Sowing Seeds, No. 50

At the end of March, the mentoring group of the WPPC had an evening program – “Tools and Techniques” . A number of people shared information, which I’m passing along. Thanks to Lora Petrak for taking notes.

Jim Keenan started things off with a discussion of things he uses for seed  collecting. The bag he uses for this purpose is actually a tree planting bag,  used by forestry companies when they are planting seedlings. It can attach to your waist and leave both hands free for cutting groups of stalks with a hand scythe. The scythe enables the person harvesting the seed to have a longer reach, and cut a greater volume without stooping. Hand shears are less efficient for seed collecting. Jim uses a carabiner to carry multiple bags (for separation of species).

Jim talked about the screens he uses – made out of wrinkled hardware cloth . He puts the screen on a board and scuffles on the seed heads to break them up. The plant stalks are put through a leaf chopper so the material can be mixed with seed for spreading.

Fiskars Power Stroke is a pruning stick that can be used to reach up, out or down, without bending. It can snip small trees and shrubs, and the head rotates to get optimal angle. The length of the pole extends your reach without as much walking.

For herbicide application – a foam brush can be attached to a stick and dipped into a container of herbicide to apply to a fresh cut (on buckthorn, for instance). Adding dye to the herbicide will help you see what has already
been treated. Conserv FS was mentioned as a source.
(Amazon.com has some herbicide dyes listed also.)

Weed Wrenches can be used to remove saplings up to 1-­‐1/2”, They came in several sizes. (You can rent one from The Environmental Defenders of
McHenry County.) Putting a board under the base will help to prevent it sinking into the ground

If you want to buy a weed puller similar to the Weed Wrench, check out the Puller Bear. (The maker of Weed Wrench is not longer in business.)

You can use a soil corer to analyze the structure of your soil. A good size is one that is 3’ long. You can also find online maps to help you research what type of soils are on your land.

The photo on the next page shows Jim with the Weed Wrench.

Debbie Groat talked about composting tools. Included were:

-­‐ a thermometer. You want to get your compost hot enough to kill all
the seeds. (140 – 160 degrees)
-­‐ a sifter. This was a home made item of hardware cloth in a wood
frame. She places it over a wheelbarrow, puts the compost on top of
the sifter and uses a gloved hand to rub the compost through the sifter
-­‐ an aerator or stirrer – she mostly uses a pitchfork to turn it, but “that’s
hard on the back”.

Ron and Carrie Grochowski presented a number of items. Safety was heavily stressed, with a caution to read the instructions on any product carefully. Included in the discussion were safely muffs and safety glasses. The Grochowskis have battery -­‐operated muffs with radio and MP3 player, and mentioned that safety glasses now come with “reader cheaters”.

Tools –
For doing a lot of planting – a spiral driver bit. Get the bit in correct sizes.
They work for both corded and cordless drills, you will just need to get the
correct size for your drill. Ron recommended that you get a good quality
one. The drill can be operated at an angle to make a larger hole.. Drill helps
save your “back, and boredom”.

A pruning saw – Ron demonstrated a Japanese Silky (model Zubat). He
refered to it as “whispering buckthorn death”. It has a 13” curved,
replaceable blade, chromed, rubber grip, and is super sharp. It cuts on the
pull. The case has rollers.

Ron brought a gardening tool belt which has a selection of pouches. You can
use whichever ones are appropriate for the particular job. They are from
Gardener’s Supply, and slide along a wide web belt. You can carry your cell
phone, water, first aid, bug repellant, a tape measure (an arboris t tape
converts circumference measurements to diameter). He said the belt was
missing a holster for a pruner.

The next item Ron described was organic mulching paper. It comes on rolls,
is easy to use, (you can pin or anchor it in place), it looks nice , doesn’t wash
away in rain, is air and water permeable/porous, is better than newspaper to
keep down weeds. You can just poke holes in the product to do your
planting. The product is “Weed Guard Plus, and an alternate version is
available with fertiliz er.
http://www.weedguardplus.com/?gclid=CN35ZrNpr4CFXIF7AodF1sAEw#

The last tool he talked about was the Nut Wizard. There are four sizes good
for collecting nuts – especially acorns – in your yard . The product is very
well-­‐reviewed, and eliminates the need for bending over to collects nuts and
acorns. No sweeping or raking. Works in several inches of leaves. Ron
recommended to get the Not Wizard, and not a less expensive “knock -­‐off”.

There is an additional gad get for ease of use in dumping nuts into a basket.

Discussion followed on strategies for dealing with deer, especially after such
a hard winter. . Prompt action to establish repellants promptly, before the
deer establish browsing patterns.

Deer repellants are unpleasant to deer, but not poisonous.
You can utilize granules, spray, “bait stations:, fencing.
Spray and granules need to be re -­‐applied regularly. The Sweeney Deer
Repellent is supposed to last for a whole season. Check you local garden
center or Amazon for a range of optio ns.

Lily family plants are particularly attractive to deer, but deer will go after any
number of plants if they are hungry. “Deer tend to avoid plants with bitter
tasting, pungent, toxic, and prickly or rough foliage”,

There are different schools of thought on using Japanese beetle traps. Some
people think you should not use them since they will attrace the beetles to your
property. (They use a pheromone to attract beetles to the trap.) Others feel
that – if you already have a lot of beetles on your property, it’s a good idea to
trap them. A plastic grocery bag can be placed over the outside of the bag on
the trip to catch the beetles, and easily remove them when the bag gets full. (t
is necessary to cut a corner off the beetle trap bag, so that the beetles will fall
into the disposable grocery bag.

You can use a soil tester to determine the pH of your soil. There are many
different ones available. Some plants require acidic soil (bunchberry,
blueberries, etc.) so may not do well in your yard.

Herbicides – some strategies will be more appropriate for some properties than
others. A solution that would work for a small suburban yard might be totally
impractical for a larger property. In some cases, it is better to use a herbicide
carefully, than to leave an invasive untreated. Buckthorn ic definitely one of
these species. You can apply an herbicide in a number of conservative ways –
a foam brush to paint the plant without harming adjacent plants, using the
“glove of death” – the person doing the application would first put on a rubber
glove and then a cotton glove. The herbicide solution would then be applied to
the cotton glove and wiped on the plant.

Care to use herbicides in the right temperature range – they may not be
effective if the weather is below 50 degrees (check the label), and they may
volatilize in higher termperatures and travel to non-target plants. Always pay
attention to the wind, and try to apply herbicide whn it is calm.

The foam paintbrush can be used on poison ivy, while the leaf/vine is held in a
rubber-gloved hand. Brush-b-gone (TRICLOPYR is the active
ingredient) is the active ingredient for poison ivy. Cut the vine, and
brush on the cut end. You can also use this product on plant/bark in
winter. You may need to mix with kerosene to penetrate the plant.
Round-up (glyphosate) needs to be used on the green growing part of
the plant, so is not useful in the winter. Glyphosate is the ingredient
to look for if you are buying a generic version of Round-up. It comes
in different concentrations, and you can mix to the desired strength.
For painting, you may use a 20% active ingredient. Round-up cannot
be used near water because of the surfactant. An appropriate
solution of glyphosate for use near water should be utilized. You may
need to have a professional do this.

The stick-and-bucket method can be employed for herbicide
application. Carry a bucket with the solution, and attach your
application to a long stick. “No Bending” method.

Marking tape can be used to identify plants for removal – or other
purposes. You can write on it. Marking flags, lawn flags, or lawn
paint can delineate a garden area. Even hoses can be used to create
an outline.

Hound Dog can be used to remove lawn weeds like dandelions and
crabgrass. The tool may not remove the whole root, but you can get
the plant out without bending over. It costs about $25.00

A propane tank can be used to cook the juice in garlic mustard (or
similar plants). A one-second blast should do this in rosette stage, or
a two-second blast once the plant has flowered/gone to seed. Tools
mentioned – the Weed Dragon and Flame Dragon for applying a
propane flame to plants.

ID and Inforrmation resources – Google images – if you know the
name of the plant will provide many photos of the plant in different
stages. Hover your cursor over a photo, and then select that photo
to get to the source page.

SowingSeedsJounral.com – the Resource tab – lists a number of
websites, books, etc. on a dozen topics.

A variety of apps can help – like Snapleaf. Take a picture and the
site helps you identify it.

Burr removal – Burzoff is helpful for removal. Learn to recognize
Hackelia virginiana before it produces the seed. Burrs are called
beggars lice, stickseed, etc. You can use a big plastic bag around a
garbage can to place weeds. A two-person approach is also
recommended. (one can holdl the bag open, and the other can stuff
the weeds into the bag.)

An Alligator Lopper- more punch than regular lopper and less intense
than a full-blown chain saw.

Note: Some woody plants will re-sprout after cutting, others won’t.
Buckthorn will, so it is very important to herbicide the cut stump
while the cut is very fresh – right away. Ideally, two people would be
involved – one would cut, the other would paint the cut stump.