Print edition: 
Almost February — The shortest month starts Monday, and thank heaven it's the shortest. I like my long months to happen in the summer.
Christmas tree recycling report — The number of real Christmas trees that were recycled through Sedgwick County's recycling sites fell about 10 percent this year. David Kerschen of the county's parks and recreation department reports that 4,900 Christmas trees were recycled into mulch this year, down from 5,426 last year.
People at the county had wondered if the number would drop off this year because of the economy, and, for whatever reason, it certainly did.
The other side of recycling is the free mulch that the trees become.
"The mulch they made was a very good quality and went fast," extension agent Bob Neier reports.
Air-layering houseplants — If you have a houseplant that has outgrown its spot, you may be able to air-layer it to make a new, smaller plant from it, Ward Upham of K-State says. The technique only works on certain houseplants, and usually not on wood that is old or immature. Among plants to try it on are croton, dracaena, dieffenbachia, Norfolk Island pine, rubber plant and schefflera.
"By air-layering these houseplants, you encourage one or more branches or the main stem to form roots while attached to the parent plant," Upham says. "When the roots have developed enough, then you can cut off the new plant or plants and pot them as a replacement for the original."
The best place to try it is on wood about a year old, Upham says.
"You can grow roots on any part of it, but a convenient place is about 12 inches from the branch or stem tip. Just remove any leaves that are in your way."
Then:
* Wound the stem in one of two ways. (1) Make an upward slanting cut, an inch or more long and halfway through the stem. Place part of a toothpick inside, so the cut can't close and heal. Splint if needed to prevent stem breakage. Or (2) strip the bark in a band 1/2 to 1 inch wide around the stem.
* Apply rooting hormone to the wounded surface.
* Pack a baseball-sized wad of moist sphagnum peat moss around the wounded area. Use unmilled (i.e., long, stringy) peat moss and, if necessary, secure in place with string. (Milled peat moss can be easier to find, but tends to fall away from a stem faster than you can tie it down.) This is where the roots will form.
* Enclose the peat moss ball in clear plastic wrap, overlapping enough to keep the moss from easily drying out. Securely close the plastic wrap's top and bottom edges with electrical tape, string or such.
"After that, check periodically to be sure the peat moss remains moist. Water when needed," Upham says. "You may see roots emerge in as little as a month, but the new plant will need a lot longer to prepare for being severed from its parent and planted. It'll reach that point when roots have filled the peat moss."
Butterfly gardening talk — Elsie Neumann will give a talk at Botanica on Wednesday about what to plant to attract caterpillars and adult butterflies to your garden. She'll give tips and techniques on how to manage a butterfly habitat to improve your chances of attracting butterflies. The lunchtime lecture, at 12:15, is included in Botanica admission.
Family Fun Fair — Botanica's free Family Fun Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 6. More than 10 activities will be going on in the Terrace Room including butterfly magnets, snowflake door hangers and sunflower seeds. Families also can explore the gardens to discover the berries, barks and leaves that shine in the winter. Admission to the gardens and all craft activities is free. A limited number of families will receive a free birdhouse on a first-come, first-served basis.
Women's farm conference at Hyatt — The 2010 Women Managing the Farm Conference will be Feb. 5 and 6 at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita. The conference is for women involved in agribusiness and farm and ranch life or management. The cost is $120 for both days, or $105 for Friday and $95 for Feb. 6. For registration or more information, go to www.womenmanagingthefarm.info. For questions about registration, call 320-224-0154 or e-mail wmf@ksu.edu. A limited number of registrations will be available at the door.
Vegetable Growers Workshop — The Central Kansas Vegetable Growers Workshop will be from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Extension Center at 21st and Ridge Road. It's sponsored by K-State Research & Extension in Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey, and Reno counties. The workshop will cover the basics of vegetable production including building soil fertility, starting transplants from seed, season extension, crop planning, insect control and marketing. The cost is $15. To register, call 316-660-0144.
