Page 6 - Copyright 2013 - Pamplin Media Group
Basic HTML Version
The Outlook, The Post, The Estacada News
Friday, September 13, 2013
A6
fall home improvement
By Denise Ruttan
OSU Extension Service
S
tymied by slugs that
can plod through your
chard and cabbage,
leaving a slimy trail of
destruction?
Put away that salt shaker,
advises Robin Rosetta, an en-
tomologist for the Oregon
State University Extension
Service. Table salt can build
up in the soil over time and
damage plants.
“I have always believed
that the best way to control a
pest is to make the environ-
ment where you’re trying to
grow plants less advanta-
geous to their happiness,”
Rosetta said. “So try to figure
out what makes them happy.
You have to think like a slug.”
Invasive slugs such as the
European red slug often make
their homes in Oregon gar-
dens, Rosetta said. Some slug
species are partial to warm
temperatures—others prefer
it cool. All slugs thrive in
moisture and low light, often
hiding in places underneath
objects such as clods of dirt.
Slugs leave evidence of
their presence in that infa-
mous trail of slime. They
scrape the center of leaves
with their rasping rows of
teeth, creating irregularly
shaped holes. They are fond
of plants in the brassica fami-
ly, such as kale and cabbage,
and also feast on strawber-
ries and melons.
Rosetta suggested the fol-
lowing methods to make your
garden less hospitable to
slugs. It is generally more ef-
fective to combine an arsenal
of strategies and try less-toxic
approaches first, she advised.
n
Water plants in the
morning instead of the eve-
ning. Rosetta cites a study by
Bernhard Speiser and Marcel
Hochstrasser with the Re-
search Institute of Organic
Agriculture that showed
slugs consumed a far greater
percentage of the leaf area
when plots of lettuce were
watered in the evening than
when they were watered in
the morning.
n
Design your garden to
separate groups of plants that
need more watering at a dis-
tance away from drought-tol-
erant plants. This will limit
the moist areas that slugs call
home.
n
Copper barriers can be
used to deter snails and slugs
when placed around garden
boxes or plant containers.
The barriers should be at
least 3-4 inches wide.
n
As you plant young seed-
lings in August and Septem-
ber for your fall garden, use a
hoe to break up the soil to ex-
pose any hidden slugs to the
sun. Also keep your plants
free of weeds, which provide
dewy shelters that prevent
slugs from drying out.
n
Hand pick slugs about
two hours after sunset.
“Handpicking is a viable
method if you have the time
and a small area,” Rosetta
said.
n
Make traps out of marga-
rine containers halfway full
of beer to drown slugs. “You
don’t have to use your expen-
sive microbrews; any beer
will work well,” Rosetta said.
“They’re attracted to the fer-
menting yeasty-sugar mix in
the malty beverage.” People
can skip the beer and mix
sugar and yeast together, too.
Instead of either of those op-
tions, you can make home-
made board or corrugated
cardboard traps that have
wood panels with ridges that
can be lifted slightly so that
slugs and snails can hide.
These are useful methods
that are much less messy
than beer.
n
Iron phosphate bait is
less toxic to mammals than
metaldehyde baits, but still
take care to apply it when
pets are not around, Rosetta
advised. When slugs eat suffi-
cient bait, it damages their di-
gestive system and they stop
eating, eventually starving to
death in three to six days.
n
Metaldehyde is a syn-
thetic chemical bait that must
be applied in fall. Note that
its pellets are toxic to earth-
worms, it may affect some in-
sects and it can be harmful to
children and fatal to dogs if
ingested in large quantities.
Make sure to read and follow
the label for instructions on
using both metaldehyde and
iron phosphate baits.
n
Some pesticides are
available for homeowners, in-
cluding boric acid, chelated
iron and botanically-based
pesticides such as those con-
taining cinnamon, garlic oil
and clove oil. These products
act both as repellants and are
directly toxic to slugs and
snails. They can be hard to
find in stores but can be
found online in many instanc-
es, Rosetta said.
About Gardening News From the
OSU Extension Service: The Ex-
tension Service provides a variety
of gardening information on its
website at
state.edu/community/gardening.
E
legant, planet-friend-
ly bathrooms contin-
ue to be a hot trend in
home building and
renovation. Bath products
that respect and celebrate wa-
ter have become trendier and
more satisfying, proving that
homeowners don’t need to
sacrifice comfort, beauty and
luxury in order to do some-
thing good for the environ-
ment.
The secret to achieving a
pleasing and environmentally
friendly bathroom renovation
is choosing the right combina-
tion of fixtures and accesso-
ries — and realizing that the
bathroom is one room that’s
well worth investing a bit
more in to achieve great up-
grades that are modern and
lasting.
Worth the investment
Bathrooms sell homes. An
upscale bathroom remodel
that costs around $50,000 will
recoup more than 58 percent
of its original cost at the time
of resale, according to Remod-
eling Magazine’s Cost vs. Val-
ue Report. A mid-range reno-
vation returns even more on
your investment — 65 percent.
The bathroom is one room
where dollar value also meets
aesthetic appeal. Considering
how much time Americans
spend in the bathroom, and
how many of us consider the
bath a restful oasis where we
can close the door on the 24/7
wired world, it’s easy to justi-
fy spending a bit more to
achieve the bathroom of your
dreams.
Eco-friendly fixtures
Life — and your morning —
begins with water. So how do
you create an environmental-
ly friendly bathroom that is
good for Mother Nature and
your own lifestyle?
Start with upscale eco-
friendly fixtures that strike
the perfect balance between
high-end aesthetics, high-per-
formance design, and envi-
ronmental stewardship. TO-
TO is the “coolest brand
name” in the bathroom, says
the influential real estate blog
Zillow.com.
TOTO product designs are
distinctive but adaptable, so
they work well with a wide
range of styles and architec-
tural expressions. The manu-
facturer’s elegant 11-inch
Rain Showerhead uses a wa-
ter-sipping 1.75 gallons per
minute to deliver a luxurious
shower experience and appre-
ciable water savings. And its
Keane Lavatory Faucet con-
sumes just 1.5 gallons of wa-
ter per minute, without sacri-
ficing an ounce of perfor-
mance.
TOTO toilets have earned a
reputation as the “Sub-zero of
the toilet world,” according to
the New York Times. They
perfectly marry exceptional
design with EPA WaterSense-
level conservation. The Ultra-
Max II 1G toilet uses a single
gallon of water per flush to ef-
fectively clear the bowl, and
offers an elegant, upscale de-
sign to enhance any bathroom
renovation. Visit
-
sa.com to learn more.
Greener design elements
When it comes to other de-
sign elements in the bath-
room, such as flooring and
lighting, it’s easy to find
greener options that are also
high-end and visually strik-
ing.
The cost of quarrying and
transporting from point of ori-
gin to point of sale can make
natural stone less than eco-
friendly. Instead, consider us-
ing recycled flooring material,
such as pebbled tiles made
from recycled glass or plain
recycled glass tiles.
Reclaimed wood can also
work wonderfully in an up-
scale bathroom, imparting a
look that is both rich and rus-
tic. Or, if you prefer newer
wood, opt for cork or bamboo;
both resist mold and mildew,
and repel moisture. And both
are among the hottest floor-
ing choices for savvy interior
designers.
Finally, improving the elec-
tricity efficiency of your bath-
room lighting is as simple as
replacing incandescent bulbs
with energy-sipping LEDs or
CFLs. The looks and sizes
available in both types of en-
ergy-efficient bulbs seems to
expand every year, so it’s pos-
sible to find one that will fit in
any light fixture — turning
even high-end luxury lights
into eco-friendly, energy effi-
cient options.
— From Brandpoint
McBROOM
MASONRY, INC.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Specializing in all types of
Masonry Repair and Restorations
Chimney &
Fireplace
Safety
Inspections
$
19
95
*
*Senior Discounts
Est. 1959
503-658-2548
Office - 24 hr
434431.FHI0913
503.618.9646
Sales • Service • Installation
CCB# 173219 WA#CLAWSHA931BW
$
97
tune up
FURNACE, AC, OR HEAT PUMP
Until October 31, 2013
435188 FHI0913
HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING
Corner of Hwy. 26 & Kelso Rd.
503.668.9323
Home of the Metal Elephant!
Since 1981
•
HOME
•
FARM
•
PETS
•
GARDEN
•
GIFTS
Come say
HI
to Ella!
Winterizer builds winter
hardness, stem strength
and disease resistance
in lawns, trees & shrubs!
Only
$
15
.95
20 lbs.
434224.FHI0913
Serving East County Since 1970.
10
%
off
ANY RENTAL
maximum 1-day rental
Coupon must be presented at time of rental. Not good
on prior purchases or rentals. Offer expires Nov. 15, 2013
Tillers, Thatchers, Aerators, Tractors,
Pressure Washers, Excavators and so much more…
Total Rental Center
22017 SE Stark Street
Gresham at 12 mile corner
503-665-3107
B & R Rental
14601 SE Orient Drive
At Intersection of Orient & Kelso Rd.
503-668-5915
Let Us Help You
432958.FHI0913
Bathroom is worth
a bit of investing
to achieve modern,
lasting upgrades
Green bathroom renovations don’t
have to sacrifice style or luxury
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO: BRANDPOINT
Upscale, eco-friendly fixtures in the bathroom include water-saving
showerheads.
Think like a slug and make
your garden less inviting
Courtesy photo: Robin Rosetta
Changing the time of day you water your plants from the evening to the
morning can drastically reduce slug feeding activity, said Robin
Rosetta, an entomologist with the Oregon State University Extension
Service.
