Page 6
The INDEPENDENT, September 21, 2006
Can You Dig It?
By Schann Nelson
OSU Master Gardener
the soil temperature and forces continued growth but robs the root zone of nutrients
(by leaching) and encourages surface rooting because saturated soils are very low
in oxygen, needed by all plant roots to some extent.
Be sure to pick a seed mix that is appropriate for the location (sun or shade). I
prefer seed blends that have several different kinds of grass in them and I try to get
Oregon-grown seed. Be absolutely sure that the seed you buy will grow in northern
latitudes because the southern grasses will not grow here. The type of seed you
buy should also be appropriate for our moist climate, not a blend made for the east-
side of the Cascades. My master gardener notes say that the classic Kentucky Blue
grass will die out of your lawn in three years to five years, but can provide soil sta-
bility for that initial period (as on a football field). Turf-type perennial rye grasses,
fine fescues, and bent grasses work well in western Oregon.
The key to my success to date was the addition of peat moss to provide a bit of
mulch for the baby grass. I would also recommend having the soil tested in order
to add an appropriate amount of lime (pH), nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-
P-K on your fertilizer label). If you can’t get grass in and established before Octo-
ber, I think you’d be better off waiting a few months, starting grass seed in March.
You can plant sod year ‘round but in the long run sod-turf does not create a self-
sustaining happy lawn. One more (disturbing) message from my notes, Americans
put more fertilizer on
Acid pH
Neutral pH
Akaline pH
their lawns than India
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
(the country) uses on
all of its crops. Per-
Nitrogen
haps, we need to re-
think our need for
Phosphorus
green, green grass.
Fall is the time to
Potassium and Sulfur
apply lime, a slow re-
lease fertilizer. In the
Calcium
absence of a soil test,
you can add about 50
Magnesium
pounds of lime per
1000 square feet.
Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Co
Don’t put lime on
rhodies,
azaleas,
Molybednum
blueberries or other
acid loving plants. As
Boron
the table shows, soil
pH affects the availa-
Effect of soil pH on the availability of plant nutrients.
Please see page 24
Welcome to real Oregon weather! In case you missed it, I
was dancing in public as those first, oh so welcome, drops
fell from the sky. I wasn’t nearly as happy when the rain got
heavier and I was (mostly) stuck outside selling eggs and
produce last Thursday without an umbrella. Just another
time when better planning would have been a good idea.
This latest rainy weather is just a reminder that true fall
weather will be here soon and winter WILL follow. I’ve heard
that the winter is supposed to be warm and heard the words
“el nino” applied to winter predictions on the news. The bowl-
like area that Vernonia sits in sometimes responds oddly to winter weather, partic-
ularly large, circular lows bringing moisture off the ocean. While we can rely on hav-
ing clouds hanging close to our heads on most days between October and June,
we may not necessarily get the rain they contain, or only a small portion of it. While
it would seem that we should catch the same drenching rains that swoop in from
the coast, sometimes they just fly right over us, taking all that wonderful water fur-
ther east. This weather pattern has been the beginning of a drought and very low
river levels in this corner of the state. The water in our rivers must come from deep
within the earth, generally without the benefit of significant snow melt, and we are
dependent on constant rain-forest mist that allows water to soak deeply into the
soil. It’s one of those ‘only in Oregon’ sorts of things: we can be in a drought status
and, in the same season, have a flood; you can stand in the sun and get rained on;
you can drive from the ocean to the desert in half-a-day.
More weather related thoughts, remember that it COULD freeze any night now.
Usually cloudy days and/or foggy nights will provide enough insulation that we don’t
get a hard freeze at ground level. Watch out if the sky is clear and you can see the
stars, that’s the time to be running around the yard with your blankets. Be prepared
to cover tender (vacationing) houseplants, and things in the garden that you need
to squeeze a few more weeks out of. In many ways, September and October are
the best growing months we have because we have lots of warm sunny days in the
fall. Things like corn, squash and tomatoes that may not have performed earlier can
finally manage to produce some kind of crop. Of course, if you’re lucky to have your
garden in a good sunny spot that gets sun all day you probably won’t have this
problem. Many of us, however, try to feel lucky that we get half a day of sun after it
clears the trees. I swear parts of my garden are a full month behind the rest of town.
Understanding the microclimates in your yard will greatly increase your chances of
success.
One good example of taking advantage of the local weather is
in the timing for planting new lawn or re-seeding existing lawn. Of-
ten the recommendation is to plant in the fall, establish grass be-
fore winter to have a nice, full, green lawn in early spring. This is
the recommendation in the big master gardener book. However,
V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH
my experience is somewhat different. It’s impossible NOT to have
Grant Williams, Pastor
a green yard in the spring because everything is green, including
957 State Avenue
any abandoned vehicles, the entire roof, and even some of the
Vernonia, 503 429-6790
outside walls. It’s probably not grass, but it will be green. I love the
Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m.
look of the moss garden and I let it compete freely in the lawn. As
Morning Worship 9:45 a.m.
you know if you’ve been reading my column for long, I’ve been
*B.L.A.S.T. w/Nursery 10:00 a.m.
working on our lawn for several years because I don’t think that
*Bible Learning and Scripture Training
Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
mowing the weeds makes a lawn.
Anyway, MY recommendation is to take advantage of the more
C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST
dependable winter and spring rain by planting new grass seed in
OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS
late winter or early spring. We usually have enough moderate,
Jeff Cheney, Branch President
wet weather so that you won’t have to water your seed or baby
1350 E. Knott Street
grass too much. The problem in the fall, as I said earlier, is that it
Vernonia,
503 429-7151
may not rain enough. Once you put grass seed on the ground you
Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m.
must be committed to keeping it evenly moist until the grass is
Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m.
well established. This can mean daily irrigation. Obviously, you
Relief Society, Priesthood and
would be unable to do this inside the city limits during the current
Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.
water restrictions. Outside of the city your well is probably dry, and
if you suck water out of the river, it’s better to leave it in the river
S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH
for the salmon than to try and start a lawn.
Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator
An established lawn in western Oregon consumes about 1/8 to
960 Missouri Avenue
1/4 inch of water per day. Irrigation once per week with one inch
Vernonia, 503 429-8841
of water will replace this. Over-watering causes more problems
Mass Schedule
Sunday 12:00 Noon
than it solves, in the form of various molds and blights. Grass
Religious Education
growth is regulated by temperature and grass becomes dormant
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
when soil temperatures are above 80 degrees. Irrigation lowers
Church Directory
V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH
N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH
Carl Pense, Pastor
850 Madison Avenue
Vernonia, 503 429-1103
Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.
Children’s Sunday School
Gary Taylor, Pastor
Grant & North Streets
Vernonia, 503 429-5378
Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Nursery available
Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m.
S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST
John Aitken II, Pastor, 396-1856
2nd Ave. and Nehalem St.
Vernonia, 503 429-8301
Morning Worship, 9:15 a.m.
Bible Study 10:30 a.m.
F IRST B APTIST C HURCH
John Cahill, Pastor
359 “A” Street
Vernonia, 503 429-1161
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Evening Worship Saturday, 6:00 p.m.
A SSEMBLY OF G OD
662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia,
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m
V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH
Sam Hough, Evangelist
410 North Street
Vernonia, 503 429-6522
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Every Wednesday:
Ladies' Bible Study 9:30 a.m.
Ladies’ Worship 10:00 a.m.
Children’s Choir 3:00 p.m.
Family Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
S T . A UGUSTINE (C ANTERBURY )
E PISCOPAL C HURCH
375 North St. (Vernonia Grange Hall)
Vernonia, 503 705-2173
Please call for service schedule.