Why Aren’t All Red Maples Red During Fall?
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Logically, red maple trees should have red fall foliage that’s brilliant during a good year. But, that’s not always the case.
Fall leaf color does vary along with environmental conditions. For example, the factors that can reduce color intensity include the previous summer’s extreme heat and/or drought, as well as fall’s cloudy days and/or warm nights.
In many cases, however, basic genetics has determined an off-color red maple will have yellow fall foliage … or, brown-red leaves … or highly variable fall color. The fact is, uncertainly about color is always a risk for homeowners who plant unnamed red maples, grown from seed.
To ensure they have a red maple with red fall foliage, homeowners must select from such vegetatively propagated varieties as Red Sunset, Magnificent Magenta or Autumn Flame. October Glory also has outstanding fall foliage, but it’s vulnerable in the central High Plains to damage from early cold snaps. It acclimates for winter late.
SOURCE: K-State Research and Extension Horticulture Programs
K-State Specialist Discusses Wheat Pasture Considerations
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Producers who want wheat for pasture for their livestock this fall have some decisions to make that will affect both the forage production and ultimate grain yield potential of the wheat, according to Kansas State University agronomist Jim Shroyer.
Cattle should not go onto wheat pasture until crown root development is anchoring the plants, said Shroyer, who is a wheat specialist with K-State Research and Extension.
“Don’t just look at top growth and assume that if the wheat is tillered, crown roots have developed. Sometimes that’s not the case,” he said. “Actually check some plants to make sure there is good root development.”
The general rule is, wheat should have about 6-12 inches of top growth before pasturing the crop, the agronomist said. But, the true test of wheat readiness is crown roots that have developed enough that cattle will find it hard to pull plants out of the ground as they graze.
“Producers should plan to use extra nitrogen on wheat that’s pastured,” Shroyer added. “Cattle remove N that’s in the wheat forage. So, seeing N deficiencies in the crop after the cattle have moved elsewhere is fairly common.”
To maintain grain yields, producers should apply another 40 pounds of N per acre for every 100 pounds of animal gain per acre, he advised. A good approach for this is a split application, with part of the N going on in early fall and part being applied as soon as the cattle are pulled off in late winter or early spring.
“In addition, producers should have a dry area available to move the cattle onto when the fields get wet. That will help limit soil compaction problems,” Shroyer said.
Oct. 25 Marks Anniversary of One of Kansas’ Worst Blizzards
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas will soon mark the anniversary of one of the worst blizzards in recent memory.
“While October of 1995 and 1996 had early fall snow storms, 1997 is the year people will use as a benchmark,” said State of Kansas climatologist Mary Knapp. “On Oct. 25, 1997, snow accompanied by 50 to 60 mile an hour wind produced near zero visibility and wind chills of 20 degrees below zero. By the end of the storm snowfall totals ranged from 10 to 24 inches.”
Knapp, who runs the Kansas Weather Data Library based at Kansas State University, said that snow drifts on that fateful day in 1997, ranged from 6 to 10 feet, with some reaching 25 feet.
“There were even drifts of one to two feet in the attics of houses,” she said.
More than 35,000 head of cattle were killed in the storm, but fortunately there were no reports of human fatalities, Knapp said.
Information about Kansas weather is available on the Weather Data Library Web site: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/wdl/ . “Weather Wonders” audio reports are available on the K-State Research and Extension News Media Web site at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/news/.
Don’t Tread on Frosty Turf
MANHATTAN, Kan – Frosted green lawns are a part of autumn in the central Great Plains, where such cool weather-loving turfs as tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are popular for home landscapes.
“In and of itself, frost on actively growing turf is no concern. Typically, it becomes a problem only if you walk or push equipment across the lawn before the frost melts. In that case, footprints or wheel marks will show up in the lawn later in the day. And, they’ll stay there,” said Ward Upham, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.
Fortunately, the damage just affects grass blades. Roots and shoot-producing crowns remain unharmed.
“So, although the results are unsightly, they won’t kill the turf,” Upham said. “And, they should finally disappear after you’ve mowed two to four times or when the lawn goes dormant for winter.”
He said the experts’ best guess on why these “ghost” prints develop is that weight from a foot or wheel forces the frost’s ice crystals into the grass leaves, where they kill plant cells.
Nitrogen Cycling via Cover Crops Protects Groundwater
MANHATTAN, Kan. – One of the range of reasons for growing cover crops is to “trap” nitrogen in the soil and preserve it for future use.
A trap crop actually absorbs nitrogen from the soil, said Dave Mengel, soil fertility specialist with Kansas State University Research and Extension. Unless the crop is then grazed or harvested, however, the nitrogen it absorbs will remain on-site, preserved within the residue for use by future crops.
This helps reduce the soil nitrogen losses that can occur between cash crops, he said, due to either leaching or denitrification (natural process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas).
Fast-growing, nitrogen-demanding crops are ideal as trap crops, Mengel said. Good choices include millet or forage sorghum, planted in summer after winter wheat. Others choices are cereal rye, wheat, triticale or canola, planted in fall after summer crops.
“Keep in mind that trap crops use the soil nitrogen they take up to support their own growth. And, in most cases, they end up with a high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio,” he added. “So, the release of that nitrogen to following crops may be slow. In fact, the second or third subsequent crop may be the one that finally benefits from the trapped nitrogen.”
Nonetheless, trapped nitrogen simply isn’t available to move through the soil to contaminate groundwater, Mengel pointed out.
-30-