What's in this Issue:

#2 Lynne's Backyard Gardening Tips

#3 New Gardening Product of-the-Month

#4 Odd & Strange Gardening News

#5 Great Plant of the Month

#6 Invasive Plant of-the-Month

#7 Garden Pest of-the-Month

#8 Plant Disease

#9 Feedback - Anonymous

OMRI

ORMI stands for… Organic Materials Review Institute. ORMI provides organic certifiers, growers, manufacturers, and suppliers an independent review of products intended for use in certified organic production, handling, and processing.

The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) is a national nonprofit organization that determines which input products are allowed for use in organic production and processing. OMRI Listed—or approved—products may be used on operations that are certified organic under the USDA National Organic Program.

OMRI's funding comes from a variety of sources, including sales of publications, grants, donations, and subscriptions. Mainly, however, the organization generates income through fees collected for the review of products intended for use in organic production or processing. Also, OMRI operates an organic seed information service to help growers find organic seeds.

OMRI reviews applying products against the National Organic Standards. Acceptable products are OMRI Listed® and appear on the OMRI Products List. OMRI also provides subscribers guidance on the acceptability of various material inputs in general under the National Organic Program.

To review the OMRI website go to: http://www.omri.org
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Bird Songs and Calls

Bird Calls versus Bird Songs

Most birds use vocalizations which are short and unmusical and cannot be termed as song. These sounds have considerable functionality and are generally labeled call-notes or calls to distinguish them from true songs.

Call sounds can be classified into these categories:

1- General alarm calls 2- Specialized alarm calls 3- Distress calls 4- Aggressive calls 5- Territorial defense calls 6- Flight calls 7- Nest calls 8- Flock calls 9- Feeding calls 10- Pleasure calls

Sound is often more important than sight in parent-offspring recognition. A deaf female turkey is unable to recognize her own chicks and chickens cannot recognize silenced chicks (with a bell jar over them). Experiments have also shown that, in colony nesting birds at least young birds can recognize their own parents by their calls alone, though they all sound the same to us.

Birds start using calls early in their lives, in some species even before they are hatched. Quail chicks use calls to communicate with each other and their mother from inside their eggs. They are able this way to synchronies their hatching so that they all emerge from the eggs within the space of a couple of hours.

Bird songs:

Where do birds get their song from? Research has shown that it is a mixture of innate, pre-programmed knowledge of what their species song is and learning from older singing males. Some species of birds show definite learning skill; they sing a song that is a bit of mess at the beginning of their first season, but after a couple of weeks of practice become much better at singing the species' anthem.

Males sing for two reasons, and the message depends upon who is hearing the song. Male birds establish and defend a territory from other males of the same species by singing from perches around and within the territory. In this sense, song is a keep-out signal. Other males know that if they violate a territory's boundary, they will be attacked. A second reason males sing is as an invitation to females.

Furthermore, a single male can create the illusion that a territory is overrun with competing males, and therefore undesirable, by singing from many perches within the territory.

Mockingbirds, for example, which have an extensive repertoire of songs, sing a different song whenever they move to a new perch.
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BurnOut Weed Killer

BurnOut II is an all natural, non-selective herbicide made from vinegar and clove oil. When you spray BurnOut II on weeds and grass, it works fast (within 15-20 minutes) to destroy the foliage through a burn down process. Use for weed control on driveways, patios, sidewalks and along fence rows. BurnOut II is 100 percent biodegradable and safe for the environment.

Ingredients of: BurnOut

Active Ingredients: Clove Oil - 4.0%, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - 3.0% Other Ingredients: Vinegar, Lecithin, Citric Acid, Mineral Oil and water - 93%

Website:

To find BurnOut go to the link below or Google search under American Natural. http://americanatural.com/natweedkil.html
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Franklinia Tree

The father and son explorers discovered a small grove of this unknown tree along the Altamaha River in Georgia in 1765. On a later trip, William gathered seeds to propagate at their Philadelphia garden. They named the tree Franklinia alatamaha in honor of John Bartram's great friend, Benjamin Franklin.

The tree was never seen in the wild after 1803, but fortunately, Franklinias still exist thanks to the Bartrams. All Franklinias today are descended from those propagated and distributed by the Bartrams, who are credited with saving it from extinction.

The Franklinia tree is gaining an increased popularity among gardeners enticed by its delicate beauty, marvelous story of survival.

Scientific Name(s): Franklinia alatamaha

Common Name(s): Franklinia, Ben Franklin Tree, Franklin Tree

Plant Type: Small deciduous tree

Height: 15 to 20 feet

Cultivation Zones: 5 - 8

Cultivation Give Franklinia humus-rich acid soil, and water it during dry spells, especially when young. Good drainage is essential, so consider putting it on an elevated spot or artificial mound. It blooms most profusely in full sun, but in hot dry climates partial or dappled shade might give the best overall results.

Sometimes this plant will try to grow as a shrub, but it can usually be trained into tree form. Franklinia is easy to grow from seed, and such a plant will often reach blooming size by the sixth year.

Note: This plant may not do well in the South.
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Agastache

The greatest concentration of Agastache species occurs in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The rest are scattered across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The genus is part of the mint family, which accounts for its square stems and aromatic foliage. In northern climate zones, most Agastache species are tender perennials—they sometimes winter over but do not seem to be long-lived in the garden.

Southwestern species endure very dry conditions and poor, well-drained soils in their native habitat, but most of these adapt to richer, organic soils and wetter summers and winters in other regions of the country.

Agastache is relatively free of pests and diseases, with the exception of powdery mildew, rust, and other fungal pathogens that can affect the leaves during hot, humid weather if air circulation is poor. Plants can be propagated from spring division or sown from seed in early spring at soil temperatures of 55°F to 65°F.
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Japanese Barberry

Japanese barberry forms dense stands in natural habitats including canopy forests, open woodlands, wetlands, pastures, and meadows and alters soil pH, nitrogen levels, and biological activity in the soil. Once established, barberry displaces native plants and reduces wildlife habitat and forage. White-tailed deer apparently avoid browsing barberry, preferring to feed on native plants, giving barberry a competitive advantage.

Barberry is shade tolerant, drought resistant, and adaptable to a variety of open and wooded habitats, wetlands and disturbed areas. It prefers to grow in full sun to part shade but will flower and fruit even in heavy shade.

Japanese barberry spreads by seed and by vegetative expansion. Barberry produces large numbers of seeds which have a high germination rate, estimated as high as 90%. Barberry seed is transported to new locations with the help of birds (e.g., turkey and ruffed grouse) and small mammals which eat it. Birds frequently disperse seed while perched on powerlines or on trees at forest edges.

Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8

Height: 2-8 feet

Type: Deciduous Shrub

Growth Rate: 12-18 inches per year

Flowers: Yellow

Fruit: Red
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Sowbugs and Pillbugs

These creatures are a nuisance by their presence; they do not bite humans nor damage structures or household possessions. However, if present in large numbers, they can feed on young plants in greenhouses.

Both sowbugs and pillbugs mate throughout the year, with most activity in the spring. The female carries the eggs, numbering from 7 to 200, in a brood pouch on the underside of her body. Eggs hatch in three to seven weeks and the young are white-colored.

These creatures live outdoors, feeding on decaying organic matter and occasionally young plants and their roots. They may become pests in and around homes where flower bed mulches, grass clippings, leaf litter, rotting boards, trash, rocks and pet droppings are present. Adequate moisture is essential for their survival, and they group in masses to reduce water loss. On a hot day, they remain under objects on the damp ground and are active only at night due to lower temperatures and more humid conditions. They become inactive during the winter months except in heated buildings such as greenhouses.

Prevention

Remove hiding places such as piles of leaves, grass clippings, mulch in flower beds, fallen fruit, pet droppings, boxes, boards, stones and other debris from the foundation walls, doors, basement windows and other points of entry. Properly ventilate basements and subfloor crawl spaces to eliminate excess moisture.
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Crown Rot

In most plants experiencing crown rot there are two distinguishing symptoms:

1- The crown is mushy

2- The crown darkens

Other notable symptoms include:

1- Leaves might have a web like substance on them

2- Leaves may darken

3- Leaves may wilt permanently

4- Crown may have a web like substance on it (not to be confused with spider mites or leaf mealy bugs).

5- The plant is slow in growth

The fungus can survive on and in seed and in soil. The fungus also produces thick-walled spores that can survive prolonged periods of adverse conditions. Contaminated seed and transplants, or are sources of primary infections. Irrigation water often disseminates fungal propagules from infested areas to other parts of the garden. The pathogen over winters in soil and plant and becomes active when soil temperatures approach 78° to 90° F.

In most cases, crown rot is fatal. The best answer in a garden is to isolate the infected plant (s) and remove them. If you are attached to the particular plant you can move it to isolation and try to revive it by removing infected areas. Otherwise… throw away or destroy the plant (s).

Prevention is the best answer to crown rot. The following will help:

1- Do not over water

2- Don’t let the soil dry out completely before watering.

3- Don’t use too small of a pot or container

4- Pots or your garden need adequate drainage

5- Maintain good air circulation (especially important indoors).

6- Remove and destroy diseased plants

If you are experiencing any disease issues one of your best first steps is to consult a professional. This might include a lawn & garden center or in the USA for example you can call your local County Extension Agent or a Master Gardener for advice.
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