Cotton Wood Bark For Sale

COLUMN: Volcano mulching erupts in disease

A very poor horticultural practice, volcano mulching (or the piling of mulch at the trunk of a trees) can be seen all over Florence . I call volcano mulching the “pink flamingo of gardening” because it is out in your front yard signaling to everyone who passes that you don’t really know much about gardening. This abominable practice usually appears in yards of people who have pine trees or another source of free mulch. A 3- to 4-inch layer of a light mulch is one of the best horticultural techniques available to gardeners; however, anytime you pile mulch at the trunk of a tree or shrub, you are defeating the purpose of a mulch and encouraging disease.

The bark of trees is resistant to sun, wind and rain. Bark is the perfect weather-resistant protective coating for plants in an open environment. Bark should never be enclosed, though. Bark naturally repels moisture, disease and insects. When you enclose bark, you defeat its purpose of repelling by trapping moisture, diseases and insects. In other words, you are destroying the tree’s own mechanism of defense.

Volcano mulching typically ends with the girdling of the tree at the mulch layer and the subsequent death of a tree. To curb the eruption of disease, remove the mulch layer and leave a 3- to 4-inch space between the trunk of the tree and the mulch. This will allow the bark of the tree to dry, keep insects away and prevent diseases from girdling your expensive plants.

Sometimes certain types of trees, such as pine trees, live. But if you dig down into this mulch layer you will usually find roots that encircle the trunk of the tree. As the tree gets larger and older these roots slowly girdle and choke the life out of the tree. This weakened tree may actually die from some type of a borer problem, but it all stems from volcano mulching weakening your tree.

Also, on another page, if you are a farmer or have farmland, we are having a Farm Field Day from 9 to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Pee Dee Research & Education Center at 2200 Pocket Road, Florence . Morning tours will include cotton and soybeans; corn, peanuts and tobacco; biofuels/switchgrass and wildlife.

To learn the specifics on gardening, we also have both free and for-sale publications at our office in the back of the public services building on the corner of Third Loop Road and South Irby Street. You may also visit our Home & Garden Information Center through our website at The Clemson University Cooperative, www.clemson.edu/hgic .

HAND CARVED CURLY BEARD SANTA BUST FROM COTTONWOOD BARK

Hello! My Name is Greg Macdonald and you are bidding on one of my original hand carved pieces of Holiday Folk Art! I have been a full time wood carver for close to 20 years. My carvings have found homes in collections in all 50 states and several foreign countries. This piece is a hand carved Santa carved from 100 year old cottonwood bark. All the bark I use is gathered from dead trees. All cracks, knots ect. are incorporated into the design to make a truely unique and one of a kind carving! It is carved in free standing deep relief (flat on the back). This makes it perfect for sitting on shelves and fire place mantels! This Santa measures 9.5" tall by 3" wide. It is painted in acrylics and then antiqued with an oil finish to give it a soft, aged appearance. Shipping is 6.00 within the US. Please inquire about overseas and Canada shipping. I will combine shipping costs whenever possible. If you would like to be notified when I add new carvings to E-Bay for auction, please click my e-mail address below and put " Add " in the subject line. owlhause@yahoo.com Each piece is unique and different so please click here to check out my other auctions!

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