Newspaper Page Text
Page 6C,The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Holiday solutions for allergy sufferers
Special to the Ledger
By Jamie Woodhead
For many people, it is not
truly Christmas without
a fresh and adorned tree
standing in the middle of
the living room. The smell
alone can instantly shift
people into the holiday
spirit. But for those who
suffer from allergies, the
thought of a live Christmas
tree can put a damper on
even the most festive of
days.
“No one perfect tree
exists for people with al
lergies,’’ said Kim Coder,
a professor of community
forestry at the Univer
sity of Georgia. But, he
believes a few small steps
once a tree is chosen can
greatly reduce problems
for allergy sufferers.
“Most people, when they
get a Christmas tree, they
shake them but don’t wash
them,’’ he said. “It is criti
cal to do a water rinse to
rid the tree of dusts and in
sects or debris. Of course,
the initial shake of the tree
is vital, as well.’’
Coder warned that the
needles could be knocked
off if the water pressure is
too high while rinsing the
tree.
“I would suggest shak
ing the tree again once it
is rinsed because you don’t
want the tree to accumu
late mold growth from the
wetness,’’ he said. “These
small actions will go a
long way, especially for
people with allergies.’’
A crusty tree stand is
another problem during the
holidays, he said. “Similar
to the tree, a Christmas
tree stand should be care
fully cleaned and then
completely rinsed off
before the tree is placed in
the stand.’’
Coder also said to change
the tree’s water every three
to four days. Fungi and
bacterial can grow if the
water is not changed often.
The most popular Christ
mas trees are pine, fir and
cedar. Each tree has its
own unique set of smells
and essential oils.
“Some people are actu
ally allergic to the smell
of terpenes and pinenes in
the Christmas trees, which
is a type of chemical you
smell,’’ he said. “If you are
outside picking the tree,
you might not react to the
chemicals due to the cold.
But once you take the tree
into the heated house, the
pinenes and terpenes can
be released.’’
A bad experience with a
former Christmas tree can
cause allergy sufferers to
hesitate before choosing
another live tree, but Coder
advised that “if you found
that last year you had a
pine and it bothered you,
don’t give up on having
a live tree. Instead, try
another species like a fir,
for instance.’’
Even artificial trees can
pose problems for those
who suffer from allergies
because they can collect
dust and mold during stor
age. Like a live tree, these
trees need to be properly
cleaned.
Allergy threats can also
go beyond the tree itself.
According to Pamela
Turner, a UGA Coop
erative Extension housing
specialist, “Ornaments
and decorations are often
stored in attics and base
ments where they can grow
mold and attract dust.”
These objects should be
cleaned just like the tree
and also stored in a place
that is not dusty or wet.
Holiday candles and
plug-ins can also be ir
ritants.
“A soy or beeswax candle
produces less soot and may
be a better alternative for
those who have trouble
with regular wax candles,”
Turner said.
There are other, more
natural ways to get your
house smelling like the
holidays. “Warming cider,
baking cookies and cook
ing meat as well as putting
out cinnamon or cloves are
all good alternatives,” she
said.
Turner believes that
one of the best things for
people with allergies is
to clean the house often.
“In particular during the
holidays, there are a lot
of people coming in and
out of your house, so it is
extra important to clean
frequently,” she said.
Adding a doormat is
an easy way to reduce
irritants and dirt that
houseguests track into a
home, and the doormat
itself can become a festive
decoration. Asking guests
to take off their shoes is
another simple way to keep
unwanted dirt and debris
out of the house.
In fact. Turner said, “The
use of a doormat to wipe
feet and having people take
off their shoes reduces
about 60 percent of what
you track in.”
By following a few
simple steps, the holidays
can be a much easier time
for allergy sufferers.
(Jamie Woodhead is a
student writer with the
University of Georgia Col
lege of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.)
Bring springtime inside this winter through flowering bulbs
Special to the Ledger
By Sharon Dowdy
University of Georgia
Flowering bulbs typically
herald the coming of spring.
By using a technique called
“forcing bulbs,” you can en
joy many springtime bulbs
during the winter, too.
“My first Christmas in
Ringold (Ga.) I bought
amaryllis bulbs and held a
contest with the ladies in
the Extension office,” said
Charles Lancaster, a Uni
versity of Georgia Coop
erative Extension agent in
Catoosa County. “I bought
bulbs in four colors, and we
each picked one.”
Watch and wait
Over the next few weeks,
the office staff waited and
then watched as the stalks
began to emerge.
“We all had a great time
watching and waiting as
our plant blossomed and
brought a little sunshine
inside our office during the
short days of winter,” he
said.
Planted now, bulbs may
not bloom before Christ
mas, but you and your fam
ily can still watch as they
grow in the coming weeks.
From tulips to daffodils
Bulbs can be forced
to bloom indoors earlier
than they normally would
outdoors. Crocus, galan-
thus, hyacinth, narcissus,
daffodil, scilla and tulip are
the easiest to force.
Pot the bulbs in October
or November using a well-
drained soil. The number
of bulbs per pot will vary
according to pot and bulb
size.
Keep them in the dark at
about 40 degrees F for 8 to
12 weeks in a cold frame
outdoors, an unheated
garage or basement, or
in your refrigerator. (The
bulbs must not be allowed
to freeze.) Do not allow the
soil in the pots to dry out.
After two or three
months, the root system
should be extensively devel
oped, and shoots will start
to emerge from the bulbs.
Place the pots in a cool,
bright room at about 55
degrees. If possible, place
them in a southern window.
Eastern or western win
dows are second best.
Poor light = weak stems
Once shoots emerge,
bulbs will produce blooms
in about one month. High
temperatures and/or poor
light will cause spindly,
weak stems.
Crocus, hyacinth, narcis
sus, and tulip bulbs can be
refrigerated at 40 degrees
for two months prior to
planting, then potted and
forced. The results are
not usually as satisfactory
because the root systems
don’t have enough time to
fully develop.
Lancaster says most
forced bulbs will seldom
grow and flower well when
replanted in the garden.
Amaryllis can grow
indoors and out
“Amaryllis bulbs will do
okay planted outside, but
the flower color will be dif
ferent than when it’s grown
indoors,” he said.
According to UGA Ex
tension horticulturist Bodie
Pennisi, when amaryllis
blooms fade indoors, cut
the bloom stalk off near the
soil surface. Sometimes a
bulb will send up a second
stalk.
When the blooms are
gone, allow the leaves to re
main on the plant, she said.
Keep it in a sunny window
until May and then plant it
outdoors.
Amaryllis will grow in
almost any well-drained
Photo by Sharon Dowdy
With a little care, spring-flowering bulbs can be forced to bloom indoors.
soil as long as they receive some shade. editor with the LTniversity cultural and Environmental
adequate moisture and (Sharon Dowdy is a news of Georgia College of Agri- Sciences.)
UGA to offer new agribusiness degree in Tifton
Photo by Brad Haire/UGACAES
Farm workers load trays filled with vegetable transplants onto a truck at a greenhouse in
Tifton, Ga.
Special to the Ledger
By Jessica Michelle
Green
The University System of
Georgia Board of Regents
recently gave the Univer
sity of Georgia approval to
offer a new program at its
Tifton location. The new
agribusiness major focuses
on the “money side” of
agriculture, giving students
a head start on the diverse
management, marketing
and financial strategies
associated with agriculture,
the state’s No. 1 industry.
And the industry is
looking for business-savvy
students, said Octavio
Ramirez, head of the UGA
department of agricultural
and applied economics,
from which the degree will
be offered.
“A recent study concluded
that there is a great demand
for such a program in south
Georgia, and we want to
be responsive to the needs
of the citizens of our state.
In addition, the demand for
agribusiness professionals
across the state far exceeds
the current supply, so we
need to graduate more stu
dents from our program,”
Ramirez said.
Students will complete
their core studies at other
schools, then transfer to
the UGA Tifton campus to
concentrate on the agribusi
ness major. The university
has transfer agreements in
place with several schools
that outline what courses
students need to take for an
easy transfer into the new
program.
UGA is adding the
agribusiness major because
it is committed to provid
ing local communities the
programs the citizen shave
asked for. A majority of
UGA Tifton agricultural
graduates live and work
south of Macon after
graduation, keeping their
training and experience in
the area, making it even
more important to continue
the relationship between lo
cal communities and UGA,
said Joe West, the UGA
assistant dean in Tifton.
“We want to provide
highly trained graduates to
the agricultural industries.
Agriculture is a highly
technical enterprise, and
it is big business. Running
an agricultural enterprise
or working in an industry
which supports agriculture
requires business knowl
edge. This region needs
more graduates with ag-
business training, and they
will make an immediate
impact on businesses in this
area,” West said.
Classes for the major will
begin fall 2011. For more
information about this or
other majors offered by the
UGA College of Agricul-
Special to the Ledger
Chileshe Wilson of Al
bany, GA, has been induct
ed into the Honor Society
at Macon State College.
Chileshe is a senior
majoring in information
technology.
The Macon State Honor
Society, chartered in 2007,
was created to recognize
and reward academic
tural and Environmental
Sciences in Tifton, call
(229) 386-3528. Or, go to
the website www.tifton.
uga.edu.
success in baccalaureate
programs in all disci
plines. To be a member, a
Macon State student must
have junior or senior class
standing with a cumula
tive academic grade point
average of 3.5 or higher
and be enrolled in a bac
calaureate program at the
college.
Macon State, with a resi-
(Jessica Green is a
student writer with the
University of Georgia Col
lege of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.)
dential campus in Macon
and another campus in
Warner Robins, has more
than 6,200 students this
fall. The college offers
18 bachelor’s degrees, 31
majors, and more than 40
organizations in which
students can become
involved, including club
sports.
Chileshe Wilson inducted
into Honor Society