1) Shrubs May Break Dormancy Early

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Many woody plants may break dormancy early this year. If they have time to develop buds, any extreme temperature drop to follow will kill the new tissue, warned horticulturist Ward Upham.

"This kind of injury rarely kills healthy plants, though. Later, they’ll just put out secondary buds that allow for new growth," said Upham, who coordinates the Master Gardener program for Kansas State University Research and Extension.

Even so, he recommends that gardeners ensure woody plants have enough water during dry wintertime warm spells. Doing so will keep the plants from becoming moisture-stressed – a condition that worsens the impact of a plant injury.

"Use a long screwdriver, piece of rebar or other probe to judge whether you need to irrigate," he advised. "A rough measure of soil moisture depth is the length of probe you can push into the soil. Once the probe hits dry dirt, you won’t be able to push it any further.

"Irrigate slowly and deeply if your probe doesn’t go in far enough to be even with the bottom of the plant’s root system – about 8 to 12 inches down for many medium-size shrubs. Soil moisture that’s root-system deep will help almost any ornamental planting do a better job of getting through winter."

The plants most affected by breaking dormancy early tend to be those that need a wintertime rest period before they can grow and produce fruit the next spring. Upham said. This "rest" translates into a specific number of hours between 32 and 45 degrees.

"Blackberries, for example, need about 400 chilling hours. Red raspberries and grapes need 700 or more hours. Until they get that amount of chilling, the plants won’t break dormancy – regardless of the weather," he said. "During winters like this one, however the number of hours with temperatures between 32 and 45 F can add up fairly quickly. In fact, they can meet the plants’ ‘rest’ requirements as early as January or February."

Gardeners can do nothing to prevent woody plants’ early loss of winter dormancy, Upham said.



 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Emergencies – leaky plumbing, a sudden illness, an unexpected but necessary car repair – can be costly, said Carol Young, Kansas State University Research and Extension financial management specialist.

Such expenses can exceed weekly or monthly cash available. They do not need to add stress, however, if an emergency fund is available, she said.

Young advised this start for building an emergency fund: "Pay yourself first. Consider asking your bank or financial service provider to make a periodic automatic transfer from your checking account to a savings account."

Transferring $25 from each paycheck adds up to $300 a year for those paid monthly, $650 for those paid every two weeks and $1,300 for those paid weekly.

"An automatic transfer will save time – there’s no need to go to the bank. It can simplify saving and also make spending the planned savings more difficult," Young said.

How big should an emergency fund be?

"If just beginning a savings plan, aim for one month’s take-home pay. Then add to it," she said. "Having three to six months’ earnings set aside can smooth the way if a layoff or illness interrupts earning power."

More savings and money management tips are available at local and district K-State Research and Extension offices, plus on Kansas Extension’s financial management Web site: www.oznet.ksu.edu/financialmanagement/.



 

3) Emerging Bulbs No Signal of Spring

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The spring plants that celebrated early 2006 by sending green shoots poking through the soil are not a signal to start work in the garden several months early.

"Crocuses and daffodils often begin to emerge when we have extended warm spells in winter. We can’t slow or stop the process. We can’t avert the damage that will occur when cold weather returns – which it nearly always does," said Ward Upham, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

The usual result for such too-early starts is leaf tip burn, Upham said. Typically, there is no serious damage to the bulb.

"The rare exception to this can develop when a sudden, sharp temperature drop follows an extended warm spell," he said. "In that case, gardeners may want to provide a temperature buffer by throwing mulch over the new growth just before the frigid weather hits."

Upham recommends removing the mulch buffer as soon as temperatures moderate, however, to allow the new leaves access to sunlight.



 

4) Move Hay Feeding Sites to Balance Environment, Livestock Health

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Livestock producers often feed animals near riparian areas during winter because the areas provide protection from winds and snow.

Feeding animals through winter at the same site near a river bank, however, may take a toll on water quality and the overall environment in the area, according to a grain and livestock systems specialist at Kansas State University.

"To balance environmental concerns and livestock well-being, we encourage livestock producers to move hay feeding sites away from the riparian areas during warmer weather," said Harner, who is the state leader for biological and agricultural engineering with K-State Research and Extension.

Livestock producers should consider hay feeding sites 400 or more feet away from riparian areas on days when the weather is nice or temperatures are warm, with little wind and no snow or moisture. Then when weather conditions decline, they can move the feeding site closer to the cattle or riparian area, he said.

Local weather forecasts will allow producers to anticipate where to locate a hay feeding site prior to placing a new bale in the ring feeder, Harner said.



 

A basic for any Chinese dinner is fried rice, and the basis for that is leftover rice. This simple recipe for basic fried rice comes from Kansas State University Research and Extension’s Family Nutrition Program. It has just three main ingredients and a few seasonings, but makes 6 three-fourths cup servings.

• 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups cooked rice
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
   

1. Wash your hands.

2. Chop onions with sharp knife on clean cutting board.

3. Crack open eggs into small mixing bowl. Add soy sauce and pepper. Beat with spoon or whisk.

4. Heat oil on high for 1 minute in wok or large, nonstick skillet.

5. Add onion and cook, stirring until softened.

6. Add rice and stir-fry with onion.

7. Make a well in center of rice and add remaining ingredients from bowl. Stir eggs until scrambled and then stir-fry eggs into rice until thoroughly blended.

Helpful Hints:

As cooked rice chills for several hours, it also dries out a bit – which means it can be stir-fried with a minimum of oil. That’s why fried rice starts with leftover rice.

How do you make a "well" in an ingredient such as rice? Push the ingredient (rice) to the inside edges of the pan, so an area in the center of the pan is empty – free to cook another ingredient.

You can vary the ingredients in fried rice just as you can in pasta dishes. Leftover peas and carrots will bring extra color and nutrients. If you add a meat, a variety of vegetables, and some garlic and ginger, you’ll make a main dish in a hurry.

Safety Tips:

Chopping onions requires a sharp knife. Stir-frying involves high heat and hot oil. So, when children are preparing this recipe, adult supervision is a must. Limit younger kids’ role to breaking apart the cold leftover rice with wet hands and to breaking open the eggs into a separate bowl.

When cooking on top of the range, remember to keep paper towels, dish towels and pot holders at a distance so they can’t catch on fire.

Per serving: 230 calories, 5 grams of fat (1 gram saturated), 70 mg cholesterol, 6 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrate, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 460 milligrams sodium.

Kids a Cookin' is an educational program produced by Kansas State University Research and Extension's Family Nutrition Program and funded by USDA's Food Stamp Program through a contract with Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). More information, more recipes and cooking tips, and a link to a Spanish version are available on the Kids a Cookin' Web site: http://www.kidsacookin.ksu.edu.

– Source: Kathy Walsten, Family Nutrition Program, K-State Research and Extension



 

6) Kids a Cookin’ - Tool Kit

• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Small mixing bowl
• Whisk (optional)
• Wooden spoon
• Wok or large non-stick skillet