Turn the Page -July 2021 Book Review/Sci Fi and the Future

Escape the heat, look to the future, enjoy and compare these science fiction books that visualize what the future may hold. The women tell the tales.

In Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the U.S. is taken over by an ultra-conservative group, the Sons of Jacob, determined to reverse a society of physical and social degradation. Their Republic of Gilead is a society with strict lines of class and gender delineation.

.Women are classified into different groups. Wives dress in blue and are married to top officials, Handmaids dress in red and are fertile females whose sole purpose is to bear children for Wives, and there are other classifications, too.

 Men are Commanders, the ruling class who wears black, or Eyes, the secret police, or Angels, the soldiers.

The story is told by Offred, a handmaid, who compares the Gilead society with her life before the takeover. Readers see the results of the pendulum swinging too far in the other direction and how religious language and concepts are used as political tools.

The follow-up to this book is “The Testaments” which takes the reader through the future of Gilead and beyond. A must read follow-up.

.A complete flip on Atwood's dystopian society, “Woman on the Edge” by Marge Piercy is about a poor Hispanic woman. She time travels, providing contrast between 1976 and the possible far off future - a future of an ideal setting of generic pronouns ("per", from person,  instead of her or him) and shared family responsibilities.

 The utopian vision is the highlight of the book and provides much to think about when compared to 2012. The story also focuses on society's response, reaction and resources for persons labeled as mentally ill.

.Another dysfunctional future comes from Hillary Jordan in “When She Woke.” In this U.S. the line between church and state is beyond blurred and, in the wake deep economic depression, government saves the cost of prisons by changing the skin color of criminals to match their crimes.

Much like Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” the public punishes the offender perhaps more than imprisonment.

.Again, as in “The Handmaids Tale,” government uses religious beliefs and language to control society. Readers follow Hannah’s story when she wakes up a Red, guilty of the crime of murder via an abortion.

.After a life devoted to church and family, she learns to survive judgment and restrictions including the dangers of the Fist of Christ and loss of her family and friends. While trying to find safe passage in an alien world, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

Soaps, Detergents, and Pest Management

 

Photo: Courtesy Standford University

 When you see a home remedy for plants & pests, you'll be glad you read this.

The Master Gardener Volunteer Program is thankful to the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Extension faculty Dr. Adam Dale and Dr. Matthew Borden for their publication “Managing Plant Pests with Soaps.” For further information, please reference this publication and contact your county Extension office or the UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office if you have any questions.

Today more people than ever recognize the importance of using pesticides wisely, protecting pollinators, and managing gardens with low-impact strategies (like integrated pest management). Soaps come up often in conversation on these topics, especially in ones about low-impact or organic pest management.

In English, we use the word "soap" to refer to a number of products: hand soap, dish soap, castile soap, laundry soap, and insecticidal soap, to name a few. They may share a name, but these "soap" products are actually very different. Still, because people are familiar with soaps' use in the kitchen, laundry, and bathroom, many feel safe using them in the garden, too.

To protect consumers and the environment, soaps designed for use as pesticides are evaluated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They are registered as insecticidal soaps and their labels contain directions for use, precautionary statements, and instructions for storage and disposal. They also list relevant environmental, physical, and chemical hazard warnings, such as "hazardous to aquatic invertebrates." As tempting as DIY recipes can be, ingredient and concentration inconsistencies make these concoctions an unknown danger to yourself, your plants, and the environment. Below are some common misunderstandings about soap and detergent use in home gardens.

Misunderstanding #1: Dish soap is a natural, safe alternative to pesticides.

Research shows: Dish "soaps" are not true soaps; they are detergents, synthetically produced and chemically designed to be powerful cleaners.

Cleaning products (including detergents like Dawn®, Joy®, and Palmolive®) have labels that explain how they may safely be used. As with all other chemicals, the label is the law. If the instructions do not include garden or pesticide use, then the product was not intended to be used in that manner. It may even be dangerous to do so.

Understandably, companies package cleaning products in ways that help their consumers feel the product will be safe and effective. Advertising for these products often includes words like "gentle" or "natural," along with images of fields and flowers. Make no mistake — no matter how attractively packaged, detergents are not appropriate pest control for organic or conventional gardening.

Misunderstanding #2: Soaps are mild; they don't hurt plants.

Research shows: As discussed above, most dish soaps are actually detergents. To do their job well, they must be powerful enough to strip oils and other lipids from man-made surfaces.

Plant leaves are covered with a layer of waxy lipids. This waxy cuticle layer protects them from losing water and from viruses, bacteria, funguses, and other pathogens. Even when watered down, detergents cut through these protective layers. The result is often damaged, dry, crispy leaves.

Even true soaps can damage plants depending on which active ingredients they include. Most soaps intended for hygienic uses are made with sodium hydroxide. This ingredient is a powerful, modern lye. The sodium in this formula can cause significant damage to plant tissue. Insecticidal soaps, on the other hand, are intended for use on plants. They are made with potassium hydroxide, which can be used without damaging plant tissue.

Misunderstanding #3: Soaps kill the bad bugs without hurting the good bugs.

Research shows: Soaps and detergents don't discriminate between good bugs and bad bugs. The ingredients that damage soft-bodied insects and mites also attack beneficial insects and funguses. Insecticidal soaps, although designed for use on plants, also damage pest and beneficial insects indiscriminately.

When it comes to our gardens, we know that insects can be helpful, harmful, or harmless. No matter which pest control option we choose, protecting the good bugs will require education and effort.

More about Home Recipes for Pesticides

On the topic of pest control there is a lot of conflicting information and room for error. Using products not registered by the EPA as makeshift pesticides is not recommended by UF/IFAS for a number of reasons, including safety hazards to plants, animals, and people. Few of the recipes available online come from research-based sources. In fact, due to an increased interest in sustainable home food production, many recipes are simply "click bait," offering advertisements rather than sound garden advice. Finally, application of unregistered chemicals onto crops sold as food is illegal.

Any soap, even the insecticidal soaps intended for garden use, can injure plants if used incorrectly. Often issues with homemade pesticide formulas are related to inconsistent ingredients and concentrations.

Ingredients to avoid

Ingredients like vinegar and alcohol are phytotoxic; this means they cause leaf burn and other plant injuries. These should not be applied to plant tissues. Even familiar products, like Procter & Gamble Ivory® soaps, frequently change their ingredients. They are not intended for use on plants and their potential toxicity is unknown.

Worse still, some home recipes for pest control call for mixing different products. This is dangerous! Common cleaners that may be safe to use by themselves can be toxic to humans when they are used together.

Concentration matters

Similarly, home recipes for insecticidal soaps are inconsistent in the rate of application (the amount of soap relative to the amount of water). Some recipes recommend one teaspoon of soap per quart of water; others call for a whole quarter of a cup.

Properly registered and EPA-approved insecticidal soaps are usually only 1-2% soap by volume. This rate minimizes damage to the plant but is still effective as a pest control. Labels also include important information about plant species that are sensitive to the product's ingredients. Regardless of the formula, plants under drought stress, in excessive humidity, or in heat above 90 degrees Fahrenheit should never be treated with soaps.

Regardless of which product you choose, always read the label first — before you buy and before you use.

If you have questions about soaps or pesticide use, please contact your county Extension office or the UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office for more information about pesticide safety.

This information is available online at

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pests-and-diseases/pests/management/soaps-detergents-and-pest-management.html

 From Master Gardener Facebook Notes 2020- CKagan, Master Gardener

It's Millipede Time

 

Our Garden Helpline receives lots of calls in mid-summer about worm-like insects showing up all over the place outdoors and coming indoors. They want to know what to do. These are usually millipedes.

What is a millipede?

A millipede is a segmented, worm-like insect found throughout Pennsylvania. It lives under leaves, rocks, boards and other cool, moist places. It is sometimes called a wire worm because of its wire-like shape but it isn’t the wire worm.

Millipedes are brown or black and each body segment has two pairs of short legs. They are usually ¼ to 1 inch long. Considered beneficial insects, they feed on damp and decaying vegetable matter, basically recycling organic matter. They like cool, damp areas can often be seen near lose connections, downspouts or other moist areas.

Why are we seeing so many now?

A Penn State Entomological Report notes that millipedes will migrate from their normal living spots especially following heavy rains and may show up in window wells, basements or other cool damp places. Even dry weather and excessive heat can move them. Millipedes usually stay outdoors where the organic material can be found. Occasionally they show up in large numbers but they don’t do damage.

What can you do?

Millipedes that come inside are there because their GPS is on the fritz. They only live a few days indoors and don’t bite or sting. They are only icky and/or a nuisance indoors and don’t do damage.

If they do come into an indoor area, escort them outside – i.e. vacuum (dump the bag outside immediately after) or sweep them into a dust pan to remove

Prevention

Eliminating moist hiding places around the home will discourage millipedes. Outdoors, this includes removing rotting wood and decaying grass and leaves from around a home’s foundation. This also eliminates millipede food sources.

 If there is excessive moisture in sub­floor crawl spaces or basements, take measures to dry out these areas. To discourage millipedes in garden areas, reduce mulch and other organic matter and avoid excessive moisture.

~Carol Kagan, Franklin County Master Gardener

 

HOW HOT IS IT?

 

Not the weather – that PEPPER! Although we are getting summer heat we speak here of peppers.

Your taste buds are craving salsa and it’s time to check the peppers growing in the back garden. There are several varieties of “hot” peppers, some turning red, but just how hot are they? We turn to the Scoville Scale for the answer.

Developed by chemist Wilbur Scoville, the scale is a way to measure and assign the hotness of peppers by measuring the capsaicin (cap-say-ah-sin). content. How do you measure a Scoville Heat Unit? To measure the concentration of capsaicin, a solution of the chili pepper’s extract is diluted in sugar water until the ‘heat’ is no longer detectable to a panel of tasters. A rating of 0 Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) means that there is no heat detectable. The test’s reliance on human testers and the fact that plants grown in different conditions may be hotter or sweeter makes the scale basically good for comparisons only.

Regardless of the rating, use caution
 when handling or eating hot peppers.

So here goes, a listing of some of the most popular types are below. Go to the Scoville Scale online for a more complete listing.

Counter-Attack for the Burn

Capsaicin is alkaline oil. Water and alcohol don’t help because they won’t dissolve the oil and only spread it around. Acidic food or drink helps neutralize the oil. Try lemon, lime or orange juice, cold lemonade, or tomato drinks (not a Bloody Mary - see above).

Dairy foods such as milk, yogurt, sour cream and ice cream are acidic and may help. Eating carbohydrate foods such as bread or tortillas may help by absorbing some of the oil. Chew these but don’t swallow. Did you know that most hot-chili eating contests provide bowls of powdered milk and water to participants?

For skin irritations (you weren’t careful?), wash off the oil with soap and warm water. Dry and repeat if needed. Remember, capsaicin is oil and can be spread to other parts of the body by touching. Also, wash all utensils and cutting surfaces with soap and water after use to avoid spreading the oil.

For an upset stomach after eating hot peppers (Yes, they make their way through.) try drinking milk, the more fat content the better or eating carbohydrate foods such as bread and crackers. Sleep or rest in an upright or slightly inclined position to prevent heartburn and acid reflux.

Benefits of Capsaicin

Paradoxically, capsaicin's knack to cause pain makes it helpful in alleviating pain. National Institute of Health research supports the topical use of capsaicin for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis by lowering sensitivity to pain. Capsaicin can be found in over-the-counter creams and plasters.

Research continues on many other possible benefits in cancer treatments, anti-inflammatory use, weight loss and lowering cholesterol.

Capsacin lowers the threshold at which your taste buds forward the burning sensation to your brain and causes actual pain, sweating and muscle contractions. The pain releases endorphins, the pleasure chemicals.

Here are a few more links with interesting information

The Gut-Wrenching Science Behind the World's Hottest Peppers by Mary Roach (always an entertaining writer) for Smithsonian Magazine   

U.S. Hot Stuff: How hot are my chiles?  http://ushotstuff.com/Heat.Scale.htm

Chili World Scoville Scale (many sauce brands)

CKagan, Master Gardener

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Are you interested herbs? Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is at Snavely's Garden Center, Chambersburg, PA or available through Amazon.

Carol Kagan