Wichita gardener’s almanac for July 11

Time to kill Bermuda — Some people like Bermuda for its drought tolerance, but others dislike its aggressive nature and short green season. If you have some Bermuda you want to get rid of, mid-July is the time to take care of it, when the grass is growing at its best. Glyphosate (Round-up, Kleen-up, Killzall, Kleeraway) is the most effective herbicide (it also kills whatever else it hits). Use a 2 percent solution in mid-July, wait two weeks, then mow as low as possible and remove the clippings, Ward Upham of K-State says. Wait another two weeks and spray again with glyphosate if you see any green. Wait two more weeks to reseed, Upham says.

Charolett Knapic, owner of Echo Landscapes and the new Beautiful Day Cafe at 2516 E. Central, tried something different in killing the Bermuda in the garden that is to be planted alongside the cafe. She didn’t want to use chemicals, so she and her helpers last summer put down sheets of cardboard from furniture stores three thicknesses deep to suffocate the unwanted grass. After one sheet of cardboard was placed on top of the Bermuda, the next one was placed a couple of feet over, and then another sheet was overlapped 2 to 3 feet in another direction to make the Bermuda exhaust itself trying to get between the sheets. Four to 6 inches of mulch then should top the cardboard, Knapic said. Whatever Bermuda that has shown its face along the edges of the garden has been dispatched by hand as it comes up.

Knapic has tried this method before, but in the spring or fall, and by the time the Bermuda came up, the cardboard was deteriorating. So she recommends starting in high summer – we’re there! – with fresh cardboard.

Algae … in the yard? — Here we go again, with saturated soils running headlong into a heat wave. Some plants have root damage from being too wet. Extension agent Rebecca McMahon says she’s seen samples of grass whose crowns were mushy from being in standing water, and the extension also has received a few reports of algae not in ponds but in yards. “It’s usually a compacted, poorly drained location … where the grass is thin,” McMahon says. “It’s a sign that this area needs help. That it’s too wet and it’s not drained well enough.” Core aeration or tilling and adding in compost are ways to help drainage, as is having the yard graded so that the water drains away, she says.

Tomato plants whose leaves are curled obviously have gotten enough water – probably too much, so that the roots are damaged, McMahon says. Plants whose roots have been damaged need attentive watering as the heat returns, because they are no longer able to use water efficiently, and so, ironically, need more of it.

Potato harvest — When potato vines are about half dead, the potatoes are ready to harvest. You don’t want to wait to dig them up, Upham says, because the lack of leaves will allow the soil to heat up, which can cause the potatoes to sprout. Once they’ve been dug up, keep them in a shady, dry place for a day or so to set, then move them to a cool, moist place such as a cellar or cool basement for longer storage, Upham says.

No Tomato Day contests this year — Tomato Day will be July 25 at the Extension Center, and there will be no contests this year, extension agent Rebecca McMahon said. Two food trucks will be on hand in the parking lot from 10 a.m. to noon, and six varieties of tomatoes and a salsa will be available for free tasting inside the center at 21st and Ridge Road. There also will be a chef’s demo and other seminars and an iris sale, along with lots of tomatoes for sale at the farmers market in the parking lot.

Garden events

McPherson garden tour — The annual McPherson Master Gardeners and Friends garden tour is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $5 to tour gardens at 800 E. Euclid, 1205 Eastmoor Drive, 1772 Limestone Road, 1416 Homestead Place and the Master Gardeners and Friends demo garden at 600 W. Woodside in McPherson. Tickets are available at each garden. The McPherson trolley will give free rides from the demo garden to the others. A “garden matchmaker” scavenger hunt offers prizes for people who can match photos to gardens.

Tuesdays on the Terrace — Lady & The Tramps will perform at the next Tuesdays on the Terrace at Botanica, when the theme will be Geraniums & Gentle Gingers. The event is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and the gardens are open until 8. Friends of Botanica will have dinner for sale for $8, and drinks also will be for sale. Admission is $7, $3 for members.

Rose society ice cream social — The Wichita Rose Society will have its annual ice cream social during its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Botanica. A slide show of photos of flowers in members’ gardens will be shown, and then a September trip to Lincoln, Neb., for the Central District Rose Show and Convention will be discussed. The social and meeting are free and open to the public.

“Irises for All Seasons” talk — Laurie Winzer, an accredited judge with the American Iris Society, will be at Botanica on Wednesday to show how to extend the iris bloom season by planting different types and species. She’ll also give a preview of the sale of iris rhizomes that the Wichita Area Iris Club will have July 25 at the Extension Center and July 26 at Botanica. Her lunchtime lecture, at 12:15 p.m., is included in Botanica admission or membership.

Sampler on summer squash — Growing and cooking with summer squash will be the theme of a Saturday Sampler program from 9 to 10 a.m. July 18 at the Extension Center, 21st and Ridge Road. Extension agents Denise Dias and Rebecca McMahon will lead the free gardening and cooking demonstration in the demonstration garden. No registration is required.

Annie Calovich

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for July 11."