Diane Emerson - Pruning & Tool Talk
"Notes on a Chickadee's Guide to Gardening" presented March 2025
NEVER mind, March, we know
When you blow
You're not really mad
Or angry or bad;
You're only blowing the winter away
To get the world ready for April and May.
-Annette Wynn
Keystone Native Plants Northwestern Forested Mountains – Ecoregion 6
Good morning everyone! isn't it wonderful spring is here!
So we are seeing the birds are returning. The dawn chorus is back.
Soon the songbirds will be building nests, laying eggs, and keeping them warm until the baby birds begin peeping and free themselves from their egg shell homes which have grown too small for them. They're hungry right away. Now begins the real work for the parent birds: finding and bringing to the nest food for the nestlings, so they can grow fast and strong and fly themselves.
Who can tell me: What are the parent bird’s favorite food to bring back to the nest?
Yes. Caterpillars.
What’s So Great About Caterpillars?
They are soft and easy to feed to baby birds. You have seen how the parent birds poke those caterpillars right down the throats of those nestlings. Caterpillars are chock full of protein and fat, and an important chemical that they need to make bones: carotenoids. Carotenoids only come from plants, or insects that eat plants, like caterpillars.
So Where Do All Of These Caterpillars Come From? Anyone?
Native plants. The plants that co-evolved over thousands of years with the butterflies and moths of the region.
Most people know about the Monarch butterfly, and that it requires the native Milkweed to survive. I always thought that was pretty amazing. But it turns out that 90 percent of native insects have developed specialized relationships with native plants. Sometimes it’s the shape of the flower, like with orchids. Sometimes the insect has developed a way around a specific plant’s chemical defenses, like the Monarch. Once the insect specializes with a particular plant, though, it becomes dependent on that plant. That one native plant.
Now, I would like to share with you excerpts of an article by Jim Evans - an ecologist and educator here on Vashon island and speaker to our club last year. His article was published in this issue of Douglasia, the magazine for the Washington native plant society.
Native plants are the foundations of our ecosystems and for many of us our foundations of inspiration and hope. What is a native plant? Washington native plants are those species that occur or occurred within the state boundaries before European settlement. These species developed complex ecological relationships with the rest of the organisms in their ecosystems. A species nativeness is a vital factor in ecological relationships that can make the difference between life and death, and successful reproduction. While the plights of salmon and orcas are well known to most Northwesterners far fewer of us are aware that insects are exhibiting large scale population declines in many taxonomic groups that are key to the health and functioning of our ecosystems. Habitat loss and alteration including the increasing dominance of non-native plant species in our landscapes are among the factors contributing to these declines in important insect populations. Non-native plants have not been around long enough to have formed the kinds of specialized relationships that native plants have developed with their ecosystem neighbors over thousands of years. Selective breeding for traits that are attractive to people can result in unintended genetic changes that make [plants] unattractive, unpalatable, indigestible, or otherwise inappropriate hosts for native insects and their larvae. If songbirds can't find the large numbers of caterpillars they must have to feed their nestlings, that next generation will fail. There is no call to remove all non-native plants from our gardens and managed landscapes unless the species are invasive in natural areas. However, our neighborhoods and parks are typically already so dominated by non-native plants and cultivars that it is vital for new plantings to be bona fide wild type natives in order to increase the proportion of plants that provide critical support of every kind to the local ecosystem. The aim of ecological restoration is not to turn back the clock to a pre-colonial past but to invest in a future that benefits everyone by healing damaged and fragmented ecosystems. Planting and celebrating native plants is a statement of hope that we can learn from past mistakes and recover as much of the life-sustaining functions of habitats and ecosystems as possible to support wildlife and ourselves. This matters. With our ecosystems stressed and challenged as never before wild type native plants provide for the most complete set of interactions with all the other components of our ecosystems and makes our home landscapes allies in the effort to support complex food webs, biodiversity, and ecological resilience in the decades ahead.
"Native plants are the foundations of our ecosystems and for many of us our foundations of inspiration and hope."
"Native bees depend on the pollen of a specific native plant to feed their baby bees."
How many caterpillars will It take to raise a nestful of baby birds?
Professor Doug Tallamy had watched a pair of chickadees feeding their young in a nesting box suspended from his white oak tree. The birds delivered 17 species of live caterpillars to their babies in three hours, sometimes carrying two or three at a time, every three minutes. No coffee breaks for these parents. They hunted from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. for 16 days, until the nestlings fledged. And even after, they helped the baby birds with food as they learned to forage on their own. So the current estimate is around 9000 caterpillars for a clutch of songbirds. 9000! This is based on Tallamy’s research plus other researcher’s estimates.
"Garden Safety- Slips, Trips and Falls" presented October 2024
Always use ear protection when working with loud tools to protect your hearing.
Eye protection is a must. You can even get prescription eyewear - consult your eyewear medical plan.
Hasagawa ladders can be purchased at Ewing Outdoor Supply in Tacoma, WA.
NEVER stand on the top rung and don't lean past your center of gravity. Use extension pruners or relocate your ladder for closer access.
Keep those unused hoses coiled up to prevent tripping hazards. Check out these retractable reels to make life easier!
"People falling off ladders is a 'big deal' on Vashon and it is the number one reason rescue emergency people are called ."
Lock Laces are a quick and safe way to keep your shoes securely tied.
"Winter Apple Tree Pruning" presented February 2024
WELCOME
Disclaimer: My guidance is only one opinion on how to prune, there are many out there. Pick what you like, and ignore the rest.
Key considerations when looking at your apple tree:
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Pruning for production? Leave small 'stubs' that may turn into fruiting spurs. Go for 45-degree angles. Shorten branches as needed to stiffen them. Remove weak and competing branches, and branches heading back into the trunk. Lower height for ease in harvesting. Thin for light and air movement. Consider pruning nearby trees to give the apple more light.
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Pruning for looks? Reveal the trunk. Maintain graceful lines, up and out. Do not shorten branches; remove them completely: No stubs. Remove all branches or fruiting spurs coming out of the bottom of the branches, and then the trunk. Let it grow tall, but not vertical. Thin for balance. Remove vertical 'water' sprouts' all the way. If the apple tree is leaning away from other trees, consider pruning or removing the other trees or key branches. Separation is important for looks.
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Pruning for tree health? Look for weak attachments, narrow crotches, including bark, and disease. Prune less than 25% of live wood in a whole year in a mature tree. Remove crossing branches. Thin for good air circulation. If the tree is being shaded out, consider pruning nearby trees or key branches. Pruning where deer are present? Prune up to where the deer cannot easily reach. Do this also for ease of mowing.
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In all cases, create a "pruning bay", that allows you to get into the center of the tree on a ladder. This is important for all pruning, as well as fruit harvesting.
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For all mature apple trees, prune no more than 25% of the live wood IN A WHOLE YEAR. This is your 'pruning budget'. when you prune leave the branches nearby so you can eyeball when you have reached your limit for that pruning session.
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If you need to remove a large limb to reduce the height of the tree or for other reasons, do this in Summer, to minimize a huge number of water sprouts popping up in Spring, as the tree tries to replace all that live wood you took off.
Sources for Tools:
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AM Leonard: https//www.amleo.com
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Hardwicks Hardware: https://hardwickandsons.com
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E Bay: https://www.ebay.com
Pruning Guidance:
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https://pnwisa.org Pacific Northwest Arborist
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Cass Turnbull's Guide to Pruning
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John Malin's The Pruners Handbook
"Pruning Tips for Overgrown Shrubs" presented Oct. 2023
How to Shrink a Shrub:
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Locate the worst offending branch (tallest or sticking out the most.)
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Follow it back all the way to where it joins a bigger branch.
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Cut it off there, leaving about 1/4" of the branch that you are removing.
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Sometimes, there is no bigger branch, and you have to cut it off at ground level. That is OK! Don't be scared. Use your oldest saw blades to cut at ground level because soil will dull them quickly
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Step back and locate the next worst offender. Repeat as needed, but do not cut off more than 25% - 30% of the live wood. Keep the cut branches in a pile near you so you can judge your %.
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As you continue, you may decide that taking the next branch will leave too big a hole in the shrub. If so, leave it for next year's pruning adventure.
"This process will not only reduce the overall size of the shrub, it will also thin it out and let in light and air to the center of the shrub"
Shrubs Grow From Where you Cut Them:
If you only cut the ends of the shrub over and over, eventually all the growth is on the outside surface of the shrub. The insides of the shrub will be shaded out and will have no leaves. This is why you need to prune deep inside the shrub instead of only at the surface.
Shrub or Small Tree?
when you have an old mature shrub you often have a choice of retuning it to a smaller shrub form or turning it into a beautiful small tree.
How to decide?
Get inside the shrub and see what the trunk looks like. If it looks pretty to you, and it is OK to have the shrub remain tall, prune it as a small tree. If the trunk isn't pretty to you and you want the shrub to be smaller go for turning it back into a smaller shrub.
How to turn a Big Shrub into a Small Tree:
Prune from the ground up, at the base of the shrub. Prune all the smallest branches, leaving only the nicest, largest trunk(s) of the shrub. Clean away all the branches until 1/3 of the trunk(s) are visible when you stand back and look at it.
How to turn a Big Shrub into a Smaller Shrub:
Much depends on the species of the shrub itself. Some shrubs (cane growers, especially) can be cut down nearly to the ground every few years and they will come back; even an old rhodie might come back if it is severely pruned. If you are at the point where you are OK if the shrub dies, go ahead and severely prune it. if it comes back, you have a smaller shrub. If it dies, you can remove it then.
NOTE: Water the shrub well for weeks after pruning if it is dry out so it can recover from the stress of pruning.
King County Wastemobile annual visit to Vashon
April 21 -23rd, 2023
17001 107th Ave SW, Vashon 98070 (Tjomsland Gravel Pit)
What can you bring to the Wastemobile?
Residents and small businesses can safely drop off household hazardous waste such as oil-based paint, batteries, antifreeze, or pesticides to the Wastemobile at no cost.
Note:
No latex paint accepted. There is a limit of 50 gallons for most liquid hazardous waste per residential customer per day at all Wastemobile events. There is a 5 gallon limit on gasoline, oil and antifreeze. No containers over five gallons in size will be accepted.
For everyone's safety, please:
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Do not mix products.
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Keep products in their original containers.
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Label products that are not in their original containers.
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Secure products so they do not spill or leak.
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Store hazardous products in the trunk of your vehicle, truck bed, or trailer, keeping them separate from items you wish to keep.
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Stay in your vehicle and listen to directions from on-site staff while visiting the Wastemobile.
Before you go, check out a full list below of accepted items and quantity limits for residents and eligible businesses.
It's Slug Season! - presented April 2023
Garlic Wash Recipe
Ingredients: 2 blubs garlic, 2 pints of water
Instructions:
Crush bulbs of garlic
Steam or boil in 2 pints of water for 3-4 minutes until blanched
Strain mixture and make back up to print
leave to cool
When ready to use, mix one tablespoon in five quarts of water and sprinkle on to leaves in late afternoon (in dry weather). Re-apply every two weeks. The mixture dries on the leaves making them unappealing to slugs and snails! The mixture will apparently dry on the leaves making them rather unappealing to slugs and snails!
"Diane's Favorite Pruning Tools" presented March 2023
Okatsune pruning shears
Okatsune trimming shears
Camellia oil is the traditional Japanese choice for lubricating tools and protecting them from rust. Use it lightly as a protective coating after cleaning and sharpening. Much more pleasant, and benign, than using petroleum products.
Vashon's own service center is a great place to sharpen your garden tools; fast turnaround and affordable!
long handle loppers
Diane's List of Favorite tools:
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Hand Pruner; Okatsune small size, 7" No. 101
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Keyhole Saw - Japanese "Life Saw" Keyhole Saw, available online from Hardwicks
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wooden handled short lopper - Ace Hardware
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Extension pruner from Ace Service Center
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6-9 ft. pole saw, Silky Zubat 330mm-9ft or ARS pole saw 6-9ft.
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12 foot extension pole saw; Silky Zubat 272-18, 7.7 ft. storage length extends to 12 ft. Difficult to find.
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Folding Saw: Stihl at Ace
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Hedge Pruner: Okatsune Precision Hedge Shears, 7 5/8" blade, 22" overall length
Holly, Ivy, Scotch Broom, and Blackberries –
NonChemical Removal
All Videos
Holly and Scotch Broom
Small holly trees and Scotch Broom are best removed with a Weed Wrench. The Vashon Tool Library has medium and heavy duty weed wrenches you can borrow.
Ivy
Once ivy begins to climb, it will make berries and the birds will spread those berries throughout our forests. So it is important to keep ivy from climbing. To get ivy off your trees, find every ivy stem all around the tree. Pull it away from the base of the tree and cut it off 6 ft. up the tree. It will help to have something to pry it away from the tree so you can cut and pull it. For very large ivy trunks, a reciprocating saw with a pruning blade works very well.
Himalayan Blackberry
If they are growing in a flat area, you can rent large equipment to tear it out, or keep it mowed until it gives up. But it will still be there along the fence line. Those you will need to dig out. My favorite tool for this is the sawtooth shovel, available at Ace and Island Lumber. For blackberry growing in among trees or shrubs, cut the blackberries down with a lopper, but leave one strong stem 1 foot or so tall to grab into when you dig the root out with the sawtooth shovel.
If blackberries are growing on a steep slope, cut them down, but don’t dig them out until replacement shrubs are in place and growing well. The slope needs the roots. If you do dig them all out at once, be prepared to replant immediately, and consider laying down and staking Jute Erosion Control mesh. You can buy a roll 4 ft. by 225 ft.
Best price: Home Depot $136 plus tax and delivery. Don’t lay down plastic mesh.
Presented February 12, 2023
Glyphosates - presented December 12, 2022
How are we exposed to glyphosate?
Glyphosate as an herbicide is used to protect crops from weeds. Because of its high solubility, when this herbicide is placed on crops, it is rapidly absorbed into the ground, contaminating the soil and the groundwater. It also accumulates in the roots of the plants.3 Genetically modified plants are designed to be more resistant to herbicides, so higher amounts are sprayed on them.
Based on how glyphosate is used, our primary exposure is from food that is not organic. USDA Certified Organic foods cannot be grown with pesticides and herbicides. Unfortunately, even organic foods can become contaminated. Glyphosate residues have been found in our air, water, and soil. Our groundwater and, therefore, our drinking water also contain glyphosate. This prevalence means that we can be exposed to this toxin in many unexpected ways.
King County Wastemobile annual visit to Vashon - April 22 - 24th, 2022
About the Wastemobile:
Created in 1989, the Wastemobile was the first traveling hazardous waste collection program in the nation. It visits rural, suburban, and urban areas in King County to provide more convenient options for safe disposal of hazardous waste. Since first hitting the road, the Wastemobile has collected more than 17,000 tons of hazardous household waste from nearly 500,000 customers.
Wastemobile
2022 Schedule
On Weed and Feed
Weed and Feed products contain 2,4-D. This is a very harmful chemical.
1. What King County has to say: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/dnrp/solid-waste/programs/natural-yard-care/pesticide-use/pesticides-environment.aspx
2. Health Effects of Commonly Used Lawn Chemicals: https://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/Health%20Effects%20of%2040%20Lawn%20Pesticides%202021.pdf
3. Grow Smart, Grow Safe (Thurston County) hazard ratings for a typical Weed and Feed product containing 2,4-D: https://www.growsmartgrowsafe.org/Products?pesticideTypeId=12
"Organic Lawn Care"
presented Feb. 14th, 2022
What To Do Instead
City of Seattle: Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the Pacific Northwest: https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/SPU//EcologicalLawnCareReport.pdf
Grow Smart, Grow Safe: Natural Lawn Care: https://www.growsmartgrowsafe.org/Documents/NaturalYardCare/Natural-Yard-Care-2015.pdf
"Get your yard off drugs!"
"Live Stakes" presented Dec. 2021
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"My sawtooth shovel - so
perfect for digging blackberries"
"Organic Gardening Update" presented Sept 2021
Roundup is Pulling Their Products
Roundup products containing glyphosate will be removed from US retail shelves in 2023. It will still be available for commercial use, schools and farms, however.
If you have some and want to get rid of it, you can:
1. Bring it to a hazardous waste collection site: https://kingcountyhazwastewa.gov/en/households-disposal
2. Keep it until next April, when the Hazmobile comes to Vashon again (once a year!)
3. If you are 65+ or have a disability, King County may pick it up at your home for free. Call 206-296-4692.
Notes on Weed & Feed
It is illegal to apply this more than once a year.
It is illegal to apply it near any water body
The 2,4-D herbicide in the product (the Weed in Weed & Feed), is very toxic to humans and animals. See Thurston County’s analysis here: https://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/ehipm/pdf_terr/terrestrial%20actives/2,4-D%20acid.pdf
And Grow Smart, Grow Safe summary here: https://www.growsmartgrowsafe.org/Products?pesticideTypeId=12
They are Fall Webworms, not Tent Caterpillars
No need to worry, and certainly no need to spray chemicals on the webs you are seeing in some trees this time of year. They are native fall webworms, not tent caterpillars. They are eating leaves at the end of the year, so are not harmful to the trees, which are soon dropping their leaves anyway. If you want to do something, just get a long stick and open up the web so the birds and other predators can get to them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_webworm
Rodents - What to do? by Diane
Fall is the time when mice and their big cousins look longingly at our warm, dry houses and outbuildings. “How can I get in there?”, they wonder, and they have long fall nights to check out every tiny hole and see if they can enlarge it enough to make their way in.
Then it becomes our problem, and a common problem it is.
Green Gardening Ways that Work! by Diane
What issues are you dealing with in your garden, where you are tempted to reach for a pesticide? (herbicide, insecticide, rodenticide, etc).
There are low maintenance and environmentally safe options to address all of these issues. Here are your answers to questions about weeds: