16 Last Mountain Times • Monday, <strong>October</strong> <strong>22</strong>, <strong>2018</strong> • lmtimes.ca Not your typical home on wheels heading down the road to Last Mountain Regional Park, but we really don’t know quite where it was headed last Monday afternoon, after coming south down Highway 20, and then heading west on the road to LMRP. If anyone knows the story, please send us a note. -editor Semans news Marcy Marshall, Semans Post Mistress already has the Post Office decorated for Halloween. She’s hoping lots of ghosts and goblins come for treats on <strong>October</strong> 31st. classified ads work. The Semans Affinity Credit Union served donuts and coffee to celebrate Credit Union day. <strong>October</strong> 18th was Credit Union Day all across Saskatchewan. Any members joining them that day had their name entered for one of the many door prizes. Staff : Mallory Hendry, Maureen Rattai , Darlene Horvath Members: Michelle Wilda, Rema Simmonds and Delores Dudley. -info and photos from Lynne Gettis 18104SS1 18104SS2
Last Mountain Times • Monday, <strong>October</strong> <strong>22</strong>, <strong>2018</strong> • lmtimes.ca 17 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE CONTENT African Violets Most gardeners are hopelessly addicted to seeing if “it will grow”. Even better if there is variety in what you are attempting to grow. The “perfect houseplant” is available in many bloom colours including but not limited to purple, purple edged with white, pink, deep rose, light blue, ruffled white. This plant is none other than the African Violets, from the genus Saintpaulia. African violets bloom year round with no specific flowering season which is probably why they are considered perfect houseplants. But there is more to the story. They are of tropical origin and so are able to tolerate, thrive even, in heated houses; they have thick hairy leaves which protect them against water loss; they can live with the lower winter light levels and do not want even the direct sunlight of January days. If you keep your house at a comfortable temperature for you, your African violet will also be comfortable. They prefer slightly cooler nights, and they are woefully easy to propagate. Care of African Violets is simple. The growing mix, which can be a peat-based houseplant mix, should be slightly damp. Wait until the soil is dry to the touch before watering. The only way I have killed African Violets is by overwatering or potting them in a pot without drainage holes. A balanced fertilizer, 20-20-20 or 7-7-7 in the amounts of 1/8 tsp. per two litres of water can be used with each watering, about once a week. African violets can tolerate lower light levels than many other flowering plants but bright light is needed for flowering. Sunny south or west windows are too bright and will cause leaf burn. Even our low light in the winter can sometimes be too bright. The plants are happiest on an east or north window but watch for cold drafts in the wintertime. Windows are not necessary for successful growing and flowering. The current location of those happy parents live in a house with no window sills and limited east window exposure. So the plants are cycled between grow lights and wherever a blooming plant is needed as they come into bloom. Ordinary florescent tubes, one warm white and one cool white, work just fine. Mature plants should be at least 10 inches away from the light while started cuttings can be 6-8 inches. If the plant is too close to the light, the growth will be very dense, compact, and bleached out. Like any other plant, violets will tell you if they are lacking light. The leaves will turn toward the light and a long stem develops. If the light source is not directly overhead, turning the plant a quarter turn each time you water it will keep the plant balanced. A large part of the charm of African violets is that they seem to attract few pests or diseases. Mealy bugs are the most likely pests and they appear on the undersides of leaves and at leaf axils. Dabbing them with a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol works but it may be easiest to simply start a new plant from a leaf cutting which you have carefully cleaned. African violets do best in ceramic or plastic pots. They do not like the salts which develop over time in clay pots and any leaves touching the pot rim will wilt and rot. Propagation is very simple. Break off a healthy leaf, cut the stem at a 45 degree angle, and stick in water until roots form. Yes, I know HORTICULTURE PAT HANBIDGE SASKATOON, SK that the books talk about sterilized potting soil. I don’t bother. Once roots are formed, the leaf is planted, roots and all, in a small pot and set under grow lights. Within a few weeks, the first baby plant will emerge. Usually within 3-4 weeks you will have anywhere from 2-6 baby plants poking up around the leaf stem. When the plantlets are about half way up the leaf stem, separate the plantlets so that there is one stem with attached roots. Pot these into small containers (individual yogurt cartons with holes poked in the bottom work fine) and set them back under the grow lights. Often within 8-10 months, they will flower. -Patricia Hanbidge is a horticulturist with the Saskatoon School of Horticulture. She can be reached at 306‐931‐GROW(4769); by email at growyourfuture@gmail.com or check out their website at www.saskhort.com Of trees and things There is an old adage about history often repeating itself, and that might just be the case when it comes to farm shelterbelts. As long as there have been farms, farmers have always had a sort of love-hate relationship with trees. My grandfather homesteaded in Saskatchewan more than a century ago now, and I well-remember his stories about clearing the home quarter largely with an axe, horse and sweat. He talked about how, when the money ran out for homesteaders like himself, and he needed to replenish funds to allow him to continue clearing their land, there was only one job option, to go swing an axe for a farmer with deeper pockets to afford help. The process took years, to the point the last few acres were still treed at a time grandpa could afford to bring in a cat to help clear it. Trees in the era of the homesteader were simply big weeds taking up valuable land they want to plant to crop. The Dirty Thirties changed that viewpoint a lot. The drought years of the 1930s meant topsoil was left to erode with the wind. The photographs of dust storms, and dirt-filled ditches left in their wake are memorable to anyone who has seen them. A solution to such erosion, or at least a barrier of some protection, was to plant tree shelterbelts. That was something my father’s generation often did. The rows of trees helped trap snow in winter to provide moisture, and slowed winds which protected against soil blowing away. With the widespread adoption of zero-till farming techniques, erosion by wind and water became less of a concern a few decades ago. And with the emergence of larger and larger equipment shelterbelts were increasingly seen as a nuisance, and many farmers of my generation were once again chopping trees, albeit by mechanical means. But a recent study is suggesting shelterbelts might actually help in terms of crop yields. Producers are always AG NOTES CALVIN DANIELS looking for ways to punch up yields, from looking at new ways to apply additional fertilizer, to the addition of micronutrient packages not even thought of 25-years ago. But could better yields be as simple as planting a row of trees across a field and leaving them to grow for the next few decades? A recent article in The Western Producer looks at a project by Shathi Akhter, a research scientist at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Indian Head, SK., which is suggesting it might indeed be an option. It is interesting how detailed research often shows data that runs counter to perception. Trees were largely thought to steal nutrients away from the crop, but that element may not be the whole story in terms of their influence on crop growth according to the initial research. It leaves one wondering if the next generation of farmer might be replacing the shelterbelts that were removed only a decade or so again? - Calvin Daniels Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer. Meditation - A Path to a More Peaceful Life I sometimes write about meditation, and find there is much confusion and uncertainty about what, exactly, it is. Some think it is weird. Others think it is harmful. It has even been labeled as ‘new age’, and condemned as a threat to traditional religion. It is interesting how much can be projected on a very harmless, innocent practice. Meditation means to think quietly, to engage in deep and serious thought. It can also mean to observe intently. The act of meditation is quiet thought; reflection. It can even be contemplation on sacred or solemn subjects, especially as a devotional exercise. For a religious person, meditation can be sitting quietly and feeling the presence of PSYCHOLOGY FOR LIVING GWEN RANDALL-YOUNG God - an awareness that can be lost in the hustle and bustle of daily living. For the non-spiritual person, meditation can be simply clearing the mind of all thoughts, giving the mind a much needed rest. There is such an intimate connection between the mind and body, science has shown, that worry thoughts, thoughts of anger, resentment, fear, or anxiety - can measurably alter the body chemistry in a negative way. The negative changes persist for six to eight hours after experiencing the troubling emotions. Every time those thoughts come back, the negative changes are re-stimulated, and persist for another six to eight hours. It is easy to see how thoughts can have a profound effect on our health! Meditation is to the mind what a brisk walk in fresh air is to the body. To think of it as harmful or threatening in any way just adds one more negative thought to the stockpile. On the other hand, taking time each day to stop all thoughts, just resting in calmness, feeling the love in your heart...can create positive, healthful shifts in your body chemistry, which, if you resist adding negative emotions, remain for those same six to eight hours. Meditation is a path to a more peaceful, healthful life. -Gwen Randall‐Young is an Edmonton author and award‐winning Psychotherapist. To obtain books, cds or MP3’s, visit www.gwen.ca
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