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LAWN CLIPPINGS: A VALUABLE RESOURCE Your grass clippings can be a valuable asset to your gardening success. The green succulent carpet that you mow each week during the summer has a lot in it that could benefit many of the plants around your yard. There is potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the clippings that can be used by other plants in your home landscape. You can use them directly from the bag as a mulch to control weeds under your shrubs or around your flower and vegetable gardens. If you want to use them to improve your garden soil, mix them in a compost pile to help them break down. When they are added to your soil they will help improve the water holding capacity and also provide a better environment for beneficial soil microorganisms that improve the availability of nutrients to your plants. Here are a few pointers to help you get the most out of your grass clippings. If you cut your grass a little more often you can remove the grass catcher and let them fall onto the lawn where they will reduce the need for additional fertilizer. You can actually skip a fertilizer application. If you are on a high maintenance lawn plan of your own or a lawn ser- vice, it may be necessary to pick up the grass clippings. These clippings are ideal for placing around ornamental flowers, trees, and shrubs. Start with a light flUffy layer of clippings that are fresh from mowing. If you let them sit in a pile or in plastic bags; decom- position will begin to occur in a day or two and the clippings will give off an odor as well as pack down in a dense mat. Then they should be allowed to complete their decomposi- tion in a compost pile. If you place these mats of clippings around your plants they may actually slow down the infiltra- tion of water. After a few days of placing the loose clippings around your plants they will turn a nice straw brown color that is certainly more attractive than the weeds that they help control. If you decide to compost your grass clippings, it will not be necessary to add any kind of starter because the clippings have all the beneficial microorganism they need right on them. In fact, the addition of grass clippings to a compost pile that has leaves from last fall will actually speed up the breakdown of those leaves and supply you with a wonderful soil conditioner to be worked in around plants this summer. If you are concerned about herbicides or lawn chemicals that may be on the grass clippings, composting will allow them to decompose over a greater period of time. You may also consider using them around flowers, shrubs, or trees. For more information on composting and the upcoming com- posting program, contact the Anoka County Extension Of- fice at 755-1280. SUMMER LAWN STRATEGIES Do you want to make sure that your lawn doesn't suffer more damage this year if we have another period of dry conditions? Harvey Buchite, the Anoka County Extension agent for Agriculture and Hor- ticulture, has this following advice. Raise your mowing height now as we are going into the hot summer months. A Kentucky bluegrass lawn should be mown at 3 inches. Many homeowners are just cutting their lawns too short. What happens then is that you are removing too much leaf blade and the plant can't produce the food it needs to develop good roots. In addition the higher mowing height helps protect the ground from heating up as the sun is shining by providing shade. This soil heating was also part of the reason that we lost many parts of our lawns last year. Do not fertilize your lawn during the summer. This encourages top growth during a time when the grass plant is actually losing part of its root system. It also prevents dormancy which is a natural occurrence in bluegrass lawns while the plants are slowing their growth and losing roots during the hot summer months. This cycle is changed when we move into the late summer and evening temperatures begin to fall. If you have done some reseeding this spring remember that you have to nurse it all the way through the summer and fall. If you miss a critical watering you may lose all the progress up to that point. Remember that a new lawn will not tolerate weed killer applications like an established lawn and they should not be applied until the new grass is about 12 weeks old. If you plan on doing some major renovation on your lawn in late August or early September remember to take advantage of the situation and apply and roto-till in the necessary fertilizer prior to planting. Fall seedings do not have the weed com- petition that spring seedings do. Check local garden centers now for the type of seed you would like to plant this fall. You may wish to call your local Ex- tension Office for information on lawn establishment and grass variety selection that they can mail to you. BIRCH LEAF MINER Summer horticulture assistant, Molly Danielson, of the Anoka County Extension Service would like to alert homeowners with birch trees that the Birch leaf Miner will be making its presence known very soon. This insect effects birth trees by feeding on the inside layer of the leaves, turning them a papery brown. This adds stress to the trees that are already being tested after the drought from 1987 and 1988. In fact it may even cause the tree to be more susceptible to infestation from the bronze birch borer that will actually kill the tree. There is some help if homeowners first make sure that their tree is getting adequate water. Soak the ground around the base of the tree until there is some water puddling on the surface. Or if you have very sandy soil, move the hose every 15 minutes until you have gone all around the tree. A healthy tree can withstand an attack by the birch leaf miner, and may not need the use of chemical control. The birch tree will develop a new set of leaves to replace those damaged by the birch leaf miner and you may want to con- sider fertilizing the tree lightly in the spring to help the tree maintain vigor. The Extension Agent for Horticulture and Agriculture, Harvey Buchite, says that the problem will be a recurring one for trees that are out of place on the dry sandy soils in many communities throughout Anoka County. For more complete information on control of the birch leaf miner con- tact the Anoka County Extension Service at 755-1280 or if you live outside of Anoka County contact your local Exten- sion Service. LEGISLATORS TO HEAR CITIZEN CONCERNS REGARDING NATURAL RESOURCES THROUGHOUT STATE Senator Purfeerst, Chair of the Minnesota Future Resources Commission (MFRC) announced a series of regional natural resource forums. Robert Dunn of Princeton, Minnesota is the Chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee, the group which will advise the Commission. The members of the Advisory Committee will help conduct the forums. The dates and sites of the regional forums are as follows: The meetings will all be from 6-9:00 P.M. Rochester June 27, Radisson Center Plaza Fergus Falls July 11, Holiday Inn Bemidji July 25, Holiday Inn Convention Center Metro August 15, College of St. Thomas, St. Paul Murray Hall St. Cloud August 17, St. Cloud State University Student Union Ballroom Duluth August 29, Radisson Duluth The Commission is comprised of 8 state Senators and 8 Representatives. They will be traveling to these sites and surrounding communities. The Commission's task is to allocate the funds that will be generated from the En- vironmental Trust Fund. On these trips, the goal of the Com- mission is to hear the concerns of the citizens regarding issues dealing with natural resources. The Minnesota Future Resources Commission will then develop a Strategic Natural Resources plan which will guide the Trust Fund expenditures. The forums will be structured so that individuals will have a chance to voice their concerns via discussions in small groups. later in the meeting, there will be a summary of these issues. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers. For further information regarding the forum contact: Jackie Olenick, 65 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155, phone (612) 296-2668. CONSUMERS ADVISED TO USE PLAIN WATER TO WASH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES U.S. Department of Agriculture officials advise consumers to wash fresh fruits and vegetables with plain water, not soap and water, to remove surface pesticide residues and other impurities. USDA Consumer Advisor Ann Chadwick said that con- sumers recently have been advised by a private organiza- tion to use soap in washing fruits and vegetables. In some cases, this recommendation has been attributed to govern- ment sources. "In fact, USDA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agen- cy and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration n the three federal agencies with regulatory responSibility for foods -- ail recommend washing fresh fruits and vegetables with just plain water," said Chadwick. "We do not recommend washing food with soap. Soap residues may be difficult to remove from some foods, and soap is not intended to be consumed." Washing with water helps remove soil particles and other debris that may be hard to see, especially on leafy green vegetables, Chadwick said. "Washing with water also will help remove any existing surface pesticide residues. Thick- skinned produce may be scrubbed with a brush if desired." BRUSH CHIPPING PROGRAM TO BE OFFERED IN RAMSEY ALL SUMMER The City of Ramsey, because of the serious threat to the forest population, is developing a decentralized brush chip- ping operation with funding support from the Metro Coun- cil. Brush disposal can be a problem and chipping converts the brush into a usable product, with no disease problems. Ramsey's brush chipping program will offer the following services: · Free brush chipping · Information on tree disease prevention and control · Information on the use of wood chips · Wood chips available for use · Information on the composting of leaves and grass These free services are offered to control the current disease problems and decrease the need for burning per- mits to be issued during the year. These services will be provided on a neighborhood-wide format to encourage the efficient use of the program resources. Who is eligible? All residents with brush or prunings from healthy or diseas- ed trees who prepare the piles correctly, with convenient access. How can you participate? Fill out the questionnaire and return it to Woodchipping Program, Ramsey Municipal Center, 15153 Nowthen Blvd. N.W., Ramsey, Minnesota 55303. NAME ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER I ALREADY HAVE MY BRUSH STACKED ACCORDING TO GUIDELlNES_ YES_NO AND READY TO CHIP. I Will HAVE_#PINES_#OAKS _ #OTHER SPECIES READY FOR CHIPPING IN JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER. I WOULD LIKE WOOD CHIPS FOR MY OWN USE YES NO. I AM INTERESTED IN lEARNING MORE ABOUT THE VALUE OF _COMPOSTING MULCHING UTILIZATION OF ORGANIC MATERIALS. I WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING ABOUT RECYCLING DISEASE CONTROL AIR/W A TER/SOIL/QUALlTY. I NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT: GUIDELINES FOR BRUSH PILES IF YOU ANTICIPATE PARTICIPATING IN THE BRUSH CHIP- PING PROGRAM, THE FOllOWING GUIDELINES Will APPl Y: · Brush must be stacked with the trunk ends in the same direction. · Brush diameter should be 5 inches or less and length is restricted to 6 - 8 feet. Brush piles may be stacked up to 6 feet in height. · Brush must be neatly stacked where it is readily ac- cessible to the truck and Chipper trailer, i.e., alongside driveways. · Only clean brush and limb piles will be accepted; i.e., no rocks, dirt, whole trees, stumps, metal, plastic, cloth, boards, leaves or grass. · Healthy and diseased brush, limbs and prunings will be accepted. The chipping process removes the disease hazards and the chips can be used for mulch, landscaping, weed control and moisture retention. FERTILIZE DROUGHT STRESSED TREES BUT NOT TOO MUCH! Many trees and shrubs are stressed by the heat and drought of 1988. It's obvious that they suffered from lack of moisture, but less obvious is the fact that they also suf- fered from lack of nutrients. Trees pick up needed nutrients from the soil, dissolved in water. When soil lacks moisture, there is no way for the roots to take in the nutrients. It's a good idea to fertilize drought-stressed plants this spring - but not too heavily. Heavy fertilization will only place more stress on the plants. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers as they sent plants the message to put out lots of leafy growth. Now what you are looking for is to aid drought recovery. After fertilizing, water thoroughly and then plan to continue to water every seven to ten days. For a free publication on Tree Fertilization call the Anoka County Extension at 755-1280.