Briefly . . .

Start with Kitchen Garden    

Cottontails Now Cottoning to Urban Landscapes  

K-State’s De Wolf Encourages Wheat Growers To Remember Fungicide Pre-Harvest Interval

Help Houseplants Recover From Winter Doldrums

Start with Kitchen Garden

WICHITA, Kan. – First-time gardeners are encouraged to start small, perhaps with a kitchen garden likely to offer fresh herbs and a small quantity of fruits and vegetables for use in summer meals.

“Setting aside a small plot near the kitchen or back door or choosing to arrange containers or hanging baskets near a porch or patio may be all that it takes for a beginning gardener to become a more confident gardener,” said Evelyn Neier, a Kansas State University Research and Extension horticulturist and state coordinator for the Junior Master Gardener Program.

“Lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and herbs such as parsley, basil or rosemary are easy to grow and make flavorful additions to summer menus,” Neier said.

More information for beginning, intermediate and seasoned gardeners is available at county and district K-State Research and Extension offices and on the Extension Web site: www.ksre.ksu.edu. Click on “Lawn and Garden.”

Cottontails Now Cottoning to Urban Landscapes

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Cottontail rabbits have become pesky, perennial residents of urban and suburban yards, as well as rural pastures. To them, home landscapes look like prime, year-round habitat.

“We tend to see urban cottontails more often now only because rabbits love the tender vegetation of a wide variety of emerging vegetables and flowers. At times, you can feel as if they’re nibbling faster than you can plant,” said Ward Upham, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

Adding to the pressure, rabbits begin to breed in late winter and continue into early fall. On average, each female produces three to four litters of three to five young every year, he said.        

“Urban residents often prefer to live-trap damage-causing rabbits and relocate them miles away in the country. That can be an exercise in futility,” Upham said. “At this time of year, the bait to lure rabbits into a trap has to compete against lots of tempting vegetation. Live-trapping can be much easier in fall and winter. But, then you can almost bet nearby rabbits will soon move in to take the relocated ones’ place.

“Besides, wild rabbits are reservoirs of diseases, some of which can affect humans. Their fleas and lice can carry diseases, too. You need to avoid direct contact. Trapping increases the odds for it.”

But, motion-activated sprinklers can help, as can correctly labeled repellents, reapplied as often as necessary. A dog in the yard can keep rabbits at bay, too, the horticulturist said.

“Even so, fencing probably remains the quickest, most effective control,” he said. “A roll or some reusable panels of galvanized, 1-inch-mesh wire fencing can do the job. Your fence only needs to be 18 to 24 inches high. So, electric fence posts will be strong enough to serve as the supports. You must stake the fencing’s bottom edge, though, or bury it several inches deep, to discourage burrowing.”

Upham recommends the following Web sites as good sources for more detailed information: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/wldlf2/l858.pdf and http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/ (search for “rabbits”).

K-State’s De Wolf Encourages Wheat Growers to Remember Fungicide Pre-Harvest Interval

MANHATTAN, Kan. – It’s that time of year when rainfall is nurturing the developing wheat crop – and the diseases that thrive on it.

Leaf rust, tan spot and powdery mildew have all been reported in some Kansas counties. That has prompted a Kansas State University plant pathologist to encourage producers to scout diligently and to remember pre-harvest intervals if they apply a fungicide.

“It’s important to remember to carefully evaluate the pre-harvest interval (PHI) for all fungicide products,” said Erick De Wolf, wheat specialist with K-State Research and Extension. “The labeling of many fungicides will prohibit application after full head emergence. The fungicides Folicur, Prosaro, Caramba and Proline can be applied slightly later, and allow applications up to the time wheat plants are at the 50 percent flowering stage. All four of these products have a 30-day PHI."  

In its weekly report issued May 11, the Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported that wheat disease infestation was rated as 71 percent none, 23 percent light, and 6 percent moderate as of May 10.

KASS also reported that 95 percent of the wheat had jointed, compared with 89 percent last year, and 97 percent for the five-year average. Thirty-two percent had headed versus 17 percent last year and 49 percent for the five-year average. The wheat condition was rated 3 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 37 percent fair, 43 percent good, and 8 percent excellent.

Help Houseplants Recover From Winter Doldrums

EL DORADO, Kan. – For many houseplants, winter is an endurance contest, marked by short days, low light levels, and a dramatic drop in the urge to drink, eat and grow.

“Fortunately, houseplants perk up again – sort of get re-energized -- when the vegetation outdoors starts to leaf out for spring,” said Larry Crouse, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension. “This energy comeback is one reason why spring can be the best time to repot houseplants that have outgrown their container.”

When late spring’s rising nighttime temperatures stay above 55 degrees, however, many houseplants could recover even further if moved outdoors – just for summer, Crouse said.

“Of course, that kind of move won’t magically transform them into plants that thrive in wind and direct sunlight. Houseplants can suffer as severe a sunburn as some pale office worker would get, vacationing on the beach,” he warned.

What houseplants need outdoors is a sheltered location with dappled shade, the horticulturist said. In many cases, that turns out to be a porch or someplace protected by trees, house or garage.

“The plants will need water every time the top half-inch of their potting soil gets dry – which can be fairly often in summer,” Crouse said. “So, I’d also recommend locating them close to an outdoor water source. If you can, sink their pot into the ground, too, to moderate their soil’s temperature and water-loss rate.”

He suggested placing peat moss around and under the sunken container. Because peat moss holds water, it can help keep pot-held roots cool. If the pot is porous, peat moss also will help reduce evaporation.

“Every two weeks or so, you’ll want to rotate the sunken pot by a quarter turn. That will break off any roots that grow out of the container’s drainage holes and into the peat moss,” Crouse said. “It also will help your plant grow straight, because every side will spend a quarter of its time in the brightest light.”

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