|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All posts by Loretta George
Friends Farewell Reception for Boyko on Feb. 23
The Friends of the Fort Scott National Historic Site are inviting the public to join them in saying goodbye to long-time Superintendent Betty Boyko.
The Friends will host a reception on Wednesday, February 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Crooner’s Restaurant, 117 S. Main, to honor Boyko.
Boyko is leaving her Fort Scott post to accept the Superintendent position at Homestead National Historic Park in Beatrice, Nebraska, which is closer to her family.
“Betty has been an active part of our community since she became Superintendent in May 2006, and she will be missed,” Martha Scott, member of the Friends group said.
“Come by, say goodbye to Betty and grab a Crooner’s Cakery cupcake and a glass of punch as we say farewell to this longtime Fort Scott National Historic Site Superintendent,” Scott said.
“Betty has great administrative and people skills,” Scott said. “She also has been active in Rotary Club and her church.”
“Betty has always been open to ideas that were still part of the mission of the historic site, but thinks outside the box,” she said.
Such ideas as the Symbols of Sacrifice, which are flags placed on the parade ground to honor veterans, and the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony that happens annually now.
Recently, it was Betty who suggested that the Fort needed a boundary expansion so that the Block House could be included as part of The Fort Scott National Historic Site.
“Since it is government, we have to be careful because there are things that the fort and its employees cannot do — like the boundary expansion. She can’t actively work on it. It’s a fine line — government!” Scott said.
Boyko made the events happen with help from residents of the community.
To begin with, she gave information to local citizens on how a Friends group is beneficial to a historic site.
“She was instrumental in suggesting that we start a Friends of the Fort group,” Scott said. “She said it would be beneficial to the park.”
About the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site
The Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site’s mission is to support the National Historic Site in a partnership through activities that may include fundraising, volunteerism, education, advocacy, and research.
The Friends have provided the lunch for the newly naturalized citizens after the Naturalization Ceremony held at the fort, provided the treats at the end of the annual Christmas Candlelight Tour, and made homemade ice cream for visitors for the 4th of July as well as many Friends members spending countless hours as a volunteer at the Fort.
Advertising for the Fort on a local, regional, state, or national level is done by the Friends group and they were instrumental in lobbying for the boundary expansion which resulted in the Block House becoming part of the Fort.
A group of citizens in 2009 came together to discuss forming a Friends group. They were Cheryl Adamson, Darlene Doherty, Sandra Haimerl, Herbert Haimerl, Reed Hartford, Ken Lunt, Dale Johnson, Caroly Lydic, Cynthia McFarlin, James Pitt, Jim Scott, Martha Scott, James Smith, and Paulette Smith.
From this grassroots meeting, the Friends group was born. That initial group served as officers and board members during the early years.
Current board members and officers are Reed Hartford, President; Matt Wells, Vice President; Martha Scott, Secretary; Marlene Braker, Treasurer. Vonnie Rickerson, Kelley Collins, Frankie Ruggerio, Shay Lynn Clements, Carol MacArthur, Judy Earp, Ronda Hassig, and Kaitlyn Wilson serve as the current board.
Funds for the activities that the Friends do are provided in two ways: the Flag subscriptions and membership dues.
The Flag subscriptions are a service that the Friends provide to residents within the city limits of Fort Scott, where they place a full-size flag on a 12-foot pole in a residents front yard five times a year — on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Veterans Day.
Subscriptions are $35.00 per year and are due by the 20th of March. If interested in this subscription, please contact Kelley Collins at 417-684-2484 for more information.
“If you are interested in helping place those flags on the flag holidays, please call Kelley Collins to let her know that you’d like to help,” Scott said. “We are a small group of dedicated volunteers, we flag placers, and it is a worthwhile way to begin a holiday day.”
Membership in Friends is easy, Scott said.
The four membership levels are: $35 is Corporal, $50 Sergeant, $75.00 Quartermaster, $100 Sergeant Major.
If interested, mail a check to Membership Chairman, Martha Scott, 1208 S. National, Fort Scott, Kansas.
Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition
2022 NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition Launches with Multi-Year Support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
Wichita, Kan. – February 10, 2022 – NXTUS, Inc. officials kicked off the 2022 NXTSTAGE season today by launching the NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Pilot Competition, backed by a multi-year presenting sponsorship from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS).
This innovation program allows startups from around the region and the world to present their technology solutions to Kansas organizations focused on improving the health of Kansans and removing barriers to community growth. By participating in the pilot competition, startups hope to earn pilot projects and gain customers; the community partners hope to access value-added technology solutions and use innovation to ‘work smarter’ to tackle key challenges in the state.
BCBSKS was the competition’s presenting sponsor in 2021 and has committed $240,000, spread over the next three years, to help cover program costs and enable community health and economic development entities from around the state to implement promising technologies. “We have served our state for 80 years, and while we’re pleased with the ways we’ve been able to help improve the health of Kansans, we know that we can do even more,” said Virginia Barnes, director, BCBSKS Blue Health Initiatives. “This competition matches new technology with real health issues faced by our communities. We look forward to seeing the partnerships formed to solve health disparities.”
The 2021 NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Pilot Competition, presented by BCBSKS, created great momentum in improving the health of Kansans:
– It attracted 126 diverse competitors. Eighty two percent had minority or female founders, and the applicants hailed from 28 states and 15 countries.
– The program’s 12 finalists offered technology tools tackling key issues such as access to health care, seniors aging in place, child-care capacity, diabetes management and alleviating Kansans’ medical debt.
– The finalists were from 10 states plus Montreal, Canada, and 83 percent had minority or female founders.
– Five pilot projects have been implemented since the competition’s innovation showcase was held in August at Botanica, the Wichita Gardens.
One of the 2021 pilot winners was Phoenix-based Televeda, which offers a technology platform designed to help seniors ‘aging in place’ and all community members improve their physical and mental health and keep them connected in their communities. The NXTSTAGE program helped expand Televeda’s reach to Kansas and provided the startup with market feedback pointing them to additional growth paths.
Shruti Gurudanti, Televeda Co-Founder, said, “This program is a phenomenal opportunity because it gives startups a chance to meet and talk to local leaders, learn their most pressing problems, and then implement a solution to positively impact the most number of people. It’s what every startup wants!”
“Our goal is to connect Kansas’ forward-thinking organizations with tools that are helping communities elsewhere
get stronger and healthier,” said Mary Beth Jarvis, NXTUS executive director. “We think our state can be a great
proving ground for game-changing technologies, and this competition offers a triple win: we grow young companies,
we build up the state’s innovation culture, and we address high-priority challenges to improve the health of Kansans
and their communities,” Jarvis said.
The current competition launches with five pilot partners that will evaluate the offerings of startups from around
the world to find innovative technology solutions they believe can add value in their communities:
• Healthy Bourbon County
• Hodgeman County Economic Development
• LiveWell Northwest Kansas
• Scott City Economic Development Committee
• Thrive Allen County
The BCBSKS grant, along with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will help NXTSTAGE achieve
its overall goals of boosting the growth of young tech companies and accelerating the pace of innovation in the
region.
Applications for the 2022 NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Competition, presented by BCBSKS, are
now being accepted on the f6s startup platform.
About:
NXTUS, Inc is a catalyst for the Wichita startup ecosystem by generating and collaborating on many efforts to
support the region’s entrepreneurs. The organization helps startup founders launch and grow highly scalable
businesses and connects the business community with the innovation that startups provide. NXTUS manages
Accelerate Venture Partners, a fast-growing regional Angel investor syndicate, and the NXTSTAGE Pilot
Competition, aimed at connecting startups that have products in the market to mature businesses and regional
partners looking to become customers for their technologies.
For the past 80 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has built a reputation of trust with its members and
contracting providers by providing outstanding customer service while quickly and accurately processing claims;
fairly administering benefit plans and contracts; offering programs, services and tools to help members improve
or maintain their health; and operating under the highest ethical standards while being good stewards of
premium dollars. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield
Association and is the state’s largest insurer, serving all Kansas counties except Johnson and Wyandotte. NXTUS
and the NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Competition are not affiliated with Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Kansas.
# # #
Chocolate Lover’s Shopping This Saturday
For those who love to shop and LOVE chocolate, get your walking shoes on.
This Saturday, Feb. 12, is the Love Local Chocolate Crawl shopping event, sponsored by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.
This is the second annual Fort Scott Chocolate Crawl, according to Executive Director Lindsay Madison.
Stores festooned with red and white balloons and with the chocolate crawl poster in the window are participating and many will be offering drawings and store give-aways.
The majority of the retailers are in Fort Scott’s Downtown Historic District, but there are others also.
Downtown retailers are Angie Dawn’s Boutique, Bartlesmeyer Jewelry Store, Better in Bourbon Boutique, Bids and Dibs resale clothing and more, Hare and Crow Barbershop, Hedgehog INK Bookstore, Iron Star Antiques, and Such, Laree + Co. clothing store, Main Street Gallery and Gifts, Sunshine Boutique, The Beauty Lounge hair salon and spa, and Treasure Hunt Flea Market.
Other retailers participating are Museum of Creativity, Shirt Shack clothing store and Varia clothing store.
Customers are invited to shop at local retailers and sample chocolate treats.
Community Input Sought On U234 District Needs
It’s been a rough two years for education in the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Because of the pandemic, the U.S. Government has given money to school districts to support kindergarten through grade 12 schools to open and sustain their safe operations.
USD 234 will receive over $4 million in school funding and is seeking input to identify needs for the school district from the community.
The district is offering meetings to the community to gain ideas in moving forward in the education of their students.
“The expected outcome of these meetings is to gather information from our community stakeholders that will be used to compile our ESSER III (Elementary and Secondary School Relief) plan and application,” USD234 Business Manager and Board Clerk Gina Shelton said. “Part of the ESSER III plan calls for informed decisions based upon a variety of stakeholder input.”
“We have surveyed and held several meetings with our staff to gather their input,” she said. “Our community is another key factor in the success of our schools. We seek information from our parents on needs they see to help their child(ren) be successful with their education.”
“We seek information from our community members even if they do not currently or previously have had students in our district,” Shelton said. “Education is all about providing opportunities for kids. I firmly believe our future as a community is impacted greatly by our students. They are our future workforce, our future community leaders, and our future parents. These conversations will allow us to develop a plan to hopefully address as many needs as we can.”
The first batch of ESSER funds allowed them to continue providing education during the shutdown, she said.
“The second batch was a key part of us being able to remain in person,” Shelton said.
“This last batch is all about providing services to help provide a quality education for our students,” she said. “Ten years down the road, we want to be able to say that those funds made a big impact on our students’ successes.”
Five Sessions for the Community Input
The info gathering sessions will be in the different buildings in the school district, for the community to see where the learning happens, she said. And the different time sessions are to give parents options to attend.
There are evening sessions and a Saturday morning session for parents to find one time period that fits with the family’s schedule.
“One is scheduled at the high school during parent/teacher conferences, we hope they find this convenient for them,” she said
Another of the meetings is at the school board meeting.
“We’ve had ESSER III funds as a recurring item at our board meetings for several months now, but we know sometimes it is hard for people to attend,” Shelton said. “Our hope is that even if they can’t attend in person, they are able to watch the streamed board meeting. Then if they have questions or ideas, they can reach out to us if they would like more information.”
“We really want this to be an active conversation that leads to some very positive results,” she said.
The district encourages the community to take it feedback survey:
More information can be found at this website,
https://www.usd234.org/o/USD%20234/page/esser-funds
The district has divided the input sessions into groups at five different scheduled times: the Fort Scott Preschool is the first session on Thursday, Feb. 10 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the preschool center at 409 S. Judson.
The next is at Winfield Scott Elementary School, 316 W. 10th, on Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 19 is the next one at 8 a.m. at the Fort Scott Middle School, 1105 E. 12th as is the next one on Monday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the middle school as well.
The last session is on Tuesday, March 8 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Fort Scott High School Auditorium, 1005 S. Main.
Gently Used Dresses For Sale For Prom
Note corrected date.
Because proms are coming in a few months, a 4-H group in Nevada is having a special-date dress sale event of gently worn dresses on Feb. 19.
Beginning at 10 a.m. on Feb. 19, area young women can look over an anticipated 100 dresses for their special prom night.
The location of the sale is the Vernon County Fairgrounds Diner Building,1488 E. Ashland, Nevada MO.
Seller registration for the event is from 8 a.m. to 9:20 a.m.
“Hustler 4-H out of Vernon County Missouri is hosting the event as a fundraiser for their club,” said Tonya Cliffman, whose niece is in the club. “It is open for all communities to participate and not limited to Vernon County or Missourians. We have dress owners from Fort Scott and Pleasanton taking advantage of this organized event so Kansas is invited.”
“This event allows both seller and buyer the opportunity to come together and move amazing dresses into new closets,” she said. “It allows these dresses to be more than one-time use and is pocketbook-friendly.”
The cost is $5 per dress to have it on display. Shoes and jewelry can also be displayed for $3 each.
“Prom Dress Event allows young ladies wanting to purchase a dress for this year’s formal events at a reasonably discounted price,” she said. ” This will be a cash-only event. While some sellers may have electronic payment options of Venmo/Paypal, this is not guaranteed and you should be prepared to pay in cash.”
“A local seamstress will be on hand to offer expertise on whether a dress can be altered or fitted to the buyer,” she said. “However, alterations will not be completed on-site the day of the event.
All sales are between sellers and buyers and are NOT the responsibility of the Hustler 4H Club.
To view the event Facebook page:
Fund Raiser for Kennedy Bosley-Leihsing
A fundraiser to help pay for the funeral costs of Kennedy Bosley-Leihsing is on Feb. 13 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Empress Event Center, 7 N. Main.
It is a free-will donation pancake feed that includes two pancakes with sausage links, butter, and syrup. One can dine-in, or take to-go.
For more information call Lori Brown, at 620-215-3600.
“We’re hopeful that our community does what it normally does and comes together to support a family that’s going through a very difficult time,” said Bill Michaud, owner of Sleep Inn, whose staff is hosting the pancake benefit feed.
About Kennedy
Leihsing, 15, was a sophomore at Fort Scott High School who died unexpectedly on January 25 from COVID-19 in the Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department.
A great aunt, Iris Byrd, started a GoFundMe for the family as there was no insurance to pay for the funeral, according to the GoFundMe page.
“She was raised along with the other grandchildren by her grandparents, both of whom are on disability for various medical conditions. This is yet another reason why help is so desperately needed,” Byrd said on the GoFundMe page.
“Kennedy was so smart and kind, and she loved life and always put others before herself. She was beautiful in all respects,” Byrd said on the fundraising page.
Kennedy’s best friend Elizabeth has a mom, Lori Brown, who works at the Sleep Inn Hotel in Fort Scott. The Sleep Inn team is hosting a pancake feed to benefit the family because the GoFund Me goal to help with funeral expenses has not been met yet.
Kennedy’s funeral was on February 4.
More City Personnel Needed
The City of Fort Scott is like other employers nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have many positions to fill to be fully staffed.
The financial director position is one.
Last year, Susan Bancroft was hired as the Bourbon County Financial Director and also the Human Resource Director, in addition to her position as the City of Fort Scott Financial Director to combine services between the city and the county.
She has since given her resignation notice to the City of Fort Scott but has remained part-time financial director until a replacement can be found there, she said in an email.
“We are looking at applicants (for this position) and will be interviewing over the next couple of weeks,” Fort Scott’s Human Resource Director Brad Matkin said.
According to the City of Fort Scott website, the summary of the position is as follows: http://www.fscity.org/173/Job-Openings
“Under the general supervision of the City Manager, the Director of Finance performs financial reports, payroll, and retirement records; assists in the preparation of the city budget; monitors city revenues and expenditures and maintains all related records; supervises personnel in performing related accounting, utility billing systems, and clerical work”.
Matkin said some recently hired new city employees are Erica Mahder, dispatch; Melanie Enloe, dispatch; Tyler Cook, Woodland Hills Golf Course Groundsman, and Garret Rash, street sweeper.
Currently there are two unfilled vacancies at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, two in the public works department, one to two police officers, one to two firemen and Emergency Medical Services personnel and one to two paramedics, Matkin said.
To apply for these positions http://fscity.org
“We will continue to utilize social media, our website, a weekly radio broadcast, and word of mouth,” to fill these vacancies, he said.
City Crews Work to Repair Water Main Break in Northeast Fort Scott
With temperatures hovering in the single digits, the Fort Scott Water Distribution Department had an uncomfortable day yesterday, to say the least.
The department crew of Bill Lemke, supervisor, along with Brady Coffman, Stanley McKeen, Jason McReynolds, and Joseph Reid spent the day repairing a water main break in the middle of the street on North Broadway in the northeast part of town.
Water was spewing upward from the street.
“It was shooting pretty good,” Brad Matkin, spokesman for the City of Fort Scott said. “They had to dig up the road to find the root cause.”
The crew found the 10-inch water main with the hole in it and put a sleeve over the hole, tightened the bolts on the sleeve, then put the gravel back in the hole, Matkin said.
Matkin wasn’t sure of the number of households without water during the repair.
“North Little (Street) and North Broadway (Street) residents were affected,” Matkin said. “All the water is turned back on.”
Matkin said the cause of the water main break was probably the change in temperature or the age of the pipe.
The crew started at the site about 8 a.m. on Feb. 2, following a call to report the water spewing from the street. Matkin wasn’t sure who called in the incident.
They will finish the clean-up today and smooth out the street, he said.
“In the spring, we’ll do a job of patching the site,” Matkin said.
Public Works
Fort Scott Public Works employs about 15 employees, Matkin said.
“The other guys were removing snow and treating ice,” he said. “We did have a tree fall and they had to remove that.”
From a post on the City of Fort Scott’s Facebook page last evening:
“Please remember to stay back when coming up on snowplows; with blowing snow and at night it is hard for them to see you if you are too close.
“Also, we understand frustrations because of driveways being covered when our plows are cleaning the roadways and will do our best to limit this but with several inches of snow, this is very hard to control. We want our roadways as safe as possible for our public safety personnel and for our citizens. This is our number one priority. Thank you in advance for understanding and your patience.”
Big Sugar Lumber: Change of Ownership
Big Sugar Lumber had a change of ownership on Dec. 31, 2021.
With the retirement of Matt Noll as a business partner, Jim Fewins is now the sole owner of the local lumber materials store in Fort Scott.
“He had been a business partner for several years and wanted to retire,” Fewins said. “We appreciate Matt’s working here over the years and wish him well in his retirement.”
The lumber yard is a member of the international building materials dealer Do It Best cooperative, he said.
“We are proud to be your local lumberyard,” Fewins said.
Among the store’s offerings are lumber, hardware, paint, windows, and roofing supplies.
They have a delivery service available for their products and are also a United Parcel Service drop-off point in Fort Scott.
The store personnel are working to expand the inventory: “more lumber, commodity products (plywood and OSB’s) and more niche items,” Fewins said. And they are re-merchandising the items on the shelves to be more accessible.
There is a new hospitality area in the store, where one can sit in a chair and have a cup of coffee at a table. This is located to the left of the sales desk, near the rear of the store.
“We’ll have contractor meetings in this area,” he said. “A place to have a cup of coffee and sit down.”
Daniel Harney, the assistant manager, said they are working to increase inventory and maintain it to have what people need.
“Customer service is a high priority, that sets up apart,” he said. “And we are a local lumber yard.”
“Every small town needs a really good lumbar yard,” Kristin Bishop, the floor manager said. “We want to provide that for Bourbon County. We are proud to be your local lumber yard.”
Fewins said new staff will be “working on making sure we have all our bases covered correctly.”
Big Sugar Lumber has a quick turnaround on items not in the store.
Do It Best Warehouse has 87,000 items, which can be ordered through the Big Sugar Lumber Merchandise Catalogue on a Monday and be in the Fort Scott store by Wednesday, Fewins said.
“And there is no charge to the consumer,” he said.
History of the Big Sugar Lumber Store
Original business partners Ed Graham, Sid Colwell, Jim Fewins, and Matt Noll started Big Sugar Lumber in March 1983 in Mound City.
“We came to Fort Scott in 1984,” Fewins said. “We owned both stores and had a third one in Garnett in 1988. It closed in the early 2000s.”
The facility is located at 1005 S. Clark, near the junction of 12th Street and Hwy. 69. The store phone number is 620-223-5279.
Find them also on their Facebook page.
Government Makes Free N95 Masks Available
The Biden Administration announced on Jan. 19 that N95 masks will be available to the public from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the protective masks on hand, according to Free N95 masks: Biden administration plans to give away 400M masks | AP News. The masks will be available for pickup at pharmacies and community health centers across the country.
Currently, Walmart Fort Scott has the N95 masks for distribution, according to a call to their pharmacy on Feb. 1.
A spokeswoman for Fort Scott Walgreens Pharmacy on Jan. 31 said their location will not be allocated these free masks.
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Fort Scott clinic will have them available on Feb. 4.
“We received five pallets of masks Friday,” Krista Postai, CEO of Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, said. “There is a limit of three per person per the guidance we received.”
“We received a shipment of 20,000 Honeywell adult masks Friday evening,” Robert Poole, CHC Communication and Marketing Director, Pittsburg, Kansas, said. “We are in the process of getting those redistributed to our clinics. They should be available to pick up in all of our clinics by (this) Friday.
To view the latest statistics of COVID in Kansas: https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas
To view the particulars of the mask: https://www.honeywellstore.com/store/products/molded-cup-n95-face-mask-respirators-dc300n95.htm
Free N95 masks were to be available to pick up at local pharmacies and community health center sites across the country.
Every person is allowed up to 3 free masks, pending availability.
Wearing a mask is a critical way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/masks/index.html
Masks and respirators, when worn consistently and correctly, are effective at reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The CDC recommends that one wear the most protective mask that one can and that it fits well over your nose, mouth, and chin.
Tips for Starting Seeds
District Extension Agent, Horticulture
Southwind Extension District
111 S. Butler
Erie, KS 66733
Office: 620-244-3826
Cell: 620-496-8786
The first seed catalog of the year arrived in my mailbox right before Christmas. The catalogs seem to arrive earlier and earlier every year. I do enjoy flipping through the pages looking at all the pretty pictures and dreaming of warmer temperatures. Even though we are in the middle of winter, the time to start many of our vegetable and flower transplants from seed is approaching.
If you have ever tried to start plants from seed, you know it can be tricky. But is very rewarding when you have success! Here are eight steps to help ensure you have nice healthy transplants when planting time arrives.
- Purchasing Seed – obtain your seeds from a reputable source including garden centers and seed catalogs. If choosing seed from a business that does not specialize in plants, pay special attention to the package date to make sure the seed was packaged for the current year. Though most seed remains viable for about 3 years, germination decreases as seed ages.
- Determine the Date to Seed – there are two pieces of information that needs to be known in order to determine the date to seed transplants: the target date for transplanting outside and the number of weeks needed to grow the transplant. Then do some counting.
- Sowing Seed – do not use garden soil to germinate seed as it is too heavy and may contain disease organisms. Use a media made especially for seed germination.
- Keep Seed Moist – seed must be kept moist in order to germinate. Water often enough that the media never dries. Using a clear plastic wrap over the top of the container can reduce the amount of watering needed. Remove the wrap after the seedlings emerge.
- Light – most plants will germinate in either darkness or light. All plants require adequate amounts of light once emergence occurs. South facing windows will not provide adequate amounts so fluorescent or LED fixtures should be used. Regardless of the type of light used, leave the light on for 16 hours each day.
- Temperature – the temperature needed for best germination is often higher than what we may find in our homes. A heat mat is best for consistent germination. Once plants have germinated, they can grow in cooler temperatures (65 to 70 degrees during the day and 55 to 60 degrees at night).
- Plant Movement – plants react to movement. Brushing over the plants with your hand stimulates them to become stockier and less leggy. Try brushing 20 strokes per day. But keep in mind that brushing will not compensate for lack of light or over-crowding. Plants grown under inadequate light will always be spindly.
- Hardening Plants – plants grown inside will often undergo transplant shock if not hardened off. Plants are hardened off by moving them outside and exposing them to sun and wind before transplanting occurs. Start about two weeks before transplanting and gradually expose the plants to outside conditions. Increase the number of hours and degree of exposure over the two-week period.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to have adequate light to ensure the growth of healthy plants. It is fairly easy and inexpensive to make a homemade grow light using a four-foot shop light and PVC pipe. Here is a link to a YouTube video I made on building a grow light yourself: https://youtu.be/R0B-RUNtx9I
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.