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THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2007 -- PAGE 11A Drought Doesn't Have To Mean Dead Landscapes By Faith Peppers Just because you can’t water shouldn’t keep Georgians from gardening this fall. You don’t need a lot of water to have a lovely landscape. The secret is in the soil. “The idea is that soil kept uni formly moist for a long period encourages the soil microorgan isms to do all the work,” said David Berle, a horticulturist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Some of the best soil out there is in areas that have been under mulch for years,” he said. “I always tell people, if they have tough soil and are not ready to plant, to go ahead and lay out the bed and mulch and get the process started.” UGA horticulturist Tim Smalley said the best soil he’s seen in his yard was under a decomposing wood pile. But he adds that shading and root com petition have a great influence on what plants survive. “I can see on campus that dog woods in sun are scorched while those in shade are doing better,” he said. “I lost my fothergilla competing with honey locust roots. But one in the shade of a pine looks unblemished this year.” In a previous drought, he said, “I noticed that I lost plants that were near water oaks. Last year on campus, the iteas in the sun away from the red maples were holding their own, while those in the shade of the red maples were probably suffering from root competition.” Now might be a good time to rethink landscapes and place trees such as deep-rooted oaks and pines to provide shade to plants in the afternoon or dur ing the entire day. But beware of root competition. “I lost all of my two- and three- year-old Hydrangea macrophyl- las when I was away for five weeks during the June drought this year,” he said. “However, one on the north side of the house with no root competition and receiving the water from the air conditioner condensate runoff is doing fine.” Using organic soil amend ments and covering with wood chips and other mulches are proving useful in helping plants survive. Hydrogels can work wonders, too. These granules expand when soaked in water and can slowly release the water to keep soil moist. Smalley thinks they do more than that to improve the soil. “In my research,” he said, “hydrogel-amended annual beds always had larger plants than the unamended beds. Much research has shown that leaves of hydrogel plants are less water- stressed than those of untreated plants. “However,” he said, “most sci entists believe that the improved growth and water relations are caused by increased root growth prompted by the hydrogel prod ucts. Hydrogels continuously expand and contract with the availability of water, and this expansion and contraction continuously tills the soil and improves the soil environment for root growth.” Gardeners who feel at a loss when considering landscape needs this fall aren’t alone. Planning is paramount, and even the experts are seeing things dif ferently. “I’m considering making some changes in my landscape plans,” Berle said. “I was already plan ning to swap out some plants. But this summer has convinced me to be more mindful of plant and water needs.” Faith Peppers is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Get Help Controlling Energy Use The Georgia Environmental Fa cilities Authority’s (GEFA) Weath- erization Assistance Program recently hosted a site demonstra tion on measures that homeown ers can take to increase home en ergy efficiency and to lower their energy bills. “Georgia’s Weatherization Assis tance Program helps low-income families save money through ener gy efficiency and it demonstrates effective steps that all of us can take in our homes to conserve energy,” GEFA executive director Chris Clark said. The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) works with low- income families to reduce energy costs by providing free home en ergy efficiency testing and solu tions for individuals and families whose incomes do not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level (about $30,000 for a family of four). Preference is given to the el derly, people with disabilities and families with children. Last year in Georgia, 2,467 homes were weatherized, serving 3,618 clients. Based on current en ergy prices, weatherizing a home reduces average annual energy costs per household by $358 in the first year alone. Weatherization measures in cluded the installation of wall and attic insulation, duct pressure testing, sealing of ductwork, ap pliance metering, blower door air infiltration testing, and a “house of pressure” demonstration, which demonstrates air flows throughout a house. For more information, call 404 584-1000. WE DELIVER! All deliveries are Delivered and Dumped. All products available in dump truck loads and tractor trailer loads. 473 Lee Street Jefferson, GA Open 6 days per week landscaping specials! Mulches fr. Bm-fc Red Dyed Mulch $25/scoop Brown or Black Mulch $25/scoop Double Ground Hd $25/scoop Mini-Nuggets $25/scoop Cypress Mulch $28/scoop Straw Matting for Slopes 7L2'x120' Reasonably Priced $40/Roll Tractor Trailer Load discounts available Delivery on 10 scoops or more free up to 10 miles from lot, then $1 per mile both ways thereafter Straw Wheat Straw/Mulch Hay $4/bale Long Needle Pinestraw $3/bale Delivery on 100 bales or more free up to 10 miles from lot, then $1 per mile both ways thereafter NEW PRODUCT Coastal Bermuda Feed Hay (Great for cows and horses) Square Bales $6/Bale On average, drivers who switched to Allstate saved $338 a year Call me today JOEL A HARBIN, CIC 1704) 387-5030 SYCAMORE ST JEFFERSON JoelHarbinWallsta.tc.mrTi /HIStclTB THIT1 p>v«1 iwhjp r ■ ir I . ■—lid i -■>- -<! i ■Jt'i H-o-i tOTFirshdr* Ir i.d Uji l| ril-t qj.J4E*r.ak » bbk llUj il LH I i>J I | ■JUUt Pi-JUUd J i: i-Xi-a.!, I -j ■ H-.I9EjiJ.i--L atCi ■JlLiJEIIL-JJLI .19Uh 'Project FeederWatch' Seeks Participation By Area Bird-watchers Promoted Lt. CpI. Jason Hawkins of the United States Marine Corps, a 2004 graduate of Banks County High School, was pro moted to corporal Oct. 16 at Twenty-Nine Palms, CA, where he is stationed. He is the son of Tom and Gayla Davenport and brother of Jessica Hawkins, all of Commerce. Staff-Produced Photographs Available Online MainStreet Newspapers Inc. offers staff-produced photos from its five newspapers avail able for the ordering of prints online at its web site, mainstreet- news.com. Based in Jefferson, the company owns The Com merce News, The Jackson Herald, The Madison County Journal, The Braselton News and The Banks County News. Access to the photos catalogue is available from a button on the mainstreetnews.com web site. The photos are hosted by Dot- Photo Inc., a firm which special izes in making prints from digital photographs and which manages photos for a number of newspa pers across the country. There will be approximately a one-week lag time between the time photos are published and their availability at the online site. Those who don’t have Internet access in their homes may visit area public libraries that offer the service. Food Bank Hours Are Announced The hours of operation of the Banks-Jackson Emergency Food Bank, located at 111 Atlanta Av enue, Commerce, are from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Monday Wednesday and Friday. The food bank provides one time emergency food supplies for individuals and families referred by churches or social service groups. Bird-watchers in Georgia and across the nation will be keep ing a close eye on their feeders this winter while participating in the annual Project FeederWatch. This popular citizen-science proj ect enters its 21st season Satur day, when more than 7,000 par ticipants across North America will make Project FeederWatch part of their fall/winter ritual. What will the coming winter bring to bird feeders? Feed- erWatch participants help sci entists monitor changes in Georgia’s bird populations by tracking birds at their feeders from the second Saturday of November through early April, a 21-week period. The Georgia Department of Natural Resourc es, Wildlife Resources Division (DNR/WRD) encourages Geor gians to document bird occur rences at their feeders to help contribute to the science and conservation of North Ameri can feeder birds. “This is a great opportunity to increase your enjoyment and knowledge of birds, while contributing valuable data to a nationwide research effort,” said WRD wildlife biologist Tim Keyes. “The observations of am- The deadline for accepting photos for MainStreet Newspa pers’ annual children’s Christ mas section will be Monday, Nov. 26, at 5 p.m. Parents are asked to submit photos early, as photos re ceived after the deadline will not be published. The special section will be in the newsstands of The Jackson Herald, The Commerce News and The Banks County News Wednesday, Dec. 19. The newspapers will be ac cepting photographs of chil dren age 8 years and younger. The child must live in Jackson or Banks counties. Photos of grandchildren will be taken only if the child resides with the grandparents (which must be stated when submitting the photo). Please submit the following information along with the child’s photo: The first and last name and age of each child shown, as well as the parents’ names, their city of residence and phone number. Photos submitted without all of the information may not be pub lished. Black and white or color pho- ateur birders have long added critical information about bird distributions and populations. Project FeederWatch is just such an opportunity.” Project FeederWatch surveys birds that visit feeders at back yards, nature centers, communi ty areas and other locales across the nation. FeederWatchers peri odically count the highest num bers of each species they see at their feeders for the 21 weeks. The survey data helps scientists track broad scale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribu tion and abundance. Tanagers were unexpected surprises at some FeederWatch locations during the 2006-2007 survey season. Summer tana- gers were recorded in Texas and Florida where the species is typically only found during the breeding season. Vagrant West ern tanagers were found winter ing in Georgia and returned for another winter to a FeederWatch site in Tallahassee, FL, that regu larly plays host to these “lost” migrants. Project FeederWatch is con ducted by individuals and groups of all skill levels and tos can be used, but no Pola- roids or photographs printed out from a computer onto laser paper will be accepted, as they do not reprint well. Digital photos with the above information may be e-mailed to news@mainstreetnews.com. The e-mail MUST contain the subject line “Christmas Kids Photo” as a title, or the child’s photo may not be published. Also, the child’s photo and information requested above must be submitted in the same e-mail. Do not submit multiple e-mails for the same child. Once photos are submitted, they may not be replaced with another photo. The photos may be dropped off at or mailed to any of the newspaper offices and may be picked up there after Dec. 19. backgrounds, including chil dren, families, retirees, youth groups, nature centers and bird clubs. The project begins in No vember, but participants are en couraged to join any time. “FeederWatchers across the southeastern U.S . have helped create the world’s largest da tabase of feeder-bird popula tions,” ornithologist and project leader David Bonter said. “To understand the effects of global climate change, habitat change and other factors on birds, we need new and veteran partici pants to let us know what they are seeing in their own yards and neighborhoods.” Project FeederWatch is a joint research and education project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithol ogy and Bird Studies Canada. To learn more about Feeder- Watch or register, visit www. birds.cornell.edu/pfw or call the lab toll-free at (800) 843-2473. The annual fee is $15. In return, participants receive the Feeder- Watcher’s Research Kit, which contains instructions on how to file reports, a colorful poster of the most common feeder birds, a wall calendar and the year-end report, Winter Bird Highlights. Headmaster’s Corner by Buhl Cummings BIG DAY... Congratulations to our ACS cross-country teams and their coach, Mr. Tim Cummings. Led by senior, Taylor Kellogg, the boys won the region championship. Led by senior Whitney Bishoff, the girls finished second. Whitney, the premier cross-country runner, claimed her fourth straight Region title. All now move on to the state meet in Carrollton. Whintey will be seeking her fourth straight state title. What a runner she has been for ACS. Athletics and other extra curricular activities build character and teach teamwork and the work ethic. The championships are just a by-product. ATHENS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL “Affordable Quality Education Since 1970” K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586 www.athenschristian.com J & J FLEA MARKET 11661 HWY. 441 N. • ATHENS, GA 30607 Deadline For Submitting Children's Photos Nears Fareha Rahim, MD Internal Medicine We are now located at our new office 613 Hospital Road Commerce, Georgia 30529 Commerce Medical Center 706-335-9411 ^CR^CDJ3&BS^IGN^HMWPPO^MERIGROUF^ARFUJH^J TIT—^ 1J1I □ * Have Your New Kitchen Floor Installed Before The Holidays! BRASELTON TILE FACTORY Tile • Supplies • Installation • Design 9907 Davis Street • Braselton, GA (at the corner of Hwy. 53 & Hwy. 124) 706-654-0819 • 770-962-1254 Open Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 3 p.m. 706-613-2410 www.jandjfleamarket.com Thanks for making us Georgia*s Biggest REAL Flea Market! HURRY Next Session starts Nov. 26 ilnesi Boot Comp Um wiipJii 4 inchti ft K 'ft Yj \ film buif. Thijln 4 ilwnach ^ CV \ \ 1 inwel ifj lllWW i lodhFfmfhitviit \ft\\ U 1 hmttf tiotadtr V -11 p ^ I;v ^ Yl \J 1 Contact jlpfil VfilLamt. Founder, CeMpfitMW iAtfriKloi &{«kH ifflfcoutirtiwntfklKMh re: - 70* m 4454