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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2007)
Page 6 The INDEPENDENT, October 18, 2007 Can You Dig It? By Schann Nelson OSU Master Gardener If the first anti-fungal spray has been completed, there is plenty of time to do a second spray on fruit trees for fungal diseases. As I recall, it has to be about two weeks between copper sprays. A second coat certainly won’t hurt. Figure 1 shows the irregular concentric rings that develop as a fungus grows outward from the point of infestation. These rings can be quite brightly colored (red, yellow, purple) with a dark dry center in later stages. If you don’t do something to deter fungal growth, you will find these lesions on nearly every plant in your yard all summer long, which is why treatment with antifungals is a continuing battle. Figure 2 shows the multiple growth stages of the fungus that caus- es apple scab. The outer cycle shows survival of spores overwintering in leaves, ready to pop out lit- tle penetrating spores in the spring. Part of the trick is that many fungicides, including copper and sulfur (allowed under organic growing guidelines), must be present to protect healthy plant tissue before it becomes inoculated. In our continual drizzle, get- Figure 1–Fungal leaf spots ting the spray on (when it’s NOT raining), and keep- ing enough of the stuff ON even if using a spreader/sticker (when it starts raining again) can present real (b) Released challenges. Apple tree Ascospore ascospores in bloom (c) Penetration Always remember to by germinating ascospore READ (and follow) DI- Ascospores RECTIONS for any (g) Penetration by germinating conidium Infection chemical application. (f) Conidium The two allowed ex- Mature (d )Scab (d )Scab ceptions are 1. You can perithecium lesions lesions containing asci on leaf use LESS (but NOT on fruit and ascospores (e) Conidium more) than the amount specified on the product Perithecium initial label and, 2. You can use a recommended product if the plant you Intercelllular mycelium want to use it on is in- in leaf Antheridium Ascogonium cluded on the label in- Stroma (a) Infected formation even if the leaves on ground specific disease you are Fertilization Figure 2–Disease cycle of apple scab: Overwintering fungi (a) produce sexual spores (b) that treating is not men- penetrate and infect trees in the spring (c). Soon scab lesions appear (d), within which asexual tioned on the label for spores (e) are produced. These spores are released (f) and drift onto healthy tissue (g), where Please see page 14 they cause more scab lesions (d & d ) and produce more spores (e). The cycle begins again. It’s definitely fall! The drive to the valley, or anywhere in the hills, is just too much! Trees and shrubs put on their final display before sinking into the gray of winter; decorating the forests in gold and red, with the occasional spot of darkest blue or white. [Yes, these are hills not mountains!] This much you can see from the road at anything approaching a safe speed. To really see what’s out there, you have to get out and walk. That’s what public trails are for. Remember to get per- mission from the landowner to harvest any forest products in- cluding (or especially) mushrooms, ferns, salal, vinemaple, elderberry, huckleberry, cascara, cedar…but then we’re into the trees and you darn well better have permission to cut! The busy gardener may not have time to contemplate the foliage however. The extension list of stuff to do in the fall is even longer than the spring list, though it has the advantage of containing many items that cause more dramatic results than sim- ilar actions taken in the spring. The full list available at <http://extension. oregon- state.edu/gardening>, along with a complete list of publications that can be down- loaded. When pursuing these chores keep in mind the plant disease acronym ERASE (Exclusion, Resistance, Avoidance, Sanitation, Eradication) and you should see marked improvement next year. The ‘R’ can also stand for Rotation, a subject more suitable in the spring, but an important practice and a good reason to keep records of what was planted where. Another good source is the late Saturday morning pro- gramming on OPB for a lazy cold morning indoors. Plants that show signs or symptoms of disease should be excluded if at all pos- sible. It’s a lot easier to rip out an aphid infested broccoli than something you paid money for at a nursery. Sometimes you have to give up even after trying all of the following prevention techniques. Plant resistance can be strengthened by increas- ing soil health by making and using compost, adjusting pH, increasing drainage, en- couraging survival of beneficial micro- and macro- soil organisms. Practice avoid- ance by making sure you don’t bring home any invaders from the fungal, insect, or plant world that you can’t handle. Remove and destroy infected plants or portions of plants. Sanitation is about trying to keep diseases out of the garden by prompt clean up, as you might expect. Crop refuse should be composted or spaded in to to prevent infection. Trying to compost diseased plants is not a good idea, unless you have a really nice ‘hot’ compost that has a better chance of destroying the dis- ease. Often it’s a better idea to turn obviously diseased plants, especially trees and shrubs, into ashes in the burn pile, than to try and compost the re- mains. The final step is eradication. This is the “Nuke ‘em from or- bit!” approach, and as such is the last resort. Eradication includes giving up and getting rid of the darn thing, but most of us will go to some effort to save a favored plant or im- N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH prove the quality of our flowers, fruits, trees and vegetables. First Gary Taylor, Pastor you MUST identify the cause. Diseases occur only when a sus- Grant & North Streets, Vernonia ceptible host plant is in an environment that allows a pathogen to 503 429-5378 exist. Plant pathogens include fungi (apple scab), bacteria (ring Sunday School 10:00 a.m. rot in potatoes), viruses (Who knew?), nematodes (Yes, there are Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. good and bad ones!) and parasitic plants (mistletoe). There are Nursery available hundreds of sources available on the internet to help identify the Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m. disease agent readily, including many pictures. Remember, the V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH problem may not be due to a pathogen but to an environmental cause such as too wet, or too dry. Treatment must always address Carl Pense, Pastor the specific cause in order to effective. 850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia Our climate is really good for growing what we want, whether it 503 429-1103 Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. is our giant forests or the beauty of a prized container. It’s also in- Children’s Sunday School credibly good at growing certain kinds of pathogens and has a definite profile west of the Cascades. Soils in this part of the state V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH are nearly exclusively acid. Forests have adapted to exactly this Grant Williams, Pastor environment. Similar plants, especially those developed from na- 957 State Avenue, Vernonia tives, are also likely to enjoy the naturally acid soil. These would 503 429-6790 include rhododendrons, azaleas, and blueberries. Our little micro- Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m. climate in this northern corner of the state also typically has more Morning Worship 9:45 a.m. rain and less sun than most other parts of the state, conditions fa- Children and Nursery 10:00 a.m. vorable for the growth of pathogens, particularly fungi and certain Youth Group 6:00 p.m. bacteria. If you get lazy, it’s pretty much a guarantee that your Preschool Tues. & Thurs. 9:00 a.m. plants will become infested with at least one of the following: pow- Wednesday Prayer 7:00 p.m. dery mildew, black spot, scab, leaf curl, rust or rot. You can fight Friday Adult Volleyball 7:00 p.m. back, once you know what you’re dealing with. 1 2 1 2 Church Directory S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator 960 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-8841 Mass Schedule Sunday 12:00 Noon Religious Education Sunday 10:30 a.m. S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST 2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia 503 429-8301 Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m. Bible Study 9:15 a.m. F IRST B APTIST C HURCH 359 “A” Street, Vernonia 503 429-5190 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting 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. C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS Marc Farmer, Branch President 1350 E. Knott Street, Vernonia 503 429-7151 Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m. Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m. Relief Society, Priesthood and Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m. A SSEMBLY OF G OD Wayne and Maureene Marr 662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia, 503 429-0373 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.
