“a alti ” orpstiine sea Mie AMALIE * Continuous, Decorative Concrete Landscaping Edging * Many Colours Available - Home * Various Profiles to choose trom - Car Parks * Attractive Garden Surrounds * Mower Strips * Driveway Edges LAST DAY JUNE 30 “OPEN 7 DAYS 10-6 “TRUTHS Shannon Humphreys: every Friday on page séven in your North Shore News. 20 - Sunday, June 7, 1998 — North Shore News Phone: Duncan Morgan ERE" at 926-5372 * Kwik & Economical * Many Creative Styles for - Commercial Building - industrial Areas GUARANTEED WORKMANSHIP-NATIONWIDE The Silk Garden | CLOSING OUT CLEARANCE Everything in the Store 50-70)” OFF ALL STOCK Custom Made Orders 904-9446 1093 Marine Drive at Lloyd Ave., North Van Drimo Tile Distributors 3095 Hebb Ave. Vancouver 251-3723 (just off Rupert and Broadway) AT this time of the year when the sun is warm and the rain high, the weeds are often grow- ing faster than new seedlings and trans- plants. One wav to prevent both the germination and growth of weeds is to use a muleh. By definition, a mulch is any material that. provides cover for a soil ares. There is no hard and fast rule as to which type of mulch is best for a garden area, it really depends on pur- pose, soil and climare. Weeds will have a difficulr time growing up through a mulch as they only have so much energy stored in their seeds. If the seeds do germi- nate and the plants emerge, they are generally weak and easy to pull out of the loose mulching material. Weed contral is only one of many benefits of mulches. A good mulch will help to retain moisture in the summer and provide an ideal living area for a host of beneficial microbes and bacteria that assist in plant growth, Plants will grow addi- . tional roots just under the mulch where they absorb the additional plant food trom the decomposing mulch. Rain drops pounding down on the soil wash small particles in between larger ones and pack them into 2 crust on the surface. A muicn is any material that provides cover for a soil area, and can prevent the growth and germination of weeds. The best mulches inctude mushroom compost, backyard compost, steer manure and lawn clippings. Frequent cultivation is required to break up the crust and prevent capillary action from pulling moisture to the surface. This laver of loose dry soil on che surface technically acts as a ivulch bur can be improved upon with an organ- ic mulch which eliminates the need for cultivation. The joss of water can be reduced by up tu 70%, Mulching in the winter also has its benefits. A laver of mulch acts like a. blanket to prevent the frost from getting down to the root level. If the ground does freeze, it is betrer to have the roots wer thaa dry. Unfortunately, mulching nuterials can slow the warm- ing of soils in the Spring. For plants such as rhododendrons, a fight mulch will keep the shallow routs cool and damp throughout the se-nmer, Holding soil in place on eur North: Shore hillsides is © always a problem but this can be achieved more casily with the use of a coarse mulch. If the mulch docs move,: it: is lighter and easier to haul back _ up the slope. Informal garden pathways in perennial and shrub beds can be built. with a good layer June 30 ORGANIC TREATMENT Guaranteed 5 years Family Operated since 1934 Dr. Mites Price PEST CONTROL nf 926-0230 | ' of mulch on top of a strip of horticultural fabric. It keeps the weeds down and provides a place to walk without draw- ing too much attention to the path. Walkways between raised vegetable: beds are also less muddy and easier ro maintain with a layer of cloth and a mulch of fir, hemlock or pine shavings. Vegetable crops are often enhanced with protection from a layer of mulch. Spinach and letruce will have fess dirt splashed up onto their leaves if surrounded by a mulch. Serawberries, cukes and squash sitting on a mulch are cleaner and less prone to rot because of the goad drainage and bet- ter air flow. . The best mulches are ground up leaves, steer manure, mushroom compest, backyard compost, lawn clip- pings and straw. In spite of their beneficial nature, there can be problems. Leaves tend to blow in unpro- tected argas, steer manure is too rich for shallow rooted plants such as rhododendrons and mushroom compost. is often high in salts and quite alkaline. Lawn clippings decompose quite quickly and straw needs to be added in fairly thick layers to block our light.. Do not use hay, as it contains a. milion grass and weed seeds and is not much better even after it passes through a horse. _ aie during the day. NEWS photo Terry Peters Many other smaterials: are... used-as mulches but are less": desirable and often cannot be *. incornorated inte the soil asan— amendment. Sawdust and bark: mutch in large quantities act as a good weed barrier. but, are not natural looking and bleach © to a grey colour very quickly. The microbes that break the. wood down also require extra. nitrogen ‘and this comes from: - the soil, deterring good growth unless extra nitrogen is added. Bark mulch’ in’ shel- tered. areas~can be. an ‘ideal home for carpenter ants — not something. youswant around your house. A better, alrerna= tive isa commercial compost- ed wood mulch that looks like soil and feeds the plans. - Thick fayers ‘of newspaper * are not very attractive but can: be used asa mulch? to: deter « weeds around plants or:-on~ garden paths. Black plastic has’ been widely used by tomato. and pepper growers? to raise the soil temperature by nvo tos. three degrees and boosr their ~ harvest.’ Most of the heat g gen- crated is vented back inta thes. - Volcanic rock is popular i ine the semi. desert arca of the.” Okanagan-but is’ difficult: to- keep free of needles and other debris here on the coast. It is also not ‘easy to separate and plant in. : if the weeds are getting : ahead of you, maybe it is time to try a mulch 8 narerial. : YLORMOTIVE COLLISION SPECIALISTS B.C.A.A. - A.R.A. APPROVED CENTRE e _ Our 40th Year * ALL MAKE COLLISION REPAIRS “LIFETIME GUARANTEE” Alternative transportation arranged x Estimates * TALKING: Consultation 985-7455 YELLOW PAGES 299-9000 ° LZL415 15... paw