Fall is the best time to divide plants like daylilies, irises, and peonies. This video demonstrates how to properly divide perennials flowers in your landscape. Dividing plants is actually beneficial for flowering and gives you more plants for your own garden or to share with a friend!
By: Cassie Thiessen
If you only fertilize your cool season lawn once a year, September is the best time to do it. Do you know the best practices to keep your lawn looking great? The link below is an excellent cool season lawn care guide and calendar:
https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF736.pdf
By: Cassie Thiessen
Fall is a good time to plant garlic (Allium sativum) if you want large quality cloves next summer. It is best to apply 3 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet and mix into the soil before planting, or fertilize according to a soil test. Plant individual cloves point up and spaced 6 inches apart and 1 to 2 inches deep. The larger the clove planted, the larger the bulb at harvest. Water in well and mulch with straw to conserve soil warmth and encourage good establishment.
Harvest will not occur until next summer. Test dig when the lower 1/3 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) should also be planted now. It is a plant with a milder garlic flavor and is actually a closer relative to the leek than to true garlic.
Inchelium Red has an excellent storage life and Chesnok Red is good choice as well. Others you can try include Armenian, Music, Purple Glazer, Carpathian Mountain, Metechi, China Strip, Ajo Rojo, Asian Tempest and Silver White. Kansas has the type of climate that allows us to grow a wide variety of garlic types well.
For more information on growing garlic check out this K-State Garden Hour- https://mediasite.k-state.edu/mediasite/Play/7cf6d3b9d31843a2b7b51c499ee1e57e1d
By: Cassie Thiessen
Extension Master Gardeners come from a variety of backgrounds and share a passion for gardening, an enthusiasm for learning, and a commitment to helping others. Master Gardeners have successfully completed basic training in the discipline of horticulture and they share their time and expertise as volunteers in their community to promote Post Rock Extension District’s educational mission.
If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, please reach out to Cassie at choman@ksu.edu or 785-738-3597
Learn more here: https://www.postrock.k-state.edu/lawn-garden/master-gardner/index.html
By: Cassie Homan
The hot weather we have had recently not only interferes with flower pollination but also can affect how quickly fruit matures. The best temperature for tomato growth and fruit development is 85 to 90F. When temperatures exceed 100 degrees, the plant goes into survival mode and concentrates on moving water. Fruit development slows to a crawl. When temperatures moderate, even to the low to mid 90s, the fruit will ripen more quickly.
Tomato color can also be affected by heat. When temperatures rise above 95 degrees F, red pigments don’t form properly, though the orange and yellow pigments do. This results in orange fruit. This doesn’t affect the edibility of the tomato, but often gardeners want that deep red color back.
Pick tomatoes in the “breaker” stage. Breaker stage tomatoes are those that have started to turn color. At this point, the tomato has cut itself off from the vine and nothing will be gained by keeping it on the plant. If tomatoes are picked at this stage and brought into an air-conditioned house, they will ripen more quickly and develop a good, red color. A temperature of 75 to 85 degrees F will work well.
By: Cassie Homan
Have you ever struggled to tell if your watermelons were sweet and ripe? Watch this video for more tips on when to pick a watermelon
By: Cassie Homan
Telling when a melon is ready to be harvested can be a challenge, or it may be quite easy. It all depends on the type of melon. Let’s start with the easy one. Muskmelons are one of those crops that tell you when they are ready to be picked. This can help you not only harvest melons at the correct time but also choose good melons when shopping.
As a melon ripens, a layer of cells around the stem softens so the melon detaches easily from the vine. This is called “slipping” and will leave a dish shaped scar at the point of stem attachment. When harvesting melons, put a little pressure where the vine attaches to the fruit. If ripe, it will release or “slip.”
When choosing a melon from those that have already been harvested, look for a clean, dish shaped scar. Also, ripe melons have a pleasant, musky aroma if the melons are at room temperature (not refrigerated).
Watermelons can be more difficult and growers often use several techniques to tell when to harvest.
and turn brown. With some varieties this tendril will need to be completely dried before the watermelon is ripe whereas others it will only need to be in the process of turning brown.By: Cassie Homan
