Friday,

ay

The plants have begun cutting their losses

Geoff
| Tobiasson

OVER THE GARDEN GATE
IT FIGURES.

Just as the powers. in the
GVRD decide to turn on the tap
and allow ‘a little watering, the
powers above decide to turn on
.the tap and eliminate the need for
watering. ‘

Never mind, the rain has been
» gene so long I am ready to wel-
“come it back like long-lost family.

Before we get carried away with
the celebrations, 1. better pass
‘along a word or two of warning.

. -We are not out of. the woods
‘Just yet as the reservoirs are still
‘dangerously low.
- If you remember 1986, the year
'.. Of Expo, we went until the 31st of
7 October

‘>. “Even though it is pouring as I

‘write this article, we must con-
‘tinue to behave conservatively as
far as our watering habits go. —

vs: The ban has been lifted but |

restrictions remain in place. If you

have ‘an even-numbered _ address

‘you’ are permitted to water on
-. Wednesdays and Saturdays de-
‘tween 8 a.m. and i0 a.m. and 8

yard, will

before witnessing the | burn

-. Fetuiny of our fall raing. «0

p.m. and 10 p.m., while odd-
numbered addresses may do the
same on Thursdays and Sundays.

All the yellow leaves that are
appearing in your garden are not
due to the early arrival of fall.

Your plants have begun protec-
ting themselves from any further
damage by shedding the leaves
through which water loss occurs.
We call it cutting your losses.

You can expect to see much
more of it in the months ahead.
Evergreen plants such as
thododendrons, azaleas, and even
that large cedar tree in the back
continue shedding
foliage right through the winter.

This will result in some of your
-plants taking on a thin, spindly
appearance, but next spring’s
growth will fill some if not all of
those gaps.

Your garden should quickly
begin to regain some of the rich
green hues we are accustomed to,
but do not expect too much.

Our trees, shrubs, and lawns
have been severely stressed over
the past 10 weeks and we are now
at the end of the growing season.
The new growth needed to heal
the visual scars created by the
long, hot summer will likely not
Yeappear completely until next
year.

Do not try to force the issue
with untimely applications of fer-
tilizers. .

In the first place, fertilizers can
if they are not washed
through the soil quickly. Even
though we have had rain and you
are able to do some limited water-
ing, foliage and root burn could
be a problem.

Secondly, as I said, we have
passed the growing season. Forc-
ing new growth this late in the
year could be more detrimental
than beneficial.

If your fertilizer is successful in

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generating new shoots and leaves,
they will still be quite tender and
very susceptible to frost damage
during the cold months which lie
ahead.

Better to leave the fertilizer un-
til next spring. This, combined
with a good pruning, will do more
towards repairing the damage than
anything you can do now.

The exception here is the lawn.
Most of us are only too familiar
with the growth rate of our lawns;
just ask that worn-out mower in
the corner.

Now is the time for over-
seeding and you can use a high
nitrogen fertilizer to feed the lawn
right up until the middle of Oc-
tober. .

You wiil be required to pay ex-
tra attention to moss and weed
control next spring as this drought
will have opened a path for inva-
sion.

Do a thorough job with the
power-rake during a dry speli in
April and apply copious amounts
of Dolomite lime during the rainy
season this fall and next spring.

Reduce energy use, protect the environment

IF THE potential impact on
your pocketbook doesn’t con-
vince you of the value of
energy efficiency, think of the
environmental benefits.

The burning -of fossil fuels
produces carbon dioxide emis-
sions, which contribute to the
greenhouse effect, acid rain
and other serious environmen-
tal problems. So.by decreasing
the amount of energy we use,
we automaticaily reduce the
environmental damage.

You can do your part to .

protect the environment by us-
ing energy more efficiently in
your home.

e fir

with built-in natural beauty

In addition to such _ basic
Measures as upgrading insula-
tion and draftproofing, con-
sider installing a new high-
efficiency furnace or a heat-
. Fecovery ventilator.

Active solar energy systems,
which have absolutely no en-
vironmental impact, are also
widely available fer use in
heating domestic hot water.

It doesn’t stop there. Drivers
of high-use automobiles can
help the environment by con-
verting their vehicle(s) to run
On propane or natural gas.
With the help of catalytic con-
verters, these gaseous fuels can .
completly eliminate lead emis-

il Bet

retaining wall system

sions, and reduce carbon.
monoxide and hydrocarbon
emissions by as much as 90%.

Energy, Mines & Resources
Canada publishes a wide range
of information designed to help
Canadians reduce theirs home
energy costs, increase their
comfort levels and ‘incorporate
energy efficiency into renova-.
tion plans.

Publications are available
free of charge to homeowners
across Canada. Simply send
your request for information to
Home Energy Publications, .
Energy,. Mines & Resources
Canada, 580 Booth St., Ot-
tawa, Ontario, KIA 0E4. .

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