What an unusually rainy spring and summer we have had! Our soils have definitely been saturated for several weeks now. You may think that watering won’t be needed for quite some time since soil moisture levels are very high. However, watering may be needed much sooner than you think.

Excessive rain can drive oxygen out of the soil and literally drown roots. Therefore, as we enter hotter, drier weather, the plants with damaged root systems may be very susceptible to lack of water. Don’t forget to check your plants for signs of wilting or leaf scorching and water as needed.

The excessive rainfall has also depleted our soils of nitrogen. If your annual flowers haven’t been overly impressive yet, they may need a shot of fertilizer.

Annual flowers have been bred to flower early and over a long period of time. Providing nitrogen through the growing season (side-dressing) will help maintain flower display. A high nitrogen fertilizer applied every four to six weeks is helpful during a rainy summer or if flower beds are irrigated.

Common sources of nitrogen-only fertilizers include nitrate of soda, urea, and ammonium sulfate. Use only one of the listed fertilizers and apply at the rate given:

• Nitrate of soda (16-0-0) – Apply ¾ pound fertilizer per 100 square feet
• Urea (46-0-0) – Apply ¼ pound fertilizer per 100 square feet
• Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) – Apply ½ pound fertilizer per 100 square feet

If you cannot find the above materials, you can use a lawn fertilizer that is about 30 percent nitrogen (nitrogen is the first number in the set of three) and apply it at the rate of 1/3 pound per 100 square feet. Do not use a fertilizer that contains a weed killer or a weed preventer.

Removing spent flowers or “deadheading” will help some plants bloom more profusely. Annuals focus their energy on seed production to ensure that the species survives. If old flowers are removed, the energy normally used to produce seed is now available to produce more flowers. Deadheading is as easy as pinching the plant between the thumb and finger, but tough, wiry stems will require the use of scissors or pruning shears.

Plants that do increase blooms in response to deadheading include hardy geraniums, coreopsis, some petunias, marigolds, snapdragons, begonias, some roses, zinnias, sweet peas, salvia, blanket flower, and yarrow.

There are some “self-cleaning” plants on the market now. These plants drop their spent flowers and bloom again and do not require manual deadheading. In many cases, they are sterile varieties – bred not to produce seeds. The petunia and rose varieties that are “self-cleaning” continue to excel in the home garden market because of their low maintenance and blooming power.

If you need help with any horticulture topic, give me a call. My current office schedule is Monday and Friday – Erie; Tuesday – Iola; Wednesday morning – Yates Center; Wednesday afternoon – Chanute Recreation Commission and Thursday – Fort Scott.

Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at [email protected] or 62-244-3826.

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

National Insurance Awareness Day, What to Review

Insurance is one of those things we don’t think about until we need it, but we know it is important in many aspects of our lives. Insurance gives us a way to care for and protect our families in the event of an injury, accident or unplanned event. National Insurance Awareness Day serves as a reminder to review insurance policies. Here are a few suggestions of what and how to review your policies.

Make the call. Make an appointment or have a phone conversation reviewing your policies and coverage to understand your rates and benefits. You can ask about current promotions, services, or lock-in rates as well as changes in your premiums. Discounts come and go, but certain long-term promotions can help save you more money over time. If your policy isn’t reviewed until it’s time to renew, you could be missing out on added savings.

Take charge to change your rates. Whether it is taking an online defensive driving course, going the gym a few times a week, or putting in a home security system, these doable actions can lead to added savings on your various insurance policies.

Check out the competition. Insurance shopping does not evoke the fun of buying a new pair of shoes, but if you are always on the hunt for the best deal, comparing rates could save you money. Knowing your options gives you the most power and the best chance to save money.

As life changes, so might your policy. If job changes lead to less driving or your teenager goes off to college without the car, your insurance company might re-evaluate your rates. As for home insurance, changes in marital status and remodeling your home can affect those rates. Different stages in life may require different types of insurance such as transitioning from life insurance to long term care insurance or health insurance options.

Take advantage of this day to review your existing insurance policies, making sure they are up to date and meet the coverage you need. The most common insurances include life, car, home/renter’s, health, flood, umbrella, jewelry, and business owners. These policies offer a layer of protection in a variety of ways, review the types of insurance you have or may benefit from to cover any gaps and needs you may have.

Bagworms are a yearly pest in our area and can cause considerable damage. Most homeowners typically don’t get too concerned about bagworm control until they see large bags present on plants. By then it is too late and the damage is already done! Now is the time to get your treatment game plan ready.

Bagworms overwinter as eggs deposited in the female bags. From mid-May through mid-June, larvae hatch from the eggs and exit from the bottom opening of the old bag. Larvae begin constructing their miniature silk-lined bags immediately. Only after the bags have been completed do the larvae begin actual feeding activities. And as the larvae grow, so do their bags. By mid-to late August when feeding activities are complete, larvae firmly anchor their bags to the twigs and branches on which they were feeding.

Bagworms are most commonly found on eastern red cedar and junipers. However, bagworms can attack arborvitae, spruce and pine. Broadleaf trees, shrubs and ornamentals can also serve as a host to bagworms. After bagworms have defoliated a host plant, they are capable of migrating in search of additional food sources. They may attack the same species from which they came or a completely different species.

The damage caused by bagworm feeding can be minimal to severe. As larvae enter their later development stages, they require greater amounts of food. Sometimes in what seems to be just overnight, bagworms can completely defoliate a tree. Several successive years of heavy foliar feeding can result in the death a tree, especially with conifers.

There are two ways to control bagworms – cultural and chemical. Cultural practice is used by those who do not want to utilize insecticidal sprays to control bagworms. Instead, bagworms are eliminated by handpicking individual bags from plants. This is best done in the winter months when bags stand out against a trees background color. Keep in mind that a single missed bag could result in a thousand new bagworm larvae. Of course handpicking becomes impractical when a host is literally covered with bags or it is too tall to make handpicking possible.

Chemical control is most effective when larvae are in their early developmental stages. Generally, bagworm larvae will begin emerging from the overwintering bag by mid-to late May. Hatching does not happen overnight. Instead, hatching can continue for 4 to 5 weeks. Controls applied in late summer are often a waste of time and expense because the larvae are large, tough and may have stopped feeding. Now is the time to find the correct insecticide and get the sprayers out and ready for the job ahead.

For more information on bagworm control, please contact me at one of our Southwind Extension District office locations.

Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural 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.

Submitted by: Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District Director & Agent

While it is common for Southeast Kansas to receive quite a bit of rainfall in the spring, 2019 has gone a bit overboard! Recent weather has caused damage to our communities, and kept area farmers out of their fields. In an effort to continue to be a trusted and reliable resource, K-State Research & Extension in the Southwind District has updated our website with information that can be of assistance if you are trying to manage your home or garden after the flood waters recede.  Please visit www.southwind.ksu.edu to find links to the most up-to-date resources on managing after a flood.

After a flood has devastated your home or business, food safety is one of the many things to be considered. Flood water should generally be considered contaminated, as it is difficult to determine what it has contacted on its way to your property. Water from floods can be contaminated with sewage or animal waste, particularly if they occur in areas near wastewater treatment facilities or livestock operations. Raw sewage and animal waste contain bacteria that can cause illness if contaminated foods are eaten. Flood waters that cover roads, vehicles, solid waste facilities, or pass by manufacturing and business sites can carry heavy metals and other industrial contaminants, which can also be hazardous to human health.

Mildew may develop on damp or wet items in your home. Mildew is a gray-white mold that leaves stains and rots fabric unless it is removed promptly. Mold and mildew are problems after the type of weather we have had lately. Resources for managing mold and for cleaning up, can also be found on at www.southwind.ksu.edu

If you have a sump pump, we offer a link for details about making informed decisions about back up pumps and various home systems.

We provided links to local emergency management resources in Allen, Bourbon, Neosho and Woodson Counties along with state websites such as KSReady.gov, the state’s portal to information and resources on emergency planning and preparedness for the public, businesses, schools, children, elected officials and first responders.

Floods are the most common natural disaster in the U.S.. We cannot always be prepared for the worst, but Extension is here to help you when recovery is the only option. K-State Research & Extension invites you to explore the links on www.southwind.ksu.edu and let us know if we can answer your questions. Above all, please be safe during this period of bad weather.

Carla Nemecek
Southwind Extension District
Director & Agent
[email protected]
620-365-2242
1 North Washington, Iola, KS 66749

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Be an Active Family with StoryWalk®

Physical activity is important for children and adults of all ages. Being active as a family can benefit everyone. Add StoryWalk® to your family summer activity list this year. StoryWalk® was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT. Her idea was to laminate the pages from a children’s story book and place them on stakes along a walking path for children and adults to read together. As you stroll down the path reading, you and your family can get multiple benefits from this activity.

Reading out loud. Whether you read to your child, your child reads to you, or you take turns, it expands a child’s interest in books. It also increases vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and attention span. Communication and listening skills are also developed when discussing pictures in the book, what is going on in the story, and predicting what might happen next.

Relationship building. Besides being educational, reading books together can strengthen the bond between the child and parent, grandparent, or caregiver. Spending frequent, brief amounts of time involved in child-preferred activities is one of the most powerful things parents can do to connect with their children.

Spending time outdoors in nature. Studies have shown cognitive function and mood improvement occurs when children and adults spend time in nature. Time in nature increases creativity and imagination, stimulates to your 5 senses, gets you up and moving, helps you think better, improves your attention span, and reduces stress and fatigue.

Built in movement. Adults need 30 minutes of physical activity each day while children need 60 minutes. Beyond the number of minutes of physical activity needed, we all need more movement throughout our day. One of Anne Ferguson’s goals was to create an activity where parents had to be as active as the children and not sit on the sidelines. Children are more likely to be physically active if their parents are.

Storyline of the Book. The last benefit is expanding on the storyline for learning, experiences, and application. Some of the StoryWalk® books in our Extension Office promote financial literacy, helping children learn about the many sides of money management.

Families have busy schedules, StoryWalk® ‘s are accessible when you are ready and take as much or as little time as you want. K-State Research and Extension is partnering with libraries, schools, and recreation centers to bring StoryWalk to your community this summer. For dates and locations, visit southwind.ksu.edu.

1 minute Radio Spot

Be an active family this summer. Being active as a family can benefit everyone. Physical activity is important for children and adults of all ages. I’m Joy Miller, Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent with K-State Research and Extension Southwind District. Adults need two and a half hours a week of physical activity and children need sixty minutes a day. K-State is partnering with agencies to bring Storywalk to your community. StoryWalk® is a program for families to read and be active together. Pages from children’s story books are laminated, attached to a board, and placed along a path children and adults can walk. As you stroll down the path reading, families also build reading skills and p strengthen family relationships. Add StoryWalk to your summer activity list. For storywalk locations, story books, or parent discussion guides, contact me at 620-223-3720 or visit our website at www.southwind.ksu.edu.

Humboldt Union Newspaper

Be an active family this year. Physical activity is important for children and adults of all ages. Adults need two and a half hours a week of physical activity and children need 60 minutes a day. K-State Research and Extension Southwind District and Humboldt Library are partnering to bring StoryWalk to Humboldt this summer. StoryWalk® is a program for families to read and be active together. Pages from children’s story books are laminated, attached to a board, and placed along a path children and adults can walk. In Humboldt, many of the story boards will be located in business windows around the downtown square. The first page of StoryWalk® will begin at the Humboldt library, then to the Humboldt Union, page 3 will begin on the east side of the square and flow clockwise around the square. Add StoryWalk® to your family summer activity list this year. StoryWalk® will begin Wednesday, June 12^th and stories will change every two weeks. Discussion guides are available at the Humboldt Library or at southwind.ksu.edu.