Wichita gardener’s almanac for May 9
Scouring rain — Not only have we been getting rain, we’ve been getting pounding rain, and some hail. Rose petals were stripped off a couple of my rose bushes, and they landed prettily in the bird bath. I always think of such rains as cleaning away bird messes, dirt and dust. But when storms take bites out of leaves and flowers off stems and branches off trees, it’s a little too cleansing.
Keeping out the rabbits — Rabbits are always a problem this time of year, because they love young vegetables and flowers, Ward Upham of K-State says. But they rarely bother potatoes, tomatoes, corn, squash, cucumbers and some peppers, he says. To protect other plants, he gives these suggestions:
▪ A fence. It doesn’t need to be tall – 2 feet is enough for cottontails – but it should be of fine mesh (1 inch or less) so young rabbits can’t go through it. The fencing needs to be staked down; electric fence posts work well, Upham says.
▪ Repellents. These have to be reapplied often because they don’t last long. Plus many are poisonous and can’t be used on edibles.
▪ Live traps. These can be used to collect rabbits for moving to a rural area several miles away. Among the baits that can be used is a tightly rolled cabbage leaf held together with a toothpick. “However, rabbits often avoid baits if other attractive food is available,” Upham points out.
▪ Motion-activated sprinklers. Contech, Orbit and Havahart make these sprinklers that are attached to a garden hose and shoot out water when they detect motion. Each is advertised as protecting at least 1,000 square feet, Upham says.
“Shooting is another possibility when it is safe and legal to do so,” he concludes.
Wind protection — You can protect small plants that are going into the garden by cutting both the top and bottom off a plastic milk jug or 2-liter soda-pop bottle, Upham says. Push the jug down into the soil around the plant, stabilizing it with a wooden dowel or metal rod if needed, he says.
Plant — When the soil dries out enough to plant: beans, cucumbers, melons, lettuce, peppers, okra, pumpkins, sweet corn, tomatoes.
Violets in the lawn — The wild violet is one of the hardest weeds to control in the lawn, Upham says. Your best bet is a product containing triclopyr, though you’ll probably have to apply it more than once, he says. Two such products are Turflon Ester and Weed-B-Gon Chickweed, Clover & Oxalis. Both are labeled for use on tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass; triclopyr will severely injure bermudagrass. Weed-B-Gon Chickweed Clover & Oxalis is labeled for buffalograss and zoysia, but lawns likely will temporarily brown after use. Spray only on calm days and when temperatures are below 90 degrees, Upham says.
Garden events
Daylily meeting — The Wichita Daylily Club will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at Botanica, and the program will be a mini auction of plants. The public is invited.
Mother’s Day at Bartlett Arboretum — “A Century of Gardens, Music and What We Wore” will be presented Sunday at Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine. It will feature 70 portrayals of iconic women from the past 105 years, dressed in authentic fashions, as a band performs music of each era. The event will start at 4 p.m. Bonnie Bing will serve as commentator and, while they last, free tulip bulbs will be given to moms. The cost is $10; kids get in free. A conversation with vintage clothing collector Pat Watt will precede the event at 3 p.m. More information: www.bartlettarboretum.com.
Grazing Cattle & Food Production in America — Norm Oeding of Janzen Family Farms will be at Botanica on Wednesday to give a lunchtime lecture on how he has been able to graze the farms’ Angus cows year-round for several years, the past 12 months without having to feed them supplemental hay. He’ll also talk about food labeling, potential food production in the United States, and other food and water issues. He’ll also have samples of the farms’ Little Red Hen Bakery products. The lecture, at 12:15 p.m., is included in Botanica admission. Syl’s will have lunch for sale for $8 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Garden tour — The master gardeners’ annual garden tour is a little later this year – May 29 through May 31, at seven home gardens and one community garden. You can save $2 by buying the tickets in advance, for $8. They can be purchased at the Extension Center at 21st and Ridge Road or online at sedgwick.ksu.edu. Tickets will also be available at each of the gardens on the days of the tour for $10. Addresses will be in the Home & Garden section of The Eagle on May 23.
Annie Calovich
This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for May 9."