Mulch

I used to have dozens of monarch butterflies in my garden — now almost none. How can I attract them again? Research showed that the precipitous decline in monarchs a couple of years ago was mainly because of extreme weather, illegal logging in Mexico and herbicide use, which have almost wiped out the food source of monarchs — milkweed. We can't counter the first two causes but we can plant milkweed or ornamentals in the milkweed family such as butterfly weed. Without a food source for monarch caterpillars to eat, there can be no monarchs.

I used to have dozens of monarch butterflies in my garden — now almost none. How can I attract them again? Research showed that the precipitous decline in monarchs a couple of years ago was mainly because of extreme weather, illegal logging in Mexico and herbicide use, which have almost wiped out the food source of monarchs — milkweed. We can't counter the first two causes but we can plant milkweed or ornamentals in the milkweed family such as butterfly weed. Without a food source for monarch caterpillars to eat, there can be no monarchs.

It is encouraging to see Baltimore making an effort to save our mature trees as well as aggressively plant new ones ("Speak for the trees," March 2). Unfortunately, many new trees are sabotaged from the start by the mounds of mulch that are piled around them. Horticulturists - including the horticulturist at the U.S. National Arboretum - have written about this practice and have tried to explain how harmful it is, but landscapers persist in it, and no one seems to view it as a problem.

It is encouraging to see Baltimore making an effort to save our mature trees as well as aggressively plant new ones ("Speak for the trees," March 2). Unfortunately, many new trees are sabotaged from the start by the mounds of mulch that are piled around them. Horticulturists - including the horticulturist at the U.S. National Arboretum - have written about this practice and have tried to explain how harmful it is, but landscapers persist in it, and no one seems to view it as a problem.

Question: Did shredded oak leaves make my lawn acidic? I use a mulching mower on leaves, but this year I had to apply lime on my lawn to raise pH because it had become so acidic. Can I only put oak leaves on acid-loving plants like azaleas? Aren't pine needles acidic, too? Answer: This is a persistent myth. Oak leaves — and pine needles — decompose to about neutral pH. They won't make your soil acidic. (Maryland soils tend toward an acid pH naturally.

The city's public works department will turn residents' old Christmas trees into mulch for the entire month of January at two locations in Baltimore. Residents can take their trees to drop-off locations at 2840 Sisson Street and 701 Reedbird Avenue in Middle Branch/Reedbird Parks between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. If residents bring their own bags or containers, they can take away mulch for personal use in their gardens, city officials said. Trees will also be picked up by public works employees between Jan. 4 and Jan. 28. The department will pick up trees on regularly scheduled trash days, and residents should place the trees where they normally place their trash for pick-up.

Harford countians have recycled 20,500 Christmas trees this year, more than twice the number collected in the countywide program last year.County officials credited curbside recycling and haulers, who advertised free pickup days, for the success of the program in its fifth year.The recycled trees are ground into mulch, which is available year-round to county residents at the Harford Waste Disposal Center in Street.In exchange for the trees, residents receive a coupon redeemable for a free evergreen seedling.

Harford County considers its 4-year-old yard waste recycling program a huge success. Residents are jam-packing containers at the six county collection sites so much that the bins must be emptied every day -- and the one in Fallston is emptied up to four times daily.The county turns the yard waste into mulch or compost, which is sold for $7 and $6 per cubic yard, respectively, said Joseph P. Rutherford, superintendent of solid waste."We sell out of mulch and compost most Saturdays. Some Saturdays we have had 150 pickup trucks here to buy mulch.

The city's Department of Public Works, in cooperation with the Carroll County Department of Natural Resource Protection, will be grindingChristmas trees into mulch from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at the city-owned vacant lot behind the city Maintenance Shop at Tuc Roadand Locust Street.Residents are requested to drop off their trees during those hours tomorrow. Christmas trees should be stripped of all ornaments and decorations, including tinsel and icicles.The mulch from the trees will be used for public purposes.

Put mulches to work for you and discover how they can encourage healthier growth of flowers, vegetables and other plants, add aesthetic appeal to landscaped areas and significantly ease tedious maintenance chores.Although mulching is good for the garden year-round, its function during the summer is especially beneficial. It helps to:* Slow evaporation on sizzling summer days and thus conserve water.* Inhibit weeds, thereby reducing cultivation to a minimum.* Stabilize soil temperature.* Improve the quality of the soil.

Richard Ruff "Dick" Stanfield, founder and president of Edrich Lumber Inc. who had been active in community affairs, died Feb. 15 of heart failure at Northwest Hospital Center. The longtime Windsor Mill resident was 77. The son of farmers, Mr. Stanfield was born in Baltimore and raised on the family dairy farm at McDonogh Road and Church Lane in Randallstown. After graduating from Milford Mill High School in 1952, Mr. Stanfield earned a bachelor's degree in 1956 from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Starting Jan. 3, Baltimore's Department of Public works says it will mulch Christmas trees all month 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday  at the Reedbird Avenue Citizen Drop-off Center, 701 Reedbird Ave. For curbside collection, residents should put out their trees on their regular trash day through Jan. 31, the department says. The city also recycles wrapping paper, tissue paper, holiday cards, boxes and other paper products. For more recycling, click here. Christmas tree mulching in other areas: Baltimore County Howard County Anne Arundel County

By the time the wind had stopped blowing, needles from my neighbor's white pine tree were all over our place. It was a wonderful windfall, though, because I'd been handed bundles of free "pine findings" (dry pine needles), a perfect material for mulching acid-loving plants. In the meantime, my neighbor's white pine was no worse for wear, because right on schedule, and even though it looked a little ragged, the 20-year-old tree had simply shed its 2-year-old needles that had turned yellow and brown several weeks earlier.

Friends of Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway need 100 volunteers to plant 70 new trees and 10 bushes along Thistle Run in Catonsville. Friends of Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway need 100 volunteers to plant 70 new native trees and 10 bushes Saturday. The Nov. 5 effort from 9 a.m. to noon will provide a buffer along a section of Thistle Run, a small stream in Catonsville off Route 144 (Frederick Road), west of the intersection with North Rolling Road. Pre-register at http://www.patapscoheritagegreenway.org/eventcal.html to help determine amount of supplies needed.

The city's public works department will turn residents' old Christmas trees into mulch for the entire month of January at two locations in Baltimore. Residents can take their trees to drop-off locations at 2840 Sisson Street and 701 Reedbird Avenue in Middle Branch/Reedbird Parks between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. If residents bring their own bags or containers, they can take away mulch for personal use in their gardens, city officials said. Trees will also be picked up by public works employees between Jan. 4 and Jan. 28. The department will pick up trees on regularly scheduled trash days, and residents should place the trees where they normally place their trash for pick-up.

There's a new foreign insect pest stalking Maryland's pine trees, and state agriculture officials expanded the pine shoot beetle quarantine zone Friday into Baltimore's suburbs in a bid to slow the pest's advance toward valuable loblolly pine timberlands on the Eastern Shore. The state is especially concerned about reaching small Christmas tree farmers who might not be aware of the threat, so that inspectors can monitor their farms and enlist them in the battle. "Even though we haven't seen much damage in Maryland, we're … on the front lines, trying to keep it from moving into the big, pine-producing regions in the South, including the Eastern Shore," said Carol Holko, manager of the state Agriculture Department's Plant Protection and Weed Management Section.

Q. A really disgusting, yellow and brown gelatinous mass is growing on the mulch in my flower beds. Is the mulch contaminated with something? It doesn't smell bad, but I'm afraid to touch it.A. You've described a slime mold known as "dog vomit fungus." Many different kinds of mushrooms and unusual-looking fungi will grow in mulch, especially when rainfall and humidity are high. Your mulch is not contaminated; the spores of these fungi are naturally occurring. Your unsightly problem poses no health hazard.

Carroll County Recycling Operations says residents' Christmas trees are recyclable. Trees will be ground up for mulch, and free mulch is available at county landfills.In return for recycling the Christmas tree, residents will receive a coupon for a free seedling, which can be redeemed in April. Remove all tinsel and ornaments from trees before taking them to be recycled.Here is a list of county Christmas tree recycling drop-off locations:* Northern Landfill, Route 140, Westminster; any time.

Question: What can I use to kill invasive weeds along my stream? I hear that the most common weed killer also kills aquatic life. Answer: Use a weed killer formulated for use near water. We think the weed killer you are referring to is one containing glyphosate, a systemic herbicide which is very effective on difficult weeds because it goes down and kills the roots. The problem is not the glyphosate itself, but the "inert" ingredients that are added to it. So, when you need to apply a glyphosate herbicide near water, find a product specially formulated to be aquatic safe: such as Erasure or Rodeo.

Collection of Christmas trees for mulching continues through Friday. Residents can recycle their trees curbside or at one of these locations: •Kendall Hardware. •River Hill Garden Center. •Cedar Lane Park. •Grandfather's Garden Center. •Rockburn Park. •Howard County Circuit Court's upper parking lot. •Schooley Mill Park. •Wood waste area at Alpha Ridge Landfill. •Savage Park. •Western Regional Park.