Newspaper Page Text
Probability of
damaging freeze
higher in 2004
By David Emory Stooksbury
University of Georgia
Athens, Ga. — Compared to
recent winters, the probability
of a damaging freeze is higher
in early 2004 across most of
Georgia. This higher freeze
risk is because of current and
expected atmospheric-oceanic
patterns.
Atmospheric-oceanic pat
terns have a major influence on
the type of winter we have in
the Southeast. The best known
large-scale atmospheric-oceanic
pattern is El Nino. Under the El
Nino pattern, much of Georgia
has a wetter-than-normal winter.
The opposite pattern is called
La Nina. During a La Nina
winter, much of the Southeast is
drier than normal.
Both El Nino and La Nina
patterns tend to keep extremely
cold air from making it from
Canada into the deep South.
Thus, damaging freezes are less
likely during El Nino and La
Nina winters.
This winter, though, the at
mospheric-oceanic system is in
the neutral pattern. It’s neither
El Nino nor La Nina. During
winters with the neutral pattern,
extremely cold air from Canada
is usually able to invade the
Southeast.
This extremely cold air can
cause significant freeze-related
damage. Between periods of
very cold air, the Southeast
should have periods of relative
ly warm air.
Across extremely south and
coastal Georgia, the likelihood
of temperatures below 20 de
grees this winter is at least one
and half times greater than we
would expect during an El Nino
or La Nina winter.
Across much of Georgia, the
probability of temperatures
below 14 degrees is at least
one and half times greater than
we would expect during an El
Nino on La Nina winter. Tem
peratures around 14 and below
can cause extreme damage to
Georgia winter crops, especially
onions.
Maps and detailed expec
tations concerning the ex
treme freeze probabilities
may be found on the Web at
www.coaps.fsu.edu/climate_
center/frz04.html.
The extreme freeze prob
ability analysis and maps were
produced by the Southeast
Climate Consortium. The
consortium is an outreach and
research cooperative between
the University of Georgia, Flori
da State University, University
of Florida, University of Miami
and the University of Alabama
at Huntsville.
(David Emory Stooksbury is
the State Climatologist of Geor
gia and a professor of engineer
ing and atmospheric sciences
in the University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.)
Make most of
compost, other
fertilizers in garden
By Darbie Granberry
University of Georgia
If you want to make the most
of your garden, you’ll need to
make the best use of fertilizers,
including compost and other
organic products.
Fertilizers fall mainly into two
classes: organic or inorganic.
Inorganic fertilizers, some
times called synthetic or min
eral fertilizers, are store-bought
mixtures of inorganic nutrients
such as nitrates, phosphates and
potassium.
They have much higher
concentrations of plant nutrients
than organic fertilizers. The nu
trients in them are released into
the soil soon after you apply
them, too.
Organic fertilizers come from
plants or animals. The plant nu
trients in them have been taken
up by living plants or animals
and chemically bound in their
tissues and by-products.
Because they’re integrated
into complex organic molecules,
these nutrients are in relatively
low concentrations. They’re not
water soluble. As a result, plants
can’t take them up as soon as
you apply them.
Organisms in the soil have to
break down the organic matter
before the bound nutrients are
released for plants’ roots to take
them up.
Besides the slow-release nutri
ents, organic fertilizers typically
have generous amounts of help
ful organic matter.
Compost is an excellent or
ganic fertilizer for your garden.
Simply put, compost is de
cayed organic matter. Through
the composting process, plant
and animal materials are broken
down into smaller particles.
The final product is 35 percent
to 45 percent organic matter. It
resembles potting media.
The nutrient content varies,
depending on what material was
used and exactly how it was
composted.
Generally, though, it’s 1 per
cent to 2 percent nitrogen, 0.2
percent to 1 percent phospho
rus, 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent
potassium and 0.05 percent to 2
percent calcium. Besides these
nutrients, compost also contains
small amounts of micronutrients
such as boron, copper, manga
nese and zinc.
If they aren’t composted.
organic fertilizers from animal
manure can harbor weed seed
and pathogenic organisms.
Because of the heat generated
during composting, though,
compost is free of viable weed
seeds. This helps keep trouble
some weeds from getting a start
in your garden.
Perhaps even more important,
the high heat phase of compost
ing destroys plant and human
pathogens. Getting rid of these
critters helps safeguard the
health and well-being of you
and your garden veggies.
Nutrients in inorganic fertil
izers are released into the soil
quickly. But they also start
leaching from the soil as soon
as you apply them.
Heavy rains or watering early
in the season can move nutrients
deep down, beyond the reach of
plant roots. Unless you apply
more fertilizer, plants become
stunted. This lowers the quality
and yields of your garden crops.
Compost releases its nutrients
slowly, over many months. This
keeps them from leaching and
makes sure they’re available to
plants all season long.
Compost has a lot of organic
matter, which improves garden
soils and helps your garden
vegetables grow better. Besides
providing its nutrients over a
long time, organic matter:
* Improves soil structure and
reduces soil compaction.
* Increases soil aeration.
* Helps soil to hold moisture
and nutrients.
* Supports beneficial soil
organisms.
Don’t rule out the use of inor
ganic fertilizer.
You usually have to apply
organic matter many times over
several years to build up the
soil’s organic content and nutri
ent reserves. Until then, most
gardens will do better if you ap
ply both organic and inorganic
fertilizer.
Moderate amounts of inor
ganic fertilizer can be espe
cially helpful in getting garden
vegetables off to a good start.
As always, know the nutrient
content of the product you use.
And base your application rates
on your plants’ needs.
(Darbie Granberry is a horti
culturist with the University of
Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences.)
James Helton got his turn at shaving his son’s head.
The Lee County Ledger, Thursday, January 1, 2004, Page 7A
Trivia Time
by Walter Branch
1. What caped superhero had a dog named Ace?
2. Which direction does a merry-go-round turn?
3. Whom did Bob Hope mean in 1977 when he said, “We’ve lost
the most recognizable voice in the world”?
4. To what WJM-TV staff member did Rutledge College award
an honorary Ph.D.?
5. What book ended: “It was a curious dream, dear, certainly
- but now run in to your tea; it’s getting late”?
6. What Beatles song did Fats Domino hit with in 1968?
7. What African-American performer impressed in the 1964
Broadway production of “Othello”?
8. What English city did the perceptive Allen Ginsberg call in
1964 “the center of the consciousness of the human universe”?
9. What 1956 film was Cecil B. DeMille’s last?
10. What camera did Kodak introduce in 1963?
Trivia Time Answers
1. Batman; 2. Counterclockwise; 3. Bing Crosby 4. Ted Baxter;
5. “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”; 6. “Lady Madonna”; 7.
James Earl Jones; 8. Liverpool; 9. “The Ten Commandments”; 10.
The Instamatic
(c) 2003 DBR Media, Inc.
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James and Diana Helton of Leesburg gave a Luau
going away party in honor of their son, James Jr. as
he prepares to leave for the US Army. He will go to
Ft. Jackson, South Carolina for his Basic Combat
Training. James Jr. is well known for his locks of hair
and the highlight of the party came when each guest
took a turn at cutting James’ hair and shaving his
head. The party included lots of swimming, food, fun
and games including the Limbo and a Tiki Pinata. His
parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, grandparents,
aunts, uncles, and cousins attended the party, some
coming from Macon and Newnan. Pictured is Diana
Helton and her husband James shaving James Jr.’s
head.
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Clean Care, Inc.
TIP OF THE MONTH
JJhe Seaton...
To be spending more time indoors, but did you know that often
the quality of air you breathe indoors can be 5-10 times as bad as
that outside? So says Dr. Michael Berry with the Environmental
Criteria and Assessment Office of the Environmental Protection
Agency.
“So why should I care about IAQ (indoor air quality)?” Since
90% of the average person's life is lived indoors today (especially
in cold weather), IAQ is important for several reasons: This month
we can look at the importance of cleaning the sink on your floor,
that is, your carpet! A “sink” is an area in which soils accumulate
when filtered out of the air or simply when acted upon by gravity.
Dust, dirt, pollen, pet hair, fungus spores and other microorgan
isms (dust mites) all collect in carpet and eventually contribute to
poor IAQ in homes and businesses. What’s the solution?...Simple,
get rid of those soils! How? That’s a little more difficutl to answer.
Consider:
Vacuum Selection: The basics here include: don’t buy the cheap
est vacuum, get the best in terms of soil removal Also, select a unit
with a high-collection-efficiency disposable bag and change it when
half to two-thirds full.
Vacuum Techniques: Overall, carpet should be vacuumed twice
weekly with extra attention given to heavy-use areas. Concentrate
on entry areas where particle soils accumulate and give them four
or five passes using a rearward stroke which removes the most
soil. Entry areas (“super sinks”) should be hand vacuumed with a
crevice tool every other month.
Finally, since even the best vacuum bags won't collect many of
the microscopic particles that irritate respiratory systems, plan to
have your carpet professionally cleaned by the hot water extraction
method every twelve to eighteen months as recommended by the
major fiber manufacturers for maximum soil removal.
Next month, we’ll discuss carpet cleaning options as they relate to
improving the IAQ in your home or business.
WINTER
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The Employees of Bishop Clean Care
Wish All of You a Very
Happy & Prosperous New Yearim
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