Dethatching tips, planting calendar, gardening events

Planting calendar — Beans, pumpkins (plant closer to July 4 for a Halloween harvest), sweet corn, winter squash, sweet potatoes.

Time to dethatch — Bermuda and zoysia lawns that have more than 1/2 inch of thatch should be dethatched in June or July, Ward Upham of K-State says. Core aeration is the method of choice for thatch between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch, he says. For more than 3/4 inch, power raking is best, with the blades set just deep enough to pull out the thatch, Upham says. It usually takes time to get thatch levels down, he says; proper watering, fertilizing and mowing practices also will help. But if thatch is too thick, it may be easier to use a sod cutter to remove the existing sod and replant with seed, sprigs or plugs, Upham says.

Brown rot on peaches and plums — Brown, fuzzy growth on stone fruits such as peaches and plums signal brown rot caused by wet weather, Ward Upham of K-State says. Such fruit should be destroyed to prevent the rot from spreading, he says, and the fruit should be treated about a month before harvest, or even closer to harvest if necessary. Apply Captan or myclobutanil (Immunox) every seven to 14 days; both products can be applied up to the day of harvest, Upham writes in this week’s Horticulture 2016 newsletter.

Meanwhile, the good peaches are early and ripe for the picking at local orchards, and it’s time to start enjoying peach season.

Garden events

Newton Flower & Garden Tour this weekend — A Newton garden tour including talks by experts in the gardens will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The $8 ticket can be purchased at any of the gardens — 1621 Hillcrest Road, 933 Spruce, 725 N. High, 1817 Cypress Lane, and Carriage Factory Art Gallery and the J.J. Krehbiel Garden at 128 E. 6th, all in Newton. Here’s a schedule of the talks:

“Watering in the Landscape and Garden” by Harvey County extension agent Scott Eckert at 9:45 and 10:15 a.m. Saturday and at 1:45 and 2:15 p.m. Sunday, at 1817 Cypress Lane; “Color My World Using Plant Dyes” by Lee Llamas of Red Llamas Landscaping at 10 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday and 2 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, at 933 Spruce; “Creating Mosaic Art for the Garden” by Mary Lee-McDonald of Carriage Factory at 11 and 11:30 a.m. Saturday and 3 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, at Carriage Factory; and “Gardening With Black Walnut Trees” by Constance Gehring at 11:15 a.m. Saturday and 3:15 and 3:45 p.m. Sunday at her garden at 725 N. High.

Kids Day at Kansas Grown market — Saturday, June 11, is Kids Day at the Kansas Grown Farmers Market. Donuts and milk will be served, along with coffee for adults, and there will be face painting by Patches the Clown, removable tattoos, balloons from Troubles the Clown, chances to win prizes, and picture-taking with “Star Wars” characters, Thunder Dog, Chuck E. Cheese and McGruff the Crime Dog. The market runs from 7 a.m. to noon at 7001 W. 21st St. Market website: kansasgrowninc.com.

Suzy Bogguss at Bartlett Arboretum — Country singer Suzy Bogguss will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday at Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine. Gates open at 3 p.m. Two tiers of tickets are available: $10 at the gate, or $50 at www.eventbrite.com for preferred parking, reserved seating and a meet-and-greet with Bogguss before the show. Picnics are welcome, and food from Luciano’s Strada and Lyon’s Den BBQ will also be for sale. The new south bridge at the arboretum will be dedicated during intermission.

Suburban Garden Club meeting — The Suburban Garden Club will meet at 10 a.m. Monday at Sharon and Frank LaForge’s garden at 10819 Par St. for a tour, and anyone is welcome to attend. Lunch will be afterward for those who are interested at Chili’s at 10520 W. Central.

Daylily meeting — The Wichta Daylily Club will have its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at Botanica. Members will be getting registration packets ready for the regional meeting that will be June 24 to 26 in Wichita. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Tuesdays on the Terrace — The Emily Strom Trio will perform at the next Tuesdays on the Terrace at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Botanica. Junipers and Gingers will be the theme. Drinks, dinner and music will be served on the Terrace until 8 p.m. Admission is $10, $5 for members. Dinner will be for sale for $7.

ICT Food Circle talk — Mikel Bowyer of ICT Food Circle will be at Botanica on Wednesday to talk about bringing farmers and consumers together and about the power of food. His lunchtime lecture, at 12:15, is included in Botanica admission or membership. Lunch will be for sale for $8 between 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Next week’s garden tours — The Kansas Pond Society’s pond tour and the North Riverside Garden Stroll will take place next weekend:

▪ The North Riverside tour will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 18; tickets are $5 at Johnson’s Garden Centers and Seasonal Decorating at 2828 W. 13th St., and at each of the gardens on the day of the tour: 1402 N. Garland, 1530 W. 20th St., 1919 N. Payne, 1435 N. Woodland and 1415 N. Salina. During the tour, monarch butterfly advocate Teresa Hammer will be at 1530 W. 20th Street garden to give out information about attracting butterflies, tagging monarchs and creating way stations, and Chad and Melinda Mulligan will be at 1402 Garland with bee-keeping information and tips to increase the bee population.

▪ The pond tour will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 18 and noon to 6 p.m. June 19. Tickets are $10 per car, which include addresses, maps and descriptions of the tour sites. A ticket also will include free entry to Botanica from 9 to 5 a.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are for sale at garden centers and Botanica.

Annie Calovich

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Dethatching tips, planting calendar, gardening events."