A NEW WAY TO CONTROL SOIL DISEASE!

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Wild seed the easy way. A nursery that specializes in propagation of native plants (some of which are very rare and should not be disturbed in the wild) shared this . tip for no-damage seed collecting from wild plants: Carefully spread black plastic around the plants. Weight it in place with rocks, then cover it with about an inch of coarse woodchips. After the seedpods have shattered, take up the plastic, chips, and seeds. You can then separate the seeds out by putting the mix in water (the chips float; the seeds sink) . . . or simply plant the seeds and chips together!

Don't pick up hitchhikers. Here's one more good reason to keep traffic off fields in rainy periods: According to a recent Florida study, nematodes-those destructive little soil-dwelling roundwormsfrequently hitch rides on cars and trucks. Vehicles moving through wet, nematodeinfested soil can collect parasite-laden mud. When the mud dries and falls off, it often contaminates other soil.

Cut carnations early. In three years of trials, Romanian researchers found that carnations cut when the buds are halfopen have the highest quality and longest vase life. They also learned that a preservative solution of 0.107o copper sulfate (available at many drugstores) and 1007o table sugar helps extend vase life.
More chlorine = more plant problems.

The chlorine concentration in some public water systems has recently been increased to 5.0 parts per million-with actual levels running as high as 8.0 ppm at times-to deal with high bacterial populations. (The traditional concentration is from 0.1 to 1.0 ppm.) Tests at the University of Connecticut have shown that some plants can be damaged if they're irrigated with such highly chlorinated water. For example, zinnias were harmed by water with 7.6 ppm. Symptoms were yellowing along the leaf veins and, at very high chlorine levels, leaf curling. If you're concerned about a potential problem in your garden, you might call your water supplier for information on local chlorine levels.

GLEANINGS.

Blackberry and raspberry enthusiasts unite-in the new North American Bramble Growers Association, that is! For information, write Harry J. Swartz, Executive Secretary, NABGA, Department of Horticulture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 . . . . The helpful fact sheet "Using Leaf Compost" is available free from Publication Distribution Center, Dudley Rd., Cool College Campus, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903 . . . . The Elm Research Institute and the Boy Scouts of America are cosponsoring a "Johnny Elmseed" program that includes Scout surveys of local elms along with fundraising to replace trees infected with Dutch elm disease (DED) with the institute's DEDresistant American Liberty elm. For full details, contact your community Boy Scout officials or call the Elm Research Institute, toll-free, at 1-800-FOR-ELMS .... Good news for urban and suburban growers! The University of Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station (University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30601) has established a new Center for Urban Agriculture-with a staff of 18 researchers devoted to aiding home gardeners and small farmers in urban areas. Write the center for more information . . . The Fragrant Path (P.O. Box 328, Fort Calhoun, NE 68023; catalog, $1.00) specializes in selling seeds of aromatic plants .... Write to AARS (R.R. 1, Box 740, Palmyra, IN 47164) for a free brochure that explains the All-America Rose Selection trials, lists public gardens where top roses can be viewed, and gives tips on rose care .... Agricote, Inc. (P.O. Box 13137, Sarasota, FL 33578) has developed a new mulching material that can be sprayed onto planting beds. The paintthin mulch has a latex base with lampblack coloring, dries within an hour or so, and degrades slowly in sunlight. It breaks down to (supposedly) harmless components within a few months .... The 36page booklet "Poison Plant Symposium Proceedings" sets the record straight on the facts and myths about potentially toxic home and landscape plants ($5.00 postpaid from the Horticultural Research Institute, Inc., 1250 I St. N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005) . . . . City Farmer, a nonprofit Canadian organization promoting urban horticulture, offers a colorful 18" X 24" poster showing vegetables sprouting up from city roofs, windowsills, and doorsteps ($10 postpaid from City Farmer, 801-318 Homer St., Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6B 2V3).

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