SRI SER Friday. September 28, 1980 ~ North Shore News - 13 HOME & GARDEN | lo the rescue Mother Nature, not toxic chemicals, can kill dreaded Red Thread dead 1 AM_ currently quarelling with my computer. I write this column on a home computer with the help of a very fancy word processing program called WordPerfect. | love it (real- ly!) but sometimes it just will not let me express myself. I write ‘Don’t ‘cha just love this weather?’ and jt tries to force me to write ‘Do not you find this current weather delightful?’ | don’t know about you, but to me the first expression glows with true enthusiasm while the second induces yawns. Warm days and nights, 2 cool, moist onshore flow, and very little wind are perfect growing condi- tions for Powdery Mildew and other garden diseases. Among the hardest hit are ap- ples, perennial asters, tuberous begonias, cuonymous, phiox, and roses. These plants may be the most commonly affected, but | have seen it strike many others in- cluding deciduous azaleas, cu- cumbers, grapes, magnolias, maples, tomatoes, turf grasses and more. Another nasty problem which seems to be occurring with greater frequency over the past few years is Red Thread. Even though its attacks are limited to turf grasses, it can devastate your lawn. Geoff Tobiasson OVER THE GARDEN GATE Powdery mildew, Red Thread and the like are fungal diseases. They spread by dispersing spores as do mushrooms, ferns, and the creatures from the Night of the Living Dead. Warm, humid weather with lit- _ Ue in the way of drying winds are perfect conditions for these in- vaders to spread their malignant spores with a healthy chance of survival. Voila! We have a prob- lem. How do you fight nature? This is the only battle | feel less likely to win than the battle with City Renovation Sale Come in and see our new look and save Over 50% off Drapery Displays 20-30% off Selected fabrics, blinds and wallpaper. Or call for a free in-home consultation 985-6112 Serving the North Shore for 6 years Ves me CT eon GOLDEN TOUCH INTERIORS 1099 Marine Dr, North Van 7 Corner of Lloyd & Marine SE a Parking in rear Hall. In fact it is one which you cannot win in the traditional sense of the word. The most you can hope for is to suppress the problem until the conditions which encourage it have passed. The mistake most commonly made is that of adop- ling chemical warfare as the first line of defence. With each passing day, we are becoming more aware that we cannot defeat nature with applica- tions of ‘Cosmic Kill’ or ‘Dr. Death’ or other chemical solu- tions. All we are achieving with these chemicals is the creation of an in- creasingly ugly Mother Nature at best or a very uncomfortable if not deadly environment at worst. In some cases, we can get Mother Nature to work in our favor rather than appearing to work for what we consider to be the ‘‘bad guys.’” our regular low prices. museum standard conservation package. We recommend this package for original watercolours, limited edition prints, old photos and ~ SAVE AMBLESIDE 1432 MARINE DR. 922-3513 CUSTGM FRAMES* Choose from a great selection of specially purchased imported and domestic wood mouldings. Over 40 to choose from ALL AT 50% OFF PLUS Our entire range of Neilsen metal frames (the biggest selection in B.C.) and all our most popular wood profiles. ALL AT 25% OFF *Offer applies to frames only. Glass and mats at CONSERVATION FRAMING* Preserve and protect your valuable artwork with our ay . -ofier applies to complete framing jobs only using Regis Top 100 wood and Neilsen metal mouldings Regis PICTURES & FRAMES ae, EE SC We Ce A FAMILY BUSINESS COMMITTED TO QUALITY FOR OVER 19 YEARS NEW LOCATION NEAR PATON’S 925-0809 We must learn to recognize the natural causes of our problems. Once aware, we must adopt sim- ple, nature-compatible solutions whenever possible. It’s called preventive care rather than cu- rative, As an example, if we know that Red Thread requires warm, damp conditions to spread, why do you keep putting off cutting the grass? Turf which is too Jong takes jonger to dry out and therefore promotes the spread of disease. Just as maintaining a healthy diet and good exercise will in- crease your resistance to disease, the same is true for your plants. Red Thread is not a problem in a well-fed lawn, rich in nitrogen. In the same vein, a sun-loving rose may survive in less sun than is desired, but it will not perform well and it will be more suscepti- ble to diseases such as mildew and black spot. ““‘We’ve been framed!” at the Regis. Fall Framing Festival! in Western Canada ROYAL SOU: tH OTHER LOCATIONS: ROBSON STREET, KITSILANO, KERRISDALE, NORTH ROAD, GUILDFORD TOWN CENTRE, S.E. MARINE, LANSDOWNE MALL, RICHMOND CENTRE, RICHMOND CLEARANCE STORE NEEDLEWORK FRAMING* Your work deserves the best. Find out why Regis stretches and frames more needlework than anyone else NORTH VAN 1425 MARINE DR. 984-8469 Keep an eye on your plants. If you see a few infected leaves on your tuberous begonias, removing them carly may slow down the spread of disease. Nipping the problem in the bud by removing diseased plant parts is one of the most effective and incidentally the least offensive methods of pest control. if all else fails and you feel compelled to add to the toxifica- tion of the planet, use the least offensive chemical first. Most fungal diseases can be stopped with well-timed applications of garden sulphur. When sulphur is mixed with a solution of insecticidal soap in- stead of water, you can get twice the effect with half the amount. And by the way, using twice as much pesticide as recommended is not twice as good; only twice as harmful. 25orr «we AND SAVE LYNN VALLEY LYNN VALLEY CTR. 987-3581