rain man
Water, water, water.
That’s been my motto the last few weeks.
Lately, my garden activities have been more about dragging hoses and setting up sprinklers that it has been much of anything else. It’s dry out there!
I’ve still been doing a little planting... I can’t ever stop that. However, the shift from “garden creating” to “garden care” has definitely taken place.
And by care, of course, I mostly mean watering.. and lots of it.
With the dry spell we’ve been having, I’ve had the opportunity to have a lot of conversations with folks about proper watering. It goes well beyond just the act of applying water itself (although that’s definitely a critical part!) and includes soil preparation, mulch, proper landscape design, proper plant selection and proper planting... but, that’s a discussion for another day.
Today, I just wanted to make a few comments about applying water.
It doesn’t matter how you tackle your watering projects, as long as you do them and do them well.
That means you watered with enough water—and for a long enough period of time—to allow water to soak down through the root zone, thoroughly saturating it in the process.
There are two parts to that equation... volume and time. One means nothing without some knowledge of the other. In the end, if the root zone hasn’t been thoroughly soaked, it wasn’t enough, regardless or the volume or time. Figure out what watering thoroughly looks and feels like and then do it every time.
There are lots of ways to get watering done.
I used hundreds of feet of garden hose, numerous sprinklers, lots of drip hose and an old Rain Train watering tractor left behind by the previous homeowner. It’s one of my favorites! Each hose run is controlled by an inexpensive, in-line water timer. Those are pretty sweet, too. They allow me to turn things on and not worry about being around to shut things off.
I tend get busy and forget things. (My wife would probably agree with that!)
Those timers also allow me to turn a sprinkler on before I leave for work and not have to worry about being around to shut them off.
Very handy.
Cameron Rees, General Manager
Keeping everything properly watered takes some time, but I’ve figured out a way to make it easy to do… and that’s the key. And, my garden keeps looking great all summer!
It’s been dry out there. It’s summertime, there’s likely a lot more of that to come, so be ready. Watering is the key to success at this time of the year. Stay on top of it.
If you have questions about watering, or othering things in your garden, just stop by and ask!
—Cameron
What’s New?
native perennials
by Misty Brown, Lath House Manager
Why plant natives? Once established, natives are less dependent on watering, fertilizing and insecticide use. Natives will be heat and drought tolerant and adaptable to our Kansas soils.
When planting natives, be mindful that you choose the right one for your location. Just because they are native doesn’t mean they will grow wherever you plant them. Watch the light requirements and heights on the plant.
Two popular natives are Milkweed and Wild Geranium. Butterfly Milkweed is a favorite among most native gardeners. This plant is a host for the Monarch Butterfly and had bright orange flowers in summer. Wild Geranium had cup-shaped, pink to lilac flowers in spring and are loved by bees and butterflies. Another native that is worth mentioning is Obedient Plant. These natives have pink snapdragon-like flowers in the summer and attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to your garden.
Come see what we have in store!
—Misty
skinner Buck$
summer redemption period ends monday, July 3
Our Summer Skinner Buck$ Redemption Period wraps up Monday, July 3. The next redemption period is in October.
If you want to use them now, you’d better hurry!
“Thymely” advice
japanese beetles
They’re here!
Actually, they’ve been here all along, but they’ve only recently emerged from the ground. That’s where they spend most of their life, living below underground as white grubs.
Now, they’re making their appearance in our gardens in their adult form— shiny metallic green beetles; beetles that love to feed on many of our landscape and vegetable garden plants. Not good!
Control is recommended if you want to avoid damage.
There are a number of products that will do the job. Fertilome Spinosad Soap is a good one, as is Hi-Yield Garden & Farm Insect Control and Hi-Yield Bug Blaster Bifenthrin 2.4. They all work. Take your pick. The key is picking something and using it.
They’re going to be around for a while... probably close to a month... so, spraying won’t be a one-time event. Unfortunately, they are very good at flying. You can get rid of the ones doing damage, but over time, others will move back in and take their place. Just follow the label directions as reapply as recommended until the problem goes away.
And one more important tip. Read and follow the label! That’s always recommended, but during hot weather, that’s especially important. Many products have the potential to cause foliar burn when temperatures are high, the humidity is high and/or sunlight is intense. That’s a lot of our summer days. In most cases, it is going to be advisable to spray late in the day, after the sun has started to set and temperatures have started to cool off for the night.
Also, pay attention to what you are spraying and what product you are using. There are many products that will effectively control Japanese Beetles, but only some of them are labeled for use on edible crops. Don’t use something labeled for only ornamental plants in your vegetable and fruit plantings.
This advice is worth repeating... read the label!
On a related note, if you’re wanting to protect your lawn from the grub stage of this pest as well, you’ve still got a few weeks to get an application of Hi-Yield Grub Free Zone III down and watered in.
If you have any questions, let us know!
Happy Independence Day
We’ll be closed for business on Independence Day, Tuesday, July 4. Enjoy the day and stay safe!
