The change from summer to fall – I always look forward to it. However, the drought conditions this fall doesn’t have me very excited. I typically enjoy decorating with some mums and pumpkins, but I’m dragging my feet on it this year because I dread the thought of keeping the mums watered. We need rain so bad! But, fall does bring the time to do some tidying up around the home, storing summer bulbs, and yes – making plans for a better growing season next year.

Don’t forget to dig your summer flowering bulbs and store those that will not survive Kansas winters. Bulbs such as gladiolus, caladium, dahlia, tuberous begonia, calla lily, and canna lily need to be dug and stored so they can be planted next year.

All of these plants should be dug after frost has browned the foliage. They should be allowed to dry for about a week in a shady, well-ventilated site such as a garage or tool shed. Any excess soil should be removed. The bulbs should be packed away in peat moss or perlite. When packing, make sure the bulbs don’t touch each other. That way if one decays, the rot won’t spread onto neighboring bulbs. Dusting the bulbs with fungicide before storing will help prevent them from rotting.

Caladium should be stored between 50 and 60 degrees F. The rest of the bulbs mentioned should be stored near 40 degrees. Finding a good storage spot may be tricky. A basement wall away from a furnace is often a good location.

As for spring flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, allium) fall is the time to establish into the landscape. Planting this fall may be a bit tricky with the extremely dry soil. If we can catch some decent rainfall, consider planting right after that.

It is also time to fertilize spring-flowering bulbs. With an established bulb bed that has been fertilized in the past, there is probably plenty of phosphorus and potassium present in the soil to grow the plants next spring. If you’re not sure, take a soil test. A complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 9-9-6 at the rate of 2.5 pounds per 100 square feet should be used if the soil needs phosphorus and potassium. This would also equal 1 rounded teaspoon per square foot.

While you’re out and about in your yard this fall fertilizing bulbs, you may want to take the time to clean up the iris beds as well. Iris are known for a couple of very common problems: a fungus known as iris leaf spot and an insect named iris borer.

Though both cause problems in the spring, now is the time to start control measurers. Both the fungus and eggs of the borer overwinter on old, dead leaves. Removing iris leaves and other landscape debris from the iris bed this fall will significantly reduce problems next spring.

On a side not away from flowers, thinking ahead to October – it is a good time to plant garlic if you want large cloves next summer. The soil should be fertilized before planting with three pounds of a 10-10-10 fertilizer, per 100 square feet, and mixed into the soil. Cloves should be planted point up and spaced three inches apart and one to two inches deep. The larger the clove planted, the larger the bulb for harvesting next summer. Once planted, water in well and mulch with straw to conserve soil warmth and encourage good establishment. The garlic will be ready for harvest next summer when most of the foliage has browned.

Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Horticulture agent assigned to Southwind District.  She may be reached at [email protected] or 620-244-3826.

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Southwind Extension District 4-H members from Allen, Bourbon, Neosho, and Woodson County’s competed Sunday, September 11 at the Kansas State Fair Photography Judging Contest in Hutchinson.

The intermediate team included Jackson Han, Austin Maycumber, Derek Jones, and Jeremiah Jones placed 8^th in the state.

The senior team included Abigail Meiwes, Grant Stockebrand, Josiah Stockebrand, and Judah Stockebrand placed 8^th in the state.

They were accompanied by their coach Terri Kretzmeier.

Resources and Action Steps for Suicide Prevention Month

By Clara Wicoff

Southwind Extension District

Two weeks ago, I attended an agent update in Manhattan where I was presented with some sobering statistics about youth depression and suicide in the state of Kansas. According to a 2022 report from the Kansas Communities That Care student survey, nearly one in three youth surveyed in Kansas responded “yes” when asked if they had ever seriously thought about killing themselves. Youth are not alone in this.

According to that same report, suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in our state (and the second leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 34).

With the month of September designated as Suicide Prevention Month and September 10^th designated as World Suicide Prevention Day, it is an appropriate time to review some of the wellbeing and mental health resources available to you as well as some of the action steps we can all take to help prevent suicide.

First of all, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline if you or someone you know is in need of immediate assistance. You can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org/chat. This free service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States.

Kansans working in agriculture may also benefit from the resources available at KansasAgStress.org. This webpage has a list of resources compiled to help Kansas farmers, ranchers, and their families with their wellbeing.

In addition to being aware of available resources, what else can we do to help prevent suicide this month and beyond?

According to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we can all take action by talking about suicide and following up with loved ones.

#BeThe1To is the Lifeline’s five-step message for communicating with someone who may be suicidal.

The five #BeThe1To steps are: Ask, Be There, Keep Them Safe, Help Them Connect, and Follow Up. Start by asking if they are thinking about suicide. Listen to their answers, while never promising to keep their thoughts of suicide a secret. Secondly, be there for them. Next, help keep them safe by putting time and distance between the individual and their chosen method for a suicide attempt. Help them connect with ongoing supports (such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline as well as resources in their community). Finally, follow up to see how they are doing.

While this is a brief overview, you can learn more about these five crucial steps at bethe1to.com.

Sericea Lespedeza is labeled as a noxious weed by the state of Kansas.

This means landowners are required by law to control the weed. In the Southwind District, landowners and
producers continue to fight this weed on rangeland, pasture, and small acreages.

There are multiple herbicides and cultural practices that can help control sericea, but proper timing is
very important. Our district has experienced below average rainfall most of the summer, and producers that usually target sericea in June with Tricoplyr likely weren’t able to make their applications, or their applications may not have been effective. August and September offer a second chance at controlling this tough weed.
The month of August, and into early September offer a great chance at controlling sericea while it is actively blooming.

Targeting the plant while it blooms not only kills the top
growth of the weed, but it also prevents the plants from producing a viable seed.
As many landowners have figured out, sericea is a prolific seed producer. A single stem can produce upwards of 1500 seeds, equating to over 300 pounds of seed per acre in pure
stands of sericea. With this many seeds being added to the soil’s seedbank, killing off existing plants will only provide space for new seeds to germinate, so keeping this plant from producing
seed is vital in achieving good control and eradicating the weed species.

Herbicides containing metsulfuron are recommended while sericea is blooming.

Recommended rates for broadcast spraying commonly found herbicides are: 0.5 oz/acre Escort XP, 0.625 oz/acre Cimarron Plus, and 2.5 to 3 oz/acre Chaparral. All herbicides containing
metsulfuron should be mixe with a non–ionic surfactant (NIS).
For producers looking to spot spray sericea, a tank mix of Escort + a NIS can achieve good control: 1.0 oz Escort + 1 qt NIS in 100 gal water, or 5 grams Escort + 1.5 floz NIS in 5 gal water. Adding .5 fl oz PastureGard HL per gallon tank mix can increase control.
Burning sericea lespedeza in the fall is gaining interest across the state. Where herbicide applications can cost upwards of $20 per acre, burning pastures can cost around $0.20 per acre.

Burning sericea while it is blooming or developing its seed in late–August to mid–September can remove top growth, and prevent the plant from producing a viable seed.

Burning sericea can be a challenge for producers. In the Southwind district, tall fescue is the dominant species, and is actively growing in August and September. It is often stockpiled
for late fall and winter grazing. In these situations, burning is not recommended.

Burning is recommended in non–ag situations, native pastures, and in pure stands of sericea. If properly done, patches of pure stands of sericea can be burned in fescue pastures,
but the risk of the fire spreading is always there.

Burning also will cause scarification on the existing sericea seeds in the soil and cause them to germinate, often appearing to make the situation worse.