Wichita gardener’s almanac for June 20
Back to the watering drill — I think we all had a sneaking suspicion that when the rains finally ended, they would go away for a while. That, unfortunately, seems to be the case. Be sure to monitor plants for their water needs, as roots damaged by too much water don’t take it up as efficiently as they used to and so probably will need more water than you may think. Also be sure the garden is mulched.
Tomato diseases — A couple of leaf-spot diseases that can show up on tomato plants this time of year are septoria leaf spot and early blight, Ward Upham of K-State writes in this week’s Horticulture 2015 newsletter. They both cause brown spots on leaves. Keeping plants staked up for good air circulation and mulching to cut down on water splashing help cut down on the diseases, Upham says. Preventing these diseases is among the reasons to rotate where you plant tomatoes every year for several years. But if you can’t do that, fungicides such as chlorothalonil can help. With this chlorothalonil, there is no waiting period between spraying and harvest, so you can pick fruit once the spray is dry, Upham says. If you do spray, start when the disease is first seen, and apply on both sides of the leaves, reapplying if rain washes it off.
If chlorothalonil doesn’t seem to work, you can also try mancozeb (Bonide Mancozeb Flowable); there is a five-day waiting period between application and when you can harvest. “You may wish to pick some tomatoes green just before you spray if you use Mancozeb as the tomato fruit will ripen inside,” Upham writes.
Plant — Sweet potatoes, sweet corn, winter squash, tomatoes, pumpkins (wait until later June to July 4 for a Halloween harvest).
Rose rosette — Be on the lookout for rose rosette on your rose bushes. It shows up as excessive thorniness, witches’-broom growth, and small, deformed leaves with a reddish-purple pigmentation, Upham says. There is no cure for it, and infected roses and their roots should be removed and destroyed as soon as possible, because the infection can spread to other roses. Pruning shears also can transmit the disease, so disinfect tools that you use on infected roses by using rubbing alcohol or a disinfectant such as Lysol, Upham says.
Squash bugs — Look for gray, shield-shaped bugs on the undersides of leaves on your squash or pumpkin plants and try to get rid of them while they are small and soft, Upham says. When they mature, they have a hard body that insecticides can’t penetrate, and they lay eggs that can lead to a second, devastating generation of bugs. Spray or dust the undersides of leaves with a general-use insecticide such as permethrin (Bug-B-Gon Multi-Purpose Garden Dust; Green Thumb Multipurpose Garden and Pet Dust; Bug-No-More Yard and Garden Insect Spray; Eight Vegetable, Fruit and Flower Concentrate; Garden, Pet and Livestock Insect Control; Lawn & Garden Insect Killer), malathion or methoxychlor, Upham says.
Lacy elm leaves — Elm leaf weevils produce a shothole or lacy pattern on elm leaves, Upham says. There’s no control for the weevils, and trees should recover from any spring defoliation, he says.
New potatoes — If you’d like to harvest new potatoes from your potato vines, pull soil away from the base of plants to see if the tubers are the size you want (usually the size of walnuts). If so, dig entire plants and let them dry for several hours before gathering the potatoes. These immature potatoes do not store well, Upham says.
Garden events
Shade-tree tour — Bob Neier will give his final tour of the Extension Arboretum before he retires as extension agent from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. The tour of the 300-tree arboretum at 21st and Ridge Road is free and open to the public. The farmers market will be going on in the parking lot. Neier is retiring at the end of June.
Father’s Day Kite Fest — Dads will get in to Botanica free on Sunday for Father’s Day, and admission will be $5 for everyone else, as Botanica celebrates the Father’s Day Kite Fest. People can buy and/or fly a kite, and there will be a synchronized kite show, food trucks, carnival rides, music, face painting, crafts and games. A helicopter will land at 11 a.m. in the field behind the children’s garden and be on the ground for an hour before taking off around noon. Hours will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information: www.botanica.org.
Father’s Day Blues & Barbecue: Moreland & Arbuckle — Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine will be open Sunday for a Father’s Day concert by the Wichita duo Moreland & Arbuckle. Picnics are welcome, and barbecue and Italian food will be for sale. Gates open at 3 p.m., and the show is at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10, free for kids. More information: www.bartlettarboretum.com.
Vincas and Vodka Sours — Pop & the Boys will perform at Tuesdays on the Terrace from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Botanica. Drinks and dinner will be for sale, and the gardens are open until 8 p.m. Admission is $7, or $3 for members.
“Restoring a Prairie Pasture” lunchtime lecture — Lorna Harder, retired Hesston College professor and former curator of natural history at Kauffman Museum in North Newton, will be at Botanica on Wednesday to talk about how she restored a prairie on her farm. Her lunchtime lecture, at 12:15, is included in Botanica admission. Lunch from Blue Moon Caterers will be for sale for $8 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
“Botanica” author — Keith Wondra, author of the new “Botanica, The Wichita Gardens,” will be at Watermark Books & Cafe, 4701 E. Douglas, at 11 a.m. June 27. Admission is free.
Annie Calovich
This story was originally published June 19, 2015 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for June 20."