FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF JULY 19, 1999:
This time of year, we don’t seem to be adding much to our compost pile except grass clippings. Is that okay?
Not really, says Bob Rynk, University of Idaho extension waste management engineer. Grass clippings are a good "green" for backyard composting. Initially, they really help piles "cook," destroying more weed seeds and plant diseases and generally speeding the composting process. But they quickly consume the oxygen in the pile and tend to form clumps and mats that air can’t penetrate. As a result, you can get unpleasant odors.
To avoid slimy, smelly compost, mix the grass clippings with bulky materials that don’t decompose as rapidly. Leaves, corn stalks, straw, shrub trimmings, waste paper, sawdust, wood shavings, finished compost, or last fall’s partially decomposed leaves and garden trimmings all work well–although they may be in short supply around your landscape this time of year. If that’s the case, a good bet may be picking up some straw at the yard and garden center.
Two to three parts "browns" for every one part "greens" is optimal, Rynk says. Mix–don’t just layer–the browns and greens together. Limit the grass content of your pile to one-half by volume.
Lawn herbicides will likely decompose during composting but, just in case, it’s best to ban from your pile any grass clippings that have recently been treated with weedkillers. Better yet, avoid potential problems with herbicide-tainted or grass-heavy compost by leaving your grass clippings on the lawn. Unless the grass has grown more than twice the height of the mower setting, leaving clippings on the lawn won’t hurt it. On the contrary, "grasscycling" will return valuable moisture, nutrients and organic matter to the soil.
For more information on composting, order the University of Idaho’s 41-page booklet Composting at Home, by Bob Rynk and Michael Colt, for $3.00, plus shipping and sales tax (Idaho residents only), from Ag Publications at telephone (208) 885-7982, fax (208) 885-4648, e-mail cking@uidaho.edu, web site http://info.ag.uidaho.edu, or U.S. mail at Ag Publications Building, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2240.
I was in the health food store the other day and saw a product called "stevia." What is it and has it really been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a sweetener that can be used in place of sugar?
Stevia is a non-caloric sweetener made from the herb Stevia rebaudiana. According to Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist, it’s much sweeter than sugar and comes in both liquid and powder forms. Because it’s sold as a dietary supplement, it does not need FDA approval.
Our neighbor says our house could catch fire from our admittedly overgrown shrubbery. Does that really happen?
It does if you live right next to forest or rangelands, says Yvonne Carree, University of Idaho extension forestry associate. "Idaho is in what’s called a fire-based ecosystem, and periodic wildfires have always been a natural part of our environment," she says. "Although it’s impossible to ‘fireproof’ your property, you can decrease your risk."
The objective is to create and maintain some defensible space. Clear a 66-foot "fuelbreak" between you and the wildland you live next to, removing dead trees, understory brush and low-hanging tree limbs. Keep tree branches at least 15 feet from your chimney or stove pipes, which should be covered with screens, and store your firewood at least 30 feet from the house. Prune and irrigate live plant materials regularly.
For more information, read Landscaping for Wildfire Prevention: Protecting Homes on the Wildland/Urban Interface. The $3.00, 16-page University of Idaho publication is available through Carree at (208) 885-6356 or through Ag Publications at telephone (208) 885-7982, fax (208) 885-4648, e-mail cking@uidaho.edu, web site http://info.ag.uidaho.edu, or U.S. mail at Ag Publications Building, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2240.
We’ve got buttonweed along our driveway and hoe it out whenever it becomes an eyesore. But it keeps coming back. How should we be controlling it?
Hoeing actually works, but not once the common mallow–or button- or cheeseweed–spreads beyond 8-10 inches wide. Herbicides like 2,4-D, Trimec and Roundup work reliably, too–if they’re applied while the plants are less than 2 or 3 inches across.
As common mallow matures and enlarges, the taproot grows so deep that you’re best off digging it out, says Don Morishita, University of Idaho extension weed scientist. "Anyone who has ever tried to pull up common mallow has observed how long of a tap root it has. That has a lot to do with why it grows so well in very dry areas.
"If you just try to hoe out an older plant, it reproduces from the crown or the top of the root," he says. Cutting the root 4-5 inches deep should do the trick, but be forewarned: common mallow reproduces from seed that germinates all season long. Keep on top of those volleys of upstarts while they’re still vulnerable to that hoe.
Frequently misnamed wild geranium, common mallow is actually in the hibiscus family, Morishita says. Recognize it from its round, low-spreading, geranium-shaped leaves and its white to pale lavender flowers.