Wichita gardener’s almanac for Sept. 26
Plant — Garlic, fescue grass seed (plant by mid-October).
Garlic planting — Every time I buy garlic at the store I resolve to plant my own the next time I have a chance. Well, here’s my – and your – chance. Garlic can be planted now through October for a harvest next summer.
Ward Upham of K-State has these recommendations for planting: Apply 3 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet and mix into the soil before planting, or fertilize according to soil test. Plant individual cloves point up 1 to 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart. Larger cloves of garlic (Allium sativum) produce larger bulbs. Water in well and mulch with straw to conserve soil warmth and encourage good establishment. Next summer, do a test dig when the lower one-third of the foliage is yellow. If the cloves have segmented, it is time to harvest. If they haven’t segmented, wait another week or two.
Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum), which has a milder garlic flavor and is a closer relative to the leek, also should be planted in October, Upham says.
Improving garden soil — One of the ways to improve the soil in your garden in the fall is to directly add in such organic materials as leaves, spent plants, rotted hay, rotted silage or the leftovers of a lawn renovation rather than putting them in the compost pile, Upham says. Coarse materials such as tree leaves and other materials can be shredded by running over them with a lawnmower. Catch the materials in a bag. You can then spread the materials about 3 inches deep and till them in, Upham says. Be sure the soil is not too wet when tilling. You can repeat the process every two weeks as long as the weather is warm and the materials are decomposing quickly, Upham says. Later in the fall, when the weather is cooler, you may have to wait longer. You can work materials into the soil until late November or early December, Upham says.
“Remember that organic matter helps almost any soil,” Upham writes in the Horticulture 2015 newsletter. “It improves clay soil by improving tilth, aeration and how quickly the soil takes up water. In sandy soils, it acts as a sponge by holding water and nutrients.”
Getting ready for the houseplant move — If you have houseplants outdoors that you want to bring indoors for the winter, watch the forecast for dips toward 50. You don’t want to bring insects into the house, so inspect the plants for bugs and disease, Upham says. A sharp spray from the hose can dislodge insects and mites, he says. You can force insects out of potting soil by soaking the pot in a tub of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
Try to bring the plants into a part of the house that gets a lot of light, at least at first. You can gradually move them to darker locations over a period of four to eight weeks, taking longer for plants that will be undergoing the greater extremes. Doing this gives plants a better chance of retaining their leaves, Upham says.
Garden events
Last Tuesday on the Terrace — The Mudbugs will close out the Tuesdays on the Terrace season at Botanica on the last Tuesday of September. The event is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Sunflowers & Swamp Water is the theme. Drinks will be for sale, as will an $8 dinner. Picnics also are welcome. Admission is $7, $3 for members. The gardens are open until 8.
Talk on fall planting — Barney Barnhard, master gardener and founder of ICTrees, will be at Botanica on Wednesday to give tips on planting trees, woody ornamentals and perennials in the fall. His lunchtime lecture, at 12:15, is included in Botanica admission or membership. Lunch will be for sale from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for $8.
Annie Calovich
This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for Sept. 26."