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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 10, 2017)
Polk County Living Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 10, 2017 9A Slinky, slimy slugs on the loose It’s spring, and that means it’s time to start slugging it out with one of the garden- er’s most familiar, frustrating and certainly slimiest pests. You guessed it, slugs are ready to pounce — or, more accurately, slowly slither — their way through the gar- den leaving wreckage be- hind. As soil temperatures start to climb, they rise from their winter hiding place un- derground to munch tender seedlings, emerging peren- nials and even seeds. “What slugs want is a place that’s warm and moist,” said Claudia Groth, an Oregon State University Extension Service master gardener. “That’s why they’ll be coming out soon. The soil temperatures are getting to be above 50 degrees, which is perfect for them.” Slugs aren’t crazy about winter and summer. They bail from cold or hot weath- er. But fall and spring are agreeable seasons for slugs. In the perfect conditions of autumn when the heat starts to wane and the first rains come, the mollusks lay eggs in clusters called clutches, according to Groth, a horti- culturist who has made slugs her specialty. The eggs hatch fairly rap- idly, and the fast-growing slugs wait it out, showing up in spring to scrape and shred plant leaves with tongues lined with thou- sands of tiny, extremely sharp teeth. “In fall, you’re trying to kill them off before they lay eggs,” she said. “Now that your plants are poking their heads up, you need to pro- tect them, because once the leaves are nipped, the dam- age is there all summer.” The pests are particularly fond of lettuce and other salad greens, broccoli, beans, hostas, strawberries, primroses and daffodil flow- Continued from page 8A — TUESDAY, MAY 16 • Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) Club — 6 to 7 p.m. weigh-in, 7 to 8 p.m. meeting, First Christian Church basement, 1079 SE Jefferson St., Dallas. Meetings offer programs and activ- ities aimed at losing weight. Open to anyone. First meeting is free. • Dallas Wingdingers RC Flying Club — 7 p.m., Whitworth Elementary School library, 1151 SE Miller Ave., Dallas. 503-623- 7288. • Polk County Coin Club — 7 p.m., Monmouth Senior Cen- ter, 180 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-362-9123. • Overeaters Anonymous — Noon to 1 p.m., Salem Health West Valley, 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. Support group meets in the quiet room/chapel immediately inside the emer- gency entrance on Clay Street. Dee Ann White, 971-718-6444. — WEDNESDAY, MAY 17 • Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank — 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutoff Road, Building E, Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members. 503-831-5634. • Day-2-Day Diabetes Support Group — 3 to 4 p.m., Salem Health West Valley (main conference room inside main en- trance), 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. 503-623-7323. K YM P OKORNY Your Garden ers. More sturdy plants like ferns, sedums, ornamental grasses, bleeding heart, heuchera, hellebores and most herbs fend them off reasonably well. Woody plants are also usually un- bothered. Since slugs go on attack at night and look for protected places during the day, you’ll find them under ground covers or mulches and in thickly planted perennial or annual borders. “Many gardeners grow plants tightly in their beds to keep weeds from growing,” Groth said. “That’s an envi- ronment that provides them with a 100 percent hiding place all day.” Slugs will crawl beneath al- most anything where it’s dark and moist, including boards, bricks, pots, loose stepping stones and pavers, debris left lying in the garden. “So the first thing to do when starting a control pro- gram is to clean up the gar- den,” she said. “Don’t leave things all over the yard. They can even hide under garden gloves.” Raise pots onto bricks or “legs” purchased for that purpose. Pull mulch away from favorite plants. Re- move weeds where the pests like to nestle down. Tidy under porches and other raised structures. Although sanitation is the first line of defense, there are plenty of other methods for control. Get started now. Young plants are most sus- ceptible. Here are Groth’s recommendations: Water in the morning. “If you water in the evening, it’s wet until early in the morn- ing and you’ve given them the best environment when they come out at night hun- gry,” she said. Put out beer traps. Use a pie plate or bury a plastic yogurt or margarine con- tainer up to about an inch from the rim. Pour in beer. Remove dead slugs daily and refill with beer. Don’t use salt. It can build up in the soil and damage plants. Attract predators such as frogs, ground beetles and, yes, snakes. Create an artificial hiding place by placing a board in their favorite places. To make it especially attractive, grind up lettuce and brew- er’s yeast (not baker’s yeast) and put that under the board. In the morning, lift the board and remove slugs. Drop them in a bucket of soapy water. Go out at night with a flashlight or head lamp and handpick them. Get a duck, which will make a quick dinner out of slugs, but be sure to check with your city first. Some don’t allow them and there are restrictions. Tape a wide (3-4 inches) strip of copper around the top of a pot or the top edge of a raised bed. Also, you can use bait. There are two types. One is a synthetic bait that contains metaldehyde, which is toxic to humans and can be fatal to dogs if eaten in large amounts. The other con- tains iron phosphate, which is considered very low in toxicity, according to the Na- tional Pesticide Information Center at OSU, but has been known to sicken dogs in high amounts. It can be used in organic vegetable gardens. When baiting, scatter rather than making piles or bands. “If you use piles or bands,” she explained, “slugs can go right by. If you scatter, they’re likely to en- counter it.” Also, be sure to look on the label to see how much to use per square foot. It’s a lot less than most peo- ple think. Using more is not better. MI TOWN The merry month of May promises to be a busy one for everyone, with the return of warm weather, blue skies and those wonderful seem- ingly endless twilight evenings where we can relax on the deck after a busy day of working in the yard, sprucing up the house, or coming home from a busy day on the job. The lilacs are in full bloom, showing their beautiful shades of lavender, white and dark purple as we go about our daily walks around our communities, stopping for coffee or tea, dropping in at either of our libraries to find good sum- mer books and seeds for our backyard gardens. — The Polk County Master Gardeners are having their spring sale at the fair- grounds beginning this Fri- day. Hours for both Friday P ATTY T AYLOR D UTCHER Columnist and Saturday are from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Master Gar- deners will be on hand to help with purchases of veg- etable and flower garden items, and there will be on- going programs all day — both days. You’ll be able to find just the right Mother’s Day basket or flowering plant and just about any- thing you’ll need to brighten up your home and garden. — Veterans and their family members are invited to the Monmouth Senior Center for the annual Armed Forces Day celebration on May 19. COMMUNITY CALENDAR Veterans from any war, and men and women who are now serving in the military are welcome to share sto- ries, photographs and other memories from 10 a.m. until noon. There will be an ice- cream social following the program at 1 p.m. The sen- ior center is located at 180 Warren St. S. in Monmouth. — Mark your calendars early for Independence-Mon- mouth Clean-up and Beau- tification Day, scheduled for May 20 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Riverview Park in In- dependence. Cost is $10 per load for MI residents and $12 for those living in Polk County. Please contact Shannon at Monmouth Public Works (503-838-2173) for more information. Elder- ly and disabled residents needing assistance may call Shannon (above) or the In- dependence Police Depart- ment (503-838-1214) by May 19 for information regarding assistance. Let’s work to- gether to help keep our communities looking good for all of us — and the springtime and summer vis- itors to MI Town. — Life shouldn’t be all work, however. How about enjoy- ing an evening, or an after- noon at a play? Central High School’s drama department presents Walt Disney’s, “Al- addin Jr.” over the next sever- a l d a y s a n d e ve n i n g s, Wednesday (today) through Sa t u rd a y, a n d Ma y 1 7 through 20. The performanc- es on Wednesday (today) and May 20 have special prices for students, $3 with ID. There are matinees, a pizza party where you can meet the performers, and evening performances. See you there. Call us. The Itemizer Observer can help you expand your market share, and make your business more profitable. Call Heidi, Rachel or Karen at 503-623-2373. ADVERTISING THAT WORKS. Matinees are all shows before 6pm. New pricing for matinees are: Adult $8.00 Children $7.00 • Senior $7.25 Pricing does not reflect 3D showings. Friday - Wednesday • May 12 - 17 BOSS BABY (Digital) (PG) (12:10* 2:30 4:50) 7:10 ★ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 (Digital) (PG13) (2:00 5:00) ★ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 (Digital) (PG13)(12:00* 3:00) 6:00 ★ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 (Digital) (PG13) (12:30 3:30) 6:30 KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (Digital) (PG13) (1:00 3:50) 6:40 GIFTED (Digital) (PG13) (12:05* 5:00) 7:20 THE CIRCLE (Digital) (PG13) (2:25) 9:40 SNATCHED (Digital) (R) (12:40 2:55 5:10) 7:25 THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (PG13) (12:45 3:45) 6:45 *Not showing Monday-Wednesday, May 15-17. A RLENE K OVASH Columnist Logan, Utah, in the 1800s. A good hike was the Wind Cave Trail in Logan Canyon, because the so-called cave was unusual. The trail was also very steep. — Tim Barnhart and Dave Burbank lead a group of 21 men into the Southern Ore- gon desert last weekend for Visit our website, www.polkio.com ...for local news, sports and community events. Follow us on Pedee Church’s annual Rat Camp. A focus this year was a six-event competition that ranged from open sight .22 rifle shooting, to axe throw- ing, to long-distance target shooting. Eric Twenge won a gift card to Cabela’s with his superior skill, and Glenn Mott came in second. These guys were good. Despite below freezing tempera- tures, 10-year-old Alex Rus- sell kept warm at night in a hay bale house. Saturday evening, Eric Schwanke shared from scripture on what greatness is in God’s eyes. — 9:35 9:40 9:45 Thursday • May 18 BOSS BABY (Digital) (PG) (2:30 4:50) ★ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 (Digital) (PG13) (2:00 3:00) ★ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 (Digital) (PG13) (12:30 3:30) KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (Digital) (PG13) (1:00 3:50) ALIEN: COVENANT (Digital) (R) GIFTED (Digital) (PG13) DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE LONG HAUL (Digital) (PG)(5:00) THE CIRCLE (Digital) (PG13) (2:25) SNATCHED (Digital) (R) (12:40 2:55 5:10) THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (PG13) (12:45 3:45) ★ Starred Attraction. No Passes. PEDEE NEWS Pedee School will be hav- ing a carnival at their Bridge- port campus on this Friday. It will be from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Tickets are four for a dollar. The event will help sponsor the seventh- and eighth- graders who will be going on their raft trip June 6-8. — Paul and Diane Telfer went on a hiking trip to Bear Lake, Utah, last week. They hiked Saw Mill Trail, where they walked through 6 inch- es of snow part of the way. It was so called because of an old saw mill near the end of the 4-mile (each way) trail that furnished lumber to 9:30 8:00 9:00 9:30 7:10 9:30 6:00 9:00 6:30 9:30 6:40 9:35 7:00 9:45 7:20 9:40 7:25 6:45 9:40 9:45 Thursdays! Laree Jones, 92, died on May 2. She lived in the area for years and was a member of the Pedee Women’s Club. She and her sisters-in-law, Ruth Stafford and Nella Cates, were the originators of the club candy-making for Pedee’s holiday fair. They learned to make candy as young women living in Utah and called their business Nelaru Candies. The women of the club learned all their secrets and make delicious candy, but still didn’t quite have the touch these three women had and were sorry when they no longer had their help. Music from the Redgate Winery & Fieldhouse Fri. May 12, 6-9 PM featuring Orvil Ivie Duo $5.00 cover May - September General Vendors 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 182 Academy St., Dallas (corner of Main & Academy) Featuring Growers, Producers & Artisans of the Polk County area & beyond! LIVE MUSIC! VENDORS: • Akha Farm • April Scott - Special Guest • Bermudez Family Farm • Beyerle Farm • Birdsong Farm • Black Rock BBQ • Edie’s Designs • El Pique • Hound Boy Bakery • Karl’s Birdhouse & Feeders • Rosie’s Scottish Goodies • SW Polk Fire District and Dallas Fire & EMS • The Soap Store • Unobtainium Food & Beverage Seeking: Vendors, Non-Profit Organizations and Sponsors Facebook.com/bountymarket 503-623-2564 Must be 21 • Food Available Tasting fees $10 & glass of wine $5 8175 Buena Vista Road Independence • 503-428-7115 • www.redgatevineyard.com http://www.exploredallasoregon.org/bounty-market.html
