Vermiculite vs Perlite

Several people have been asking what the difference is between ver-miculite and perlite so here is some information for you. Both are non-organic soil additives that are used to aerate the soil. Ver-miculite is a spongy material made from mica; perlite is a type of high-ly porous volcanic glass that resem-bles pumice. Often perlite appears as small, round white particles. Some people mistake it in potting soil mixtures as Styrofoam balls. Both are great in retaining water, but vermiculite retains much more water. Vermiculite literally acts as a sponge that will retain water to the point of saturation. Perlite holds water too, but being porous and made of volcanic glass it allows ex-cess water to drain much more read-

ily than vermiculite. If you have especially thirsty plants and want the soil to hold extra wa-ter, vermiculite would be the better choice. If you are growing cacti or other plants that don’t want a lot of water and need water to drain away so roots won’t rot, then perlite is best. Perlite retains water around the granules rather than in them. Ver-miculite granules retain water in their air spaces. Vermiculite may hold too much water for your plant and you can run the risk of over wa-tering. There is less chance of over watering with perlite because of the way water runs around it. Here’s a table to help you keep things straight.

Eastern Oregon Gardening July/August 2016

OSU Baker County Extension Service

Janice Cowan Horticulture Agent 2600 East Street

Baker City, OR 97814 Ph. 541.523.6418 Fax 541-523-8225

janice.cowan@oregonstate.edu

Vermiculite Perlite

Non-renewable Non-renewable

From mica (rock) From volcanic glass (rock)

Spongy, angular, chunks Small, round, white

absorbs water absorbs water

Better water retention Better at aeration

Easier to overwater Better drainage

This year I’m declaring WAR! Every year mildew on my roses and squashes!! I probably don’t need to remind you that the symptoms begin as spots of whitish coating on leaves. The whitish coating is made up of spores of a fungus. These spores are carried by wind to new hosts. They can overwinter in last year’s yard debris, if you don’t pick it up. I use my neighbors fallen leaves as a mulch for the next year and just read that those leaves can harbor powder mildew spores along with bark mulch—which I use!! The best mulch is compost because compost has microorganisms that consume the fungal spores. Anyway, other things I can do to reduce my mildew: don’t plant my vegetables so close together, there’s got to be lots of room for air circulation; lots of sunlight and heat. Moderate temperatures (60-80 °) and shady conditions generally are the most favorable for powdery mildew development. Hot and sunny weather (90° and above) reduces mildew spores and fungal growth. And, powdery mildew does not need water droplets to germinate, the warm days and cool nights of summer and early fall result in high humidity in the garden, which encourages powdery mildew. I checked the PNW Disease Control Handbook on what to do: 1) plant resistant varieties: well, that’s easier said than done; what’s next, 2) avoid planting my vegetables where they are shaded by taller plants or structures—I can do that, 3) avoid planting too dense of stands—I can do that, 4) use “least-toxic” fungicides, like what? Bicarbonates

are registered to control powdery mildew; Monterey Bi-Carb is registered for home use in all states. Bonide Fung-onil is available for home gardens. Liqui-Cop at 3 to 4 teaspoons/gal water. Neem oil 70% at 0.5% to 1% or Neem Oil RTU on 7 to 14 day intervals is for home gardens. These “least-toxic” fungicides must be applied no later than the first sign of the disease—so I must keep a look out! Good luck if you have this problem too!

The February, 2016, Digger Maga-zine had a very interesting article regarding Oregon’s horticulture production. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service released its new 2014 Census of Horticultural Specialties, which was the first taken since 2009. The massive book contains national as well as state-by-state data for various industry sectors. The numbers placed Oregon as the number three state in the country for sales of horticultural specialty crops, with $932 million. Within the broad category of specialty crops, nursery stock was Oregon’s strongest sector, followed by Christmas Trees, annual bedding and garden plants, bareroot and unfinished plants and “other”. Oregon growers were tops in the nation in coniferous evergreens, ($129 million) deciduous shade trees ($114 million) and deciduous flowering trees ($50 million).

This year I

am declaring

WAR on

Powdery

Mildew!

Powdery Mildew

(My Nemesis!)

We Can Be Proud of

Oregon’s

Horticulture Industry

Where have

all the

flowers gone?

Did you keep the last newsletter with our quiz on bees? Well, if not, here are the answers anyway. 1. There are twice as many bee

species as bird species in the world: 20,000.

2. More than 900 bee species buzz about in the Pacific Northwest.

3. Introduced by English colonists to Virginia in the early 17th century, honey bees first arrived in Oregon in 1857.

4. Contrary to media reports, the number of honey bee colonies in Oregon over the past decade is increasing. There is no evidence that native bee species in Oregon are on the decline because there is not enough data on those species from 10, 20, or 50 years ago.

5. The fuzzy, striped teddy bear-looking bumblebees are the closest genetic relative to the honey bee. Female bumblebees can sting more than once and males not at all.

6. Only 1% of the human population is severely allergic to honey bee venom, although bee allergy immunotherapy can prevent life-threatening reactions to those allergic to stings.

7. The annual farm-gate value of Oregon crops that benefit from

managed pollination by honey bees is $500 million. Most of the dollar value is in pears and ap-ples. In California, commercial bees are the primary pollinator of almonds.

8. There are 75,000 honey bee colonies registered by 2,000 Oregon beekeepers, of which about 15 are commercial bee-keepers.

9. 350,000 pounds of honey are produced yearly in Oregon, or slightly more than one pound per Oregonian. The U.S. per capita consumption of honey is around 1.3 pounds per year.

Sometimes flowers of squash, beans, peas, cucumbers tomatoes can drop off without setting fruit and you ask yourself what went wrong? What can I do? A researcher from OSU’s vegetable research farm in Corvallis has some answers. Squash: squash have separate male and female flowers. The males always drop off after they shed their pollen, while female flowers may fall off for lack of pollination. Blossom drop is associated with cool temperatures, as bees aren’t out collecting and transferring pollen as much when temperatures are cool. A few female flowers will bloom before there are any male flowers, so they don’t get pollinated. If you want to help mother nature you can hand-pollinate? Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants: where late spring and summer nights are cooler, blossom drop in tomatoes and peppers can occur. Heat can

Squash

Tomatoes

Think You Know a

Bit About Bees?

Where Have All The

Flowers Gone?

Egg Plant

Choose a trellising

system that lifts

the plants off the

ground and

allows for air

circulation.

cause blossom drop as well. Tomato blossoms drop off without setting fruit when night temperatures fall below 55° or day temps exceed 90° for extended periods. Blossoms drop off if tomato, pepper or eggplant plants are water-stressed. Windy conditions can interfere with fruit set, you may need to create a windbreak? Beans and peas: intense heat (higher than 95°) or water stress (under-watering) can cause beans and peas to drop their flowers. Snap beans produce way more blossoms than pods because bean breeders have selected for concentrated pod set. Cucumbers and melons: cooler weather keeps pollinators from flying, if female flowers are not pollinated, they will abort. Male flowers always drop because they only provide the pollen. Corn: the corn tassel (pollen producing part of the corn flower) is often killed when temperatures are above 100°. Injury to the tassel will prevent development of kernels in the ear. Vegetable varieties vary in their sensitivity to blossom drop. If you have trouble with one variety, try a different one next year. Some flower drop is normal. Plants generally produce far more flowers than the amount of fruit or vegetables they can support.

Support Systems Tripods/Florida weave/Cages/Stakes: tomato plants are floppy by nature. Left to sprawl, the plants are more disease-prone and fruit quality suffers. Choose a trellising system that lifts the plants off the ground and allows for air circulation.

Straw Bales

Growing Tomatoes

Light: need 8 hours or more of sunlight daily. Soil: prefer well-drained, slightly acid (pH 6.4-6.8) Spacing: at least 2 feet from the next plant Water: 1 to 2 inches of water weekly, don’t splash the leaves. Steady moisture reduces cracking of fruit. Mulch: helps maintain constant soil moisture which helps control blos-som-end rot. Fertilizer: use balanced fertilizer. Over fertilizing with nitrogen will prompt rapid vegetative growth at the expense of fruits. Crop rotation: rotate every year to stay ahead of soilborne diseases and pests. Fall cleanup: after frost pull plants up, rake up fallen leaves and fruits. Healthy plant parts may go into your compost pile; any sign of diseases put the plants in the garbage

Removing some

or all of these

suckers helps

the plants stay

upright,

maintains the

air circulation

they need for

good health and

improves fruit

quality.

Tomato Basics

I Love Coleus!

Here are some growing notes I found in the July 2016 Horticulture Magazine: Coleus are tropical perennials

most often grown as annuals Plant coleus outside when

nighttime temperatures remain above 60°.

They tolerate full shade, but filtered sun or part shade brings out their best leaf color and keeps their shape stocky.

Many varieties have been bred to take full sun, including those in the Wizard, Marquee and Stained Glassworks series.

In general, darker varieties can take more sun while light-colored varieties need more shade, particularly in the afternoon, to protect against leaf scorch.

Water moderately, keeping the soil neither dry nor wet.

Pinch all the stems back to just between two leaves every few weeks to encourage bushiness and remove flower buds, as flowering can lead to foliage decline.

Coleus can be wintered as house-plants, or take cuttings at the end of the growing season to root indoors and use as next year’s plants.

(These last two notes I do, but when

my plants are as big as I want them, I do let them flower to attract the bees. Bees come to Coleus flowers. I also have taken cuttings, stuck them in water and start new plants to

enjoy into the winter.)

Break The Tension: Before this gardener plants containers and hanging baskets, she makes sure her peat moss is completely moistened. When she used cold water, the peat moss didn’t dampen easily. But when she heated the water to boiling, then poured it over the peat moss she found it absorbed more quickly. Why?? When it’s completely dry, peat moss actually repels moisture. Because hot water has less surface tension than cold, it’s easier for the peat moss to break that tension and get wet. Give it a try! Use a trowel to mix the hot water and peat moss in a large bin and then wait for it to cool before using.

1. save the rind of a lemon, sprin-kle the inside with salt; the skins make good slug traps. When she spots trails or sees a damaged plant she places a couple salt-covered rinds at the base of the plant. The citrus attracts the slugs and the salt dries them up. A couple days later she throw the rinds out or replaces them.

2. She also drowns slugs in her beer traps. She would pour the liquid into an aluminum can and sink them up to their lips into the soil around her garden. Trouble was when it was time to clean out the cans, pulling them from their holes was a messy job, so she put a smaller can into the larger can, added the beer into the smaller can, then all she had

Ideas From Gardeners

Slug Stoppers

Pinch all the

stems back to

just between

two leaves every

few weeks to

encourage

bushiness and

remove flower

buds, as

flowering can

lead to foliage

decline.

to do was pull out the smaller can when it was time to clean. The article says she punched drainage holes into the smaller can before she sunk them. ( not quite sure why she did that?-maybe so the beer would flow into the larger can but still fill the bottom of the smaller can and when she lifted the smaller can up only the slugs were left in it?)

Mound soil up around base of potatoes. Early morning really is the best time to water

vegetable and flower gardens to reduce evaporation. Water the soil, not your leaves, to reduce disease. Water deeply and infrequently to encourage root growth. (You may want to check your sprinkler heads for the output per hour. We bought a new sprinkler and thinking it would give the same output of water as our old one we have been sprinkling the same amount of time. Couldn’t figure out why our lawn was looking bad so we checked the sprinkler-used tuna cans and ran the sprinkler for one hour. Come to find out the new sprinkler puts out 1/2 of the amount of water our old one did, so we now have to increase the length of time we water.)

Hanging baskets of flowers need careful attention to watering and feeding. With this wind we’ve been having my hanging baskets really dry out fast.

Mulch, mulch, mulch!! Since you are mowing your lawn once a

week might as well put the clippings in your compost pile.

When pruning your vegetables, check for disease on the leaves, if you find spots don’t put these in your compost pile, put them in the garbage can.

It’s getting about time to divide the iris. Find some neighbors to share their color and fragrance.

How are your berries doing? Keep them watered. Berries are mostly water.

Pinch back the annual to keep them full of blooms.

Let your fennel, dill, cilantro, mint go to seed for the pollinators.

See small worms on your carrots? These are the larvae of the carrot rust fly. You can prevent adult flies from laying eggs in the soil around your carrots by covering the seed bed with a floating row cover. Bury the edges and leave it in place until you harvest the mature roots. Against maggots,

insecticides are applied and incorporated into the soil before planting or seeding. Delayed spring seeding of carrots will reduce the severity of rust fly attack. In the life cycle of the carrot rust fly there are two or three

generations a year. Pupae overwinter in the soil. Adults emerge from mid-April to mid-May. Each female lays from 30-90 eggs in the soil beside the host plant. Larvae or maggots hatch and crawl through the soil near the root tip. The small maggots feed on the carrot root hairs, the larger ones feed on the tap roots. Larvae mature in a month, pupate in the soil. First generation flies emerge from early to late June. Second-generation flies emerge from mid-July to mid-August and remain active until first hard freeze.

Set smaller can into a larger one for quick & easy trap cleaning.

What to do in the Garden

Damaged Carrots!

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