Wichita gardener’s almanac for April 2, 2016
Happy April — Maybe a new month, the sweet month of April, will do the trick. The weather in the near forecast is looking beautifully spring-y. Most flowers seem to have survived the cold. The Easter snow was unusually beautiful and gave us a little moisture, though we need more. Happy gardening!
Early mowings — The first one or two mowings of the season can be lower than normal, Ward Upham of K-State says — 1 to 1 1/2 inches for fescue. That will speed green-up and allow the soil to warm up more quickly, he says. But after that go back to the normal 3 to 3 1/2 inches for fescue. Tall grass makes for deeper roots and greater drought resistance and helps shade out crabgrass, Upham writes in this week’s Horticulture 2016 newsletter.
Spray for pine tip moth — If you need to spray pines for pine tip moth, the spray should be applied as close as possible to April 10, which is 10 days after this week’s peak emergence of the moth, extension agent Matthew McKernan says. The moth generally affects scotch, ponderosa and mugo pines.
Remove dead pines — If you have a dead pine tree on your property, remove it as soon as possible to avoid the spread of pine wilt this spring.
Fertilize roses — Roses should be fertilized after pruning. If you want some pointers on pruning, check out the master gardeners’ pruning demonstration at 10:30 a.m. Saturday during Tree Fest. See details about the event below.
Plant — Cabbage, broccoli, endive, cauliflower, lettuce, potatoes, radishes, onions, peas, spinach, turnips, beets, fescue grass seed.
Garden events
Bartlett Arboretum events — Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine will once again be open this weekend for spring-bloom viewing, as well as next weekend for the annual Art at the Arb during Tulip Time in Belle Plaine. This weekend, the arboretum’s gates will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Art at the Arb on April 9 and 10 will feature more than 100 visual and performing artists as well as food vendors. Admission is $5.
Tree Fest, farmers market opening this weekend — The Tree Fest celebration sponsored by the Sedgwick County extension and master gardeners is 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Extension Center, 21st and Ridge Road. The Kansas Grown Farmers Market opens for the season as well, from 7 a.m. to noon in the parking lot.
Tree Fest features seminars, plant vendors, tool sharpening, answers to gardening questions by the master gardeners, a tour of the arboretum on the grounds, and demonstrations of tree planting and care, rose pruning and composting are on the schedule.
A pancake and sausage breakfast will be available for $5, and there will be a bake sale and a sale of magazines and books. Smoky Bear will be there, and activities for kids will include a tree photo opportunity. Project Beauty will have seedlings of the willow oak (Quercus phellos) for sale. Admission is free.
The seminar and demonstration schedule: 8:15 a.m., correcting iron chlorosis in trees; 8:50 a.m., update on the ICTrees tree-planting project; 9:15 a.m., after-planting tree care and the benefits of mulch rings; 10:15 a.m., pruning tips and techniques for shrubs; 11:15 a.m., pruning techniques for training your trees; 9:30 a.m., Composting 101; 10:30 a.m., pruning roses; 11:45 a.m., tree planting, mulching and watering demonstration; noon, tour of the arboretum.
Annie Calovich
This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for April 2, 2016."