTION YEAR (Digital) (R)
INDEPENDENCE DAY:
RESURGENCE (Digital) (PG13)
(1:40 4:25)
FINDING DORY (Digital) (PG)
(11:30 1:15 2:00 3:45 4:30)
LEGEND OF TARZAN (Digital) (PG13)
THE SHALLOWS (Digital) (PG13)
(1:00 3:10 5:20)
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE (PG13)
(11:25 2:00 4:40)
THE CONJURING 2 (Digital) (R)
(12:50 3:50)
THE BFG (Digital) (PG)
6:40 9:45
7:05 9:30
7:15
7:00
6:00
7:30
7:20
10:00
9:30
8:30
9:35
10:00
7:00 9:40
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