1) Too Late, Too Soon for Rose Pruning

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The best time to prune roses each spring can be easy to miss. Experts typically describe it as the days before new growth appears, but after the danger of a killing frost is past.

This year, however, rose growers can’t miss that deadline in the central High Plains. It will never arrive. Their roses started leafing out days or even weeks before their area’s average frost-free date.

“For the health of their plants, though, growers still need to prune out any dead or diseased-looking material ... prune it down to the ground or to about an inch below the margin of discoloration,” said Ward Upham, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

This pruning should include getting rid of any dead stubs, Upham added. Canker fungi can invade dead stubs and progress on into the plant’s healthy tissue. The invading fungi can kill entire canes.

“If you’re dealing with shrub or climbing roses, that’s all you need to do now, plus perhaps a little shaping,” the horticulturist said. “Plan to do any additional pruning after they’ve flowered.”

Hybrid teas need more in spring, he said. But, how much depends on what their owners want:

* To produce large, showy flowers on well-established, vigorous plants, prune away all but three to four healthy canes with three to six eyes each. The remaining canes will usually be 6-12 inches long.

* To increase the number of flowers produced by well-established, healthy plants, remove everything except five to six healthy canes that are 12-18 inches long and have at least seven buds each.

* To give newly established, long-neglected or heavily winter-damaged roses a new start, prune away all but five to seven canes that are 18 inches or longer. This will maximize the plants’ leaf area.

Upham advises using sharp shears and a 45-degree cutting angle, a quarter inch above a bud.


 

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2) KGGF-AM Radio to Broadcast ‘Agriculture Today’ Show

MANHATTAN, Kan. – KGGF-AM radio, based in Coffeyville, Kan., will add the “Agriculture Today” show to its regular schedule April 2. K-State Research and Extension is the hour-long show’s producer. It will air weekdays at 10 a.m.

Hosted by Eric Atkinson, “Ag Today” does feature interviews with Kansas State University scientists and specialists on an array of production agriculture, agribusiness and agricultural policy topics. But the show also features information on horticulture, wildlife management, 4-H and other rural youth programs, and Kansas weather.

Listeners can tune in to KGGF radio at 690 AM. Its signal covers 24 counties in the southeast quarter of Kansas and a large part of northeast Oklahoma.

The addition of KGGF allows “Agriculture Today” to be heard every weekday in 90 of Kansas’ 105 counties, as well as in parts of southern Nebraska and the northern one-third of Oklahoma, Atkinson said.

“As a longtime leader in ag broadcasting in southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma, KGGF is pleased to bring our listeners the ‘Ag Today’ program,” said John Leonard, station manager with KGGF-AM. “Our association with Kansas State University will ensure that our listeners receive programming that is both current and pertinent to their lives.”

“Agriculture Today” is a broadcast service that dates back to the late 1920s, when it first aired as the “Farm Hour” program on Kansas State University station KSAC. The program can also be heard live, daily, on the K-State Radio Network Web site: www.kstateradionetwork.com and on KFRM-(550)AM.


 

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3) Shrubbery Can Cause Problems Close to Air Conditioner Units

MANHATTAN, Kan. – One reason to plant shrubs is to hide a landscape’s “uglies” – trash bins, gas meters or the like.

Central air conditioning units often top homeowners’ list of things to hide. The units typically are the hard-edged, metallic-looking sore thumb that’s too big to ignore and right next to the house.

“Some people have the mistaken idea that because shrubs create shade, they also can help cool an outdoor condensing unit or the air it uses. The fact is, however, unless you get the spacing right, planting shrubbery next to an air conditioner will cause problems,” warned Bruce Snead, residential energy specialist with Kansas State University Engineering Extension.

The problems all trace to a single fact: An air conditioning unit has to expel all of a home’s heat.

“So, unless you leave enough room for good air circulation, the temperature near the unit will rise – sometimes by quite a bit,” Snead explained. “This, in turn, can damage or kill the shrubbery.

“Plus, the higher temperature will reduce the air conditioner’s capacity. The unit will not only have to work harder but also provide less cooling.”

If shrubs form a wall around a unit, their mature size should provide at least 5 feet of clearance, he said. Even if they don’t form a continuous “hedge,” nearby shrubs should allow 3 feet of clearance.

At that, however, homeowners will still need to ensure that dropped leaves or plant residues don’t block the coils where the unit pulls in air.

“Unfortunately, people often underestimate the mature size of shrubs as they’re planting,” Snead said. “Then, they either have to do some drastic pruning or try again with their plantings.”

More information about pruning shrubs and/or conserving energy is available at any local K-State Research and Extension office. The Engineering Extension Web site is at http://www.engext.ksu.edu/.


 

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4) Landscape Answers: Wait to Feed Most Roses

Q: Do I start fertilizing my roses as soon as their leaves appear?

A: Fertilizing roses in early spring is a signal that you want more leaves. So, they’ll concentrate their efforts on foliage production – which may not be too bad an bad idea for plants that have been heavily winter-damaged or neglected for a long time.

If your roses are healthy and well-established, however, wait until their flower buds are formed to start feeding them. That will help maintain the kind of leaf-bloom balance that rose fans love so well.

– Source: Emily Nolting, landscape horticulturist, K-State Research and Extension


 

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5) April 4 Workshop to Cover Total Conservation Planting Process

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The name of the April 4 event may be Riparian Tree Planting Workshop. But its 1-4 p.m. program will be relevant for anyone planning a good-size tree or shrub planting, said Deborah Goard, watershed forester with the Kansas Forest Service.

The program will be at the Tom and Nancy Meek farm near Idana, Kan., in Clay County.

“The workshop’s overview will start with site selection, planting design and tree selection,” Goard said. “It will include how best to handle and store seedlings.

“Then, after some discussion on site preparation, we’ll have a demonstration of planting seedlings by hand and with a mechanical tree planter.”

The workshop will close with sessions on maintaining a tree planting and finding cost-share financing.

Presenters will include Bryce Larson, who’s with the Clay County Conservation District, plus a mix of KFS watershed and conservation foresters: Deborah Goard, Joshua Pease and Thad Rhodes.

For more information or to register for the event, interested persons may contact the Kansas Forest Service at 785-532-3300 or e-mail Goard at dgoard@ksu.edu.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is providing financial assistance for the event. In addition to the state forest service, the workshop sponsors include Kansas State University Research and Extension and the Clay County Conservation District.