Columbia Daily Tribune from Columbia, Missouri • 10

Page Columbia Dally Tribune Columbia Mo riday August 12 1994 MISSOURI GARDENER Ray Rothenberger There is no doubt that all life is de pendent on water Yet in recent years as we have grown the garden" there seemed to be either too much or too little While we are essentially helpless to control too much water we can add water to maintain pro duction through dry periods It is not hard to see why water is so impor tant to our vegetables as we look at their water content Cucumbers con tain about 96 percent melons from 92 to 94 percent tomatoes have 94 percent summer squash has 95 per cent snap beans 89 percent and sweet corn 74 percent The large amount of water they contain is not hard to understand because all life processes depend on water An inadequate water supply can not only reduce production but can cause other problems Blossom end rot of tomato is partially a response to water stress as well as bitterness in cucumber premature drop of squash and poorly filled ears of sweet com In many vegetables the most critical time for adequate water is the period between flowering and fruit maturity Pepper and tomato need plenty of water at all stages corn needs the greatest abundance during the silking and tasseling stage and cucumbers need the most water from flower pollinating until fruit is developed Onions and some of the melons need plenty of water until they near maturity At that point wa ter should be reduced Even though we know how impor tant water is there are times when it is difficult to keep an adequate sup ply in the garden Water shortages vacations or the cost of watering might sometimes make it impossible to continue When it is not possible to irrigate because of one of these factors or because of a long distance from a water supply fairly heavy mulches can help conserve the natu ral water supply The time of day that a garden is ir rigated might also help to increase efficiency or reduce cost During very hot weather the most efficient water ing time is at night when evapora tion loss is low particularly when overhead sprinkling is used Over head irrigation is best done toward morning when leaves will dry quickly as the sun hits them This is most es sential for vegetables very suscepti ble to leaf diseases At night there is also less demand on water systems and the water pressure is better The next best time for overhead watering is in the evening although plants subject to leaf diseases can be ACTION LINE 874 6465 Has TCI Cablevision made any provisions to obtain a ox affiliate when KSHB in Kansas City switches to NBC by the end of the year? A The network affiliation change for KSHB ox 41 which is TCI Chan nel 4 actually will take place in Sep tember according to press reports in Kansas City Cam West marketing director for TCI Cablevision of Co lumbia said the company is looking at a variety of options Another Kansas City station WDA is switching from NBC to ox to coincide with change in affiliation Contracting with WDA is one option TCI is investigating he said "We want to be sure to provide a ox affiliate but there are a lot of different parts that come into play" he said note: The University School of Law offers a Community Mediation Service that provides an opportunity to settle landlord ten ant consumer small claims and other disputes Readers can contact the service by phoning 882 3645 The Better Business Bureau also helps resolve consumer complaints The bureau is located at 306 12th St Suite 1024 Kansas City Mo 64106 Phone (816) 421 7800 The St Louis office is at 5100 Oakland Ave 63110 Phone 1 531 3300 AX your ad Into die Columbia Dally Tribute's classified depaMnrnt during business hours more seriously damaged by evening watering since foliage will stay wet for longer periods of time When soaker hose or trickle irrigation methods are used leaf wetting is not critical but soil surface evaporation is still less in the cooler evening night and early morning During normal summer tempera tures about an inch of water is needed per week This may be ap plied in one or two applications As temperatures rise and are maintained in the 90s this amount can be in creased to 1 Vh or 2 inches per week To apply an inch of water to 1000 square feet 627 gallons of water are needed or smaller areas this amounts to about 6 gallon per square foot How long it will take' to apply this amount or any amount will depend on the water pressure as well as the diameter and length of a hose Roughly using a 50 foot long hose that is half an inch in diameter at 40 pounds per square inch pressure and using a sprinkler that could cover the entire area watering would take about 2 hours An inch of water should wet a good loam soil to a depth of about 6 inches It will move less deeply in heavy clay soils and deeper in sandy soils Trickle irrigation has become a much more common and efficient means for watering It can cut water use by 20 to 50 percent or closely spaced vegetables emitters are placed about every 12 to 12 inches Where vegetables are grown in hills or widely spaced emitters are placed at every plant or hill In sandy soils emitters need to be placed closer than in clay soils Emitters vary in size and delivery but a delivery of about half a gallon per hour is often used To maintain a more uniform moisture supply with this method watering for 1 to IVb hours is often adequate for vegetables In hot weather and without rainfall the in terval might need to be as frequent as every other day Generalizations are hard to make for trickle irriga tion systems Be sure to follow direc tions from the manufacturer of the system you rancis Otradovec DDS is pleased to announce that August 8 1994 Bruce Ringdahl DD will be opening a Practice limited to Periodontics at 201 Broadway Columbia Missouri 65203 443 1618 I ACCESSORIES may not have Ings on regular ferlcwi day August 14 Entire II SALE 999 Selected Boys' Tops Orig up to $20 Sizes 4 20 SALE 799 Sleevelss Tops Orig up to $12 Sizes 4 14 SALE 599 Selected Sleepwear Orig up to $15 SALE 999 Boys' Short Sleeve Tops Orig up to $18 50 Selected and Watches for Gents and Ladies Orig $49 to $495 sale 5999 Selection of Pearl Ruby and Pave Rings Orig $249 to $349 SALE 999 Selected Tops Orig up to $19 Sizes 4 14 SALE 199 Selection of fashion jewelry Earrings Necklaces Bracelets Orig $4 to 1599 sale 2599 Selected Leather Handbags Orig $40 SALE 999 Selected Belts Orig $12 to $20 A variety ol styles SALE 599 USA Soccer Shorts Orig $1299 SALE 699 Selected Adult Team shirts Orig up to $22 SALE 699 Selected Adult Team Baseball Hats Ong $24 SALE 699 to 2999 Select group of Athletic shoes Orig $1699 to $75 Choose from LA SALE 499 Men's White Huaroche Slip on Shoe Orig $2999 SALE 1 999 Ladies' Tan Buck Oxford from Orig $46 SALE 799 Hunt shirt Orig $12 Short sleeve 100 cotton knit shirts for ladies in an assortmenf of colors SALE 1 199 Hunt Wrinkle Shorts Orig $26 SALE 1 699 Hunt Wrinkle ree Slacks Orig $2999 Assortment of colors Not all sizes in all colors sale 699 999 Selected Bras Orig up to $20 SALE 999 Hooded Jr lannel Shirts Orig up to $1799 SALE 399 Selected Jr Lycra Tanks Orig $999 SALE 599 Selected Jr Short Sleeve Blouses Orig up to $1499 SALE 1 499 Dress Shirts Ong $1799 Classic Long Sleeved Oxford Cloth Shirts SALE 999 Neckwear Orig $1850 to $25 Selected Group of All Silk ashion Ties sale 2499 Knit Sportshirts Orig $32 to $42 Solids stripes or prints SALE 1 499 The Original Arizona Jean Knit Shirts Orig $1999 Solid Color Pique Knits in Young Sizes SALE 1 499 The Original Arizona Jean Jeans Orig $2599 Natural Color Loose it Jeans in Young Men's Sizes SALE 3999 8999 Selected group of men's athletic shoes Choose from Orig $55 to $120 SALE 799 1999 Selected Coordinates by and Orig up to $31 SALE 4999 7999 Chenille Bedspreads Twin ull Queen and King Sizes Orig up to $160 SALE 999 2199 Selected Tablecloths Orig up to $32 SALE 1 999 3999 Selected Drapes Tiers Valances Orig up to $126 ATHLETICS LAPPARI legsKltfegriiiBg JCPenney I leguiar prices 33 HS uiqsi MLk MIAS' 1 SSfSSSM!.