PAGE 10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
HOME & GARDEN
MISTAKES:
continued from page 5
should have between six
to 12 inches between them
to allow for air to move in
between them. If they grow
too close to each other, air
cannot move through the
foliage, and the plants may
get mildew.
4. Pruning
weak, making them suscep-
tible to breaking, especially
in high winds.
“Proper pruning is im-
portant,” Dochnahl said.
Gardeners should prune
trees and shrubs, however,
because, properly done, it
can reinforce their structur-
al integrity. Pruning dead
or diseased plant parts can
also reduce the spread of
disease to healthy plants.
Pruning trees, shrubs and
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overgrowth or propagation.
&HUWDLQ ÀRZHUV ZLOO SURS-
agate themselves, and will
then start to grow in clumps,
such as black-eyed Susans.
Roses, he said, will also
bunch, which reduces the
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The same concept, he said,
applies to edible gardens.
Dochnahl said improper
pruning is another mistake.
“Some people will prune
too far,” he said, such as
when people decide a tree
has grown too much so they
“top” it by cutting off the
uppermost branches and
stem, leaving stubs at one
height. That, Dochnahl said,
is a mistake. If too much a
tree is topped, it may die or
weaken it to such an extent 5. Plant health
Dochnahl said the last
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infestation. Also, to survive, major mistake is gardeners
trees will reproduce branch- do not regularly check to
es that grow quickly but are make sure their plants are
healthy — even those that
are disease-resistant.
“Whether it’s a tree,
whether it’s a plant or a
lawn, you need to make
sure they’re healthy,” he
said. “It’s like if you have
children or domestic dogs
and cats.”
Some of the things
people should watch for,
he said, are brown spots
or leaves that are curling.
Dochnahl said fruit trees are
also susceptible to certain
types of insect infestation
— apple trees, for example,
are prone to apple maggots
DIWHUIUXLWÀLHVOD\WKHLUODU-
vae on the tree.
As soon as a problem is
spotted, people should take
action.
“There are things you
can do if you catch it early
enough,” Dochnahl said.
“If people don’t watch,
then all of a sudden it’s,
“My plant’s dying,” and,
by then, it’s probably too
late.”
ECOSYSTEM:
continued from page 6
vention. Follow the “four
Ds” to protect yourself:
Drain standing water; Stay
indoors at dusk and dawn;
Dress in long-sleeves and
pants; and use DEET-based
mosquito repellent.
• Poison ivy, poison
oak, and poison sumac
ALBUS:
continued from page 4
drove a screw through two
pieces with a hammer. The
slat didn’t split and the
screw just bored a hole.
Perhaps a third reason
of its popularity is the
price.
Grade one Albus wood,
which doesn’t have any
knots or rot and the grain
is attractive, sells for $2.75
per board, while grade one
F
541-992-4043
can lurk in backyards. Al-
most 85 percent of people
develop a rash when they
come into contact with
these weeds. Control poi-
sonous weeds long-term
by carefully digging out
the plants while wear-
ing waterproof gloves or
treating with a pesticide.
Defend your local eco-
system by identifying ex-
otic plants in your garden
or yard. Spot invasive
weeds and insects in your
area? Let your county ex-
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may have a monitoring
and management program
in place.
For more lawn and gar-
den tips, visit www.De-
bugTheMyths.com.
— Jade McDowell, EO
Media Group, contributed
to this story
Western red cedar sells for
$3.50, with the price ris-
ing to $3.75 soon. Albus
is $1 less because of its
manufacturing proximity:
just a handful of miles.
According to McKamey,
customers have enjoyed
the quality, price and lo-
cal availability of the new
building material, especial-
ly since good, old growth
grade one cedar becomes
tough to acquire beginning
in early spring.
“With cedar being as
hard as it is to get, it gives
us another alternative
other than the incense ce-
dar (and other woods),”
McKamey said. “I’ve sold
that stuff in the past, and
I just don’t feel comfort-
able selling stuff that I
don’t feel is gonna last for
people, and I really think
this one here, I think they
got something. It’s a sus-
tainable product that we
can actually help preserve
forest for future genera-
tions.”
f
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Commercial
i
Grounds Maintenance and
Window Washing
• Wallpaper Install/Removal
• Interior & Exterior Painting
• Wall Texturing
Serving Pendleton & Hermiston
Larry Oliveira
Gary Stuart, owner
LIC#202233
541-519-5207