All Gardens Great & Saudi York Co. irticulturalAi Tom Becker Avoid ‘Sour’ Mulch Lots of things are sour grapes, cherries, bark mulch, etc. Even wood chip mulch can go sour if not stored properly. Decomposing within large (6-12 feet high) mulch piles occasionally sour. Without oxygen a toxic by product results of various organic acids and alcohol. If mulch is spread in landscape beds these acrid odors are highly toxic to plants. These strongly pungent odors are released after breaking open the pile. If you are buying mulch (shred ded tree bark, old sawdust, mushroom compost or bark chips) and storing it for later use. keep these precautions in mind. Most bark mulch that was stored prop erly, should not go sour. Mulches that have not soured should have a fresh garden aroma. If the mulch smells like vinegar, sulfur or ienl ammonia, it has properly gone sour and should not be spread in flowerbeds. Finely shredded mulches are especially prone to ‘sourness.’ Often caused by compaction store mulch in several small piles rather than one large one. Mulch piles that remain intact for more than one week should be no higher than four feet. Mulch piles that are used and replenished regularly can be high er than four feet Shape piles so that water runs off and does not puddle into the center of the pile. Water fills pore spaces, displacing oxygen, resulting in sour mulch. Better yet, cover mulch piles with, a tarp to prevent waterlogging. • Turn of mix piles if they are stored in one location for a long time. This allows any toxic bypro ducts to dissipate and incorporates fresh air to reduce further anaer- Cambria Selects Dairy Princess EBENSBURG (Cambria Co.) Tammy Kuzar, daughter of Robert and Sandy Kuzar, wears the Cambria County dairy princess obic decomposition. If you do find your mulch went sour, spread the mulch out in a thin layer on a paved surface. Let the toxic vapors naturally dissi pate for three to seven days. Then apply the mulch to a small area of plantings and wait for several days. If plants don’t show wilting, discoloration or other abnormal growth indicative of sour mulch, the mulch is safe the use on the rest of your garden. Avoid using sour mulch in con tainers, recently planted flower beds, or along the edge of land scape beds. Annual flowers planted prior to spreading sour mulch may die withing 24 hours. Plants affected often have chloro tic leaves, leaf scorch or plant dieback. Another way to check for sour • mulch is to check to pH. Sour mulch will have a pH of 1.8 of 2.5 which makes neutralizing with lime unreasonable. Lastly, do no overapply any type of mulch. Dense mulches like sawdust should not be more than 2 inches thick while shredded bark a maximum of 2 to 4 inches thick. Meets the challenge AG SURE STAND SEEDERS SSB, SSIOI SSI 2 SEEDERS For years BriHlon Grass Seeders have proven to be the best machine lor planting grasses and legumes, and now they’re even better) Larger, heavier boxes, high seeding rates, nylon lined seed meter, heavier trams, new drive system 8 ft., 10 ft., 12 ft. Available In 3-point or pull type. Also: 5 Ft, 3 Ft Available. SERIES 03 PULVI-MULCHERS ML&WL PULVMMULCHERS Build a firm, clod free seedbed - one that lets all the seeds germinate at one lime. 12'6‘, 13'10", ?s'2' & 18'9" rigid, 21'8’ 25' and 30' flat fold p-serles transport PULVERIZERS 10 ft. to 18 ft. Rotary Frame Pulverizers; Now PTIO Stria* Transport Concept Machine weight is hydraulically rotated over the wheels for transport This reduces draw bar hitch weight considerably and provides ample clearance tor transport Also Available Aa Pull Type. CONTACT YOUR BRILLION DEALER FOR DETAILS | IM NtMSVI VA!\ la] ADAMSTOWN Adamatown Equip. Inc. Lebanon Umbargar's Of Montana ALLENTOWN Lehigh Ag Equipment BECHTELSVILLE * Miller Equip. Co. CARLISLE Gutshall's, Inc. DOVER George N. Gross, Inc. EASTON Geo. V. Seiple ELIZABETHTOWN Meaaick Farm Equipment Co. INTERCOURSE C.B. Hoober ft Son QREENCASTLE Meyers Implement crown. Crowned recently at the pageant held at the Cambria County Exten sion office, Tammy will promote the consumption and sale of milk and dairy products and create bet ter relations between urban and rural people through her contacts. In the fall, Tammy will be a senior at Cambria Heights High School, where she is a member of the Foreign Travel Club and SADD. After high school gradua tion, Tammy hopes to attend Edin boro University and major in education. Tammy has seven of her own dairy animals on the family’s