Fall Weeding at Allen Lane Station

Carol Davis, Carol Graeber, and Doris Kessler spent a good bit time weeding at the station earlier this week.  A healthy dose of crabgrass (that has already gone to seed), some maple volunteers, and other random weeds  such as porcelain-berry and crown-vetch.   Next year will prove to be a monster with all the weed seeds that have dispersed.  We  are contemplating an effort to prevent some of that from happening by using pre-emergents to prevent their sprouting.

There is still more to be done, but we got a good start.  It looks much better, in fact it actually looks quite beautiful with fall coloration. (See photos below.) We did not remove all the crabgrass from the unplanted areas wondering whether we should leave it to stabilize the soil because for better or worse, it may be contributing to the soil stabilization if not in a marginal way.

Another morning of weeding and tidying up should get us ready for the winter.  Any takers?  Shoot us an email!

Fund-raise-a-palooza!

Left to Right:  Carol Gaeber, Ben Monette, Donor and Hero, Gary Seagrreves

Wow what a great day at the Yard Sale last Saturday!  We got to talk with some folks about our effort at the train station and collected a nice little amount to help with the care for the pin oak.  Even more impressive was the amazing matching donation from our hero and neighbor Gary Seagreves.  The hand-made maple bookcase that Ben donated was purchased by Carol for a generous sum 

There was a lot of discussion about the tree and the treatments we will pursue.  Right now we are in a wait-and-see mode until spring to see if it is suffering from bacterial leaf scorch.  "Bacterial leaf scorch is a chronic, eventually fatal disease that is most noticeable in the early fall.   Bacterial leaf scorch is caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa.  This bacterium is spread by leafhoppers and treehopper insects" (1). Not to fear, although it is not curable, it is treatable, and  if this proves to be the case we already have some sage advice and potential assistance from some of our great neighbors and friends.  Most importantly, because of community donations, we have the funds to move forward!

We also have our eye on the struggling grass area.  It looks like the well loved lawn area may have been too well loved too early on.  We are giving serious consideration to pursuing a seeding strategy that would unfortunately block off that area for some time, but we hope will establish a nice lawn area for the future.

Some have also asked about our choice of wood chip mulch so stay tuned for a little informational article on the use of that material.

(1)   Hartman, John (2007). Plant Pathology Fact Sheet: Bacterial Leaf Scorch, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service.

When I Get That Feelin', I want Mycorhizae Healin'

Thanks to Master Arborist Hal Rosner and his trusty staff at Shechtman Tree Care, the pin oak in the parking lot that was, as you know, damaged during construction received an elixir of  liquid applied organic bio-stimulant, and Mycorhizae inoculants at a reduced cost.


Our collection during the Blocktober Fest was a huge success, and along with donations from Steve and Lucy Stroiman and the Mt Airy-Nippon-Bryan-Cresheim Townwatch, we were able to cover much of the cost.

The effort however, does not end with the fertilization of the tree, we will need to continue to care for the gardens and lawn area and we would like to put up some signs near the tree asking folks to keep off it's sensitive root-zone.  All of this takes money!

That being said, we will be collecting at the Neighborhood Yard Sale at High Point Cafe on Saturday October 20th....come on down and give us your pennies!

Construction Damage to Pin Oak

During construction of the Allen Lane Station the pin oak in front of High Point Cafe was severely damaged. Heavy vehicles compacted its roots...not to mention the damaged caused during the excavation shown.  As you can see, at least half of the root zone was adversely impacted.  For more on proper tree protection during construction click here.

We spoke to SEPTA about this issue and they assured us that it was necessary to fix a damaged pipe.  It was confirmed by some long-term residents that there had been an ongoing issue with the driveway drain in that area.

We will do what we can to nurse this tree back to health, but we need a little of your time and a little of your spare change to assist us.  Please email us if you want to donate, or come and visit us at the Allen Lane Station on October 6 during Mt. Airy's Blocktoberfest.  We will be there at the beginning and end of the race and available as long as there are people around!

Carol Davis, Doris Kessler and Carol Graeber  spent some time last week weeding the new landscape at the Allens Lane Train Station.  The Friends of the Allen Lane Station were informed by SEPTA that the community will be largely responsible for maintenance and volunteers are needed.

Please  contact the WMAN Streetscape Committee for more information.

Site Evaluation

Way back in July of 2011 we issued the Site Evaluation Report to SEPTA below:

Site Evaluation Report

None of it was addressed save for a tiny amount of slope stabilization...and this was only addressed after a large portion of the slope began to fail...just as the report warned.  Read the report and decide for yourself, but we are truly saddened that what was purchased for the landscape design came no where near to what was installed.

Up and At 'Um

Photo courtesy of SEPTA

Hello World!  Welcome to the Friends of the Allen Lane Station Blog.  We are a rag-tag group of neighbors, gardeners, community activists, and all around civic minded folks who want to see the Allen Lane Station live up to its potential.  Stay tuned for news and events as they become known and watch as our blog really starts to take shape...