1712 Claflin, 2021 Throckmorton Plant Science Center
Manhattan, KS 66506 (785) 532-6173
PDF Version: HORT Newsletter #20

ANNOUNCEMENTS
K-State Garden Hour
Wednesday, December 3, 12:00 (noon) – 1:00 PM CST
Register to attend this free live webinar at the following link: K-State Garden Hour

Join Butler County, Extension Agent, Calla Edwards as she shares ideas for the perfect holiday gift for gardeners during this free, live webinar.

Kansas Turf & Landscape Conference
The 75th Annual Kansas Turf and Landscape Conference will be held on December 3 and 4 (Wednesday and Thursday) at the Hilton Garden Inn, Manhattan. The conference is an excellent way to learn about turf and landscape management, visit with old friends, network with new ones, and see all the latest products and supplies from local and national vendors.

The conference has been approved for commercial pesticide recertification hours:
1 Core hour
3A 7 hours
3B 7 hours
GCSAA education points and International Society of Arboriculture CEUs will also be available by attending the conference.

Download a copy of the program, get exhibitor information or register online at:
https://www.kansasturfgrassfoundation.com/

Register before November 21 to receive a discounted rate.

GARDEN TO-DO
Drain hoses and irrigation systems before winter
Fertilize cool-season lawns
Dig and store tender bulbs after leaves are browned by frost
Water landscape plants, as needed, before winter
Plant spring-flowering bulbs

FLOWERS
Amaryllis
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is a classic bloom during the holidays. If you are purchasing bulbs, select the largest ones available that are firm and dry. If growth is visible, it should be bright green. Each bulb should produce three to four blooms on a one to two-foot stem. Larger bulbs will produce more flowers.

Amaryllises grow best in tight spaces. Select a container about one-inch larger in diameter and twice as tall as the bulb with drainage holes in the bottom. Hold the bulb over the container with the roots dangling to the bottom and add a sterile potting mix. Firm the soil around the roots carefully to avoid damaging them. Leave the top third to half of the bulb visible above the soil.

Put the container in a sink and water thoroughly. When the water has stopped draining, set the plant in a warm, sunny location. As the flower opens move the plant away from direct sunlight and to a cooler location to prolong the bloom period which can last up to one month.

When blooming is complete, the amaryllis plant is still growing. Remove the bloom stalk to prevent the bulb from expending energy on seed formation. Move the container back to the sunny window. When the danger of frost has passed, you can gradually expose the plant to the outdoors by first moving it to an area with dappled shade. Over time move it to a location with six hours of full sun each day. Apply a balanced houseplant fertilizer monthly.
Prior to the first frost bring the amaryllis back inside and place it in a dark location. Stop watering it and when the leaves dry cut them off just above the bulb. Allow the bulb to rest for eight to twelve weeks with no water. When new growth appears or when you are ready to force the bloom, relocate the bulb to a sunny window and begin watering and fertilizing regularly. From dormancy to bloom it usually takes four to six weeks. Though amaryllises only require repotting every three to four years, the time to do this is after dormancy.

Winterizing Roses
Although most shrub roses are hardy through Kansas winters, many hybrid teas and other modern varieties require protection. It is important to winterize roses AFTER several hard frosts have occurred, but BEFORE the ground freezes. Winterizing too early keeps the stems warm and moist which promotes. Winterizing too late risks damaging the sensitive graft union where the rootstalk attaches to the above ground growth.

Clean up plant debris in the area surrounding the roses to prevent diseases from overwintering. Mound soil or compost eight to ten inches high around each rose plant. Bring in new soil for this instead of displacing soil from the area around the roses to avoid exposing and damaging the roots.

Once the ground has frozen, add a 4-inch layer of straw, leaves, wood chips or other mulch over the mound and cover with a layer of soil to hold it in place. This will help protect the plants from the cold but also prevent early budding during warm winter and early spring days. As the mulch settles during winter you may need to add more.

Prune canes to 36-inches and remove weak or thin canes. Tie the remaining canes together loosely to keep them secure during windy weather. If the canes are allowed to whip in the wind it can cause damage to the crown and disturb the soil.

When the ground thaws in the spring remove the mulch and soil from the base of the plant to return the soil level to normal.

FRUIT
Winterizing Strawberry Plants
Whether your strawberry plants are young or established, mulching is necessary to protect them from winter damage. Sudden drops to freezing temperatures can kill fruit buds and injure roots and crowns. When the soil freezes and thaws repeatedly, plants can be heaved out of the soil exposing the roots.
A 3-inch layer of straw mulch can be applied to protect plants after they have been exposed to several frosts but before the heavy freezes begin. In Kansas, this timing usually falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
For more about growing Strawberries, visit our KSRE Publication: Strawberries.

TURF
Fall Knotweed Control
Knotweed, or knotgrass, is an aggressive warm season annual that reproduces by seed. It germinates in early spring resembling grass. Later in the season it develops into a flat mat up to two feet in diameter. The stems are slender and wiry with a papery sheath at each node giving them a knotted or swollen appearance.

Knotweed is commonly found in poor quality soils. This includes areas of compaction with poor fertility as often occurs near busy walkways. Lawns with thin turf are susceptible to knotweed, particularly those with heavy traffic such as athletic fields.

Proper maintenance is the first step to controlling knotweed. Minimize/reduce soil compaction and manage turf density with recommended care protocols.

Knotweed germinates in late February to early March so if you plan to use a preemergence, it should be applied in late fall. If you will be re-seeding your lawn in the spring, DON’T use a preemergence. Contact your local Extension agent for recommendations on knotweed control.

To read more about knotweed, visit K-State’s Turfgrass resource: Knotweed.

TREES
Wrap Trees to Prevent Sunscald and Frost Cracking
Sunscald affects young trees with thin, smooth bark. It is most common in late winter on the southwest side of the trunk. Exposure to sunlight and warm temperatures during the day heats up the tissues causing them to lose their dormancy. After sunset, when the temperature drops, these cells freeze and die. The result is large, irregular wounded sections of the bark on this side of the trunk.

Frost cracks are long splits in the trunk or stems. They are caused by old wounds and drastic changes in temperature heating and cooling the outer and inner layers of bark at different rates.

Tree wraps can be used during the winter to protect young trees from weather-related injury. Wraps can be purchased for this purpose and should be light-colored with some elasticity. The trunk should be wrapped starting at the base of the tree upward and stopping just below the lowest branches. This is only seasonal protection for trees during their first few years of establishment. Remove the wrap in the spring and never staple the wrap onto the trunk.

Colorado State University Extension has a helpful publication with the proper steps for wrapping a tree for winter protection: Wrapping Trees for Winter.

MISCELLANEOUS
Compost Pile Maintenance
Decomposition in the compost pile slows down as the weather gets cooler. Avoid turning the pile during this time of year since the inside of the pile is warmer and turning it to the outside will cool down the entire pile. The freezing and thawing that often takes place through the winter is actually beneficial for decomposition.

If you choose to add food waste to the compost pile through the winter months, recognize it will not decompose as quickly and could attract pests. You can prevent this by covering any scraps with a layer of dried leaves or bury them into the heap.

Keep the compost pile moist to promote decomposition. The pile should not be waterlogged however because this restricts oxygen and causes rotting. The edges of the pile will dry out first and a light sprinkling of water may be sufficient if there has been no precipitation.

QUESTION of the WEEK
Are the K-State Garden Hour webinars recorded?
I’m not available to watch the K-State Garden Hour webinars at the time they’re offered. Is there a way to watch a recording of the webinars?

YES! The K-State Garden Hour is an educational webinar presented live on the first Wednesday of each month from noon to one o’clock PM. Though we’d love to have you join us at that time so you can ask your questions of our experts presenting at that time we know that doesn’t work for everyone.

Each webinar is recorded and archived so you can re-visit any of the webinars at any time. We even have a YouTube playlist of all the K-State Garden Hour recordings.
Take a look, listen and learn!
K-State Garden Hour History

Contributors:
Cynthia Domenghini, Instructor
Kansas State University Extension Specialists
Kansas Garden Guide
K-State Turfgrass Extension
Division of Horticulture
1712 Claflin, 2021 Throckmorton
Manhattan, KS 66506
(785) 532-6173

For questions or further information, contact: [email protected].

This newsletter is also available on the World Wide Web at:
http://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/newsletters/index.html

The web version includes color images that illustrate subjects discussed. To subscribe to this newsletter electronically, send an e-mail message to [email protected] listing your e-mail address in the message.

Brand names appearing in this newsletter are for product identification purposes only. No endorsement is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned.
K-State Research and Extension is committed to making its services, activities and programs accessible to all participants. If you have special requirements due to a physical, vision or hearing disability, or a dietary restriction please contact Extension Horticulture at (785) 532-6173.

Cynthia Domenghini, Ph.D.
Instructor, Horticulture and Natural Resources
Kansas State University
[email protected]

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Those houseplants brought in from outside or newly bought often lose at least a portion of their leaves. In order to understand why this occurs, we need to look at how these plants are grown and what the plant needs to do to adapt to its new environment. Houseplants are normally produced either under shade outdoors in southern states or in greenhouses. Also, many homeowners move their houseplants outside during the summer. Regardless, the plants receive much more sunlight than they do in an indoor environment. Research done in Florida in the late 1970s revealed that tropical plants grown under high light conditions produce ‘sun leaves’ while those grown under low light conditions have ‘shade leaves.’ These leaf types differ structurally in that sun leaves have less chlorophyll (the substance that plants use to convert sunlight to energy) and the chlorophyll that is present is located deeper inside the leaf. Sun leaves also tend to be thick, small and numerous while shade leaves are more thin, larger, and fewer in number. When plants are moved from one light condition to another they need time to adjust. This process is known as acclimatization. If they are forced to acclimatize too quickly, they will drop their sun leaves and produce a new set of shade leaves. If the acclimatization process is slower and less drastic, the plant can convert their sun leaves to the shade leaves that do better under low light. If going from shade to sun, this process is reversed.

Some houseplants are acclimatized before they are sold but many are not. So how do we help our new houseplants or those moved inside acclimatize to their new home environment? Houseplants should start out in an area of the home that receives plenty of light and then gradually moved to their permanent, darker location. This process should take 4 to 8 weeks depending on the degree of difference in light levels between the initial and final location of the plant. Remember, plants need to be acclimatized whether they are moved from a sunny location to one that receives less light or from shade to sun. Understanding plant processes allows us to anticipate potential problems. Acclimatization gives our houseplants a greater chance of retaining leaves and avoiding the stress of completely replacing them.