Join us for the  New-Media Marketing Bootcamp , February 8-9, 2017 in Overland Park, KS. This event is designed for anyone who plays a role in their brand’s social media, from advanced uses to beginners.
 
Get ideas, inspiration and innovative techniques to implement immediately from sessions including:
 
* Claiming and Building the Online Hub of Your Business: Basic DIY Website Platforms
* Learn to Love Your Photos: Clever Phone Photo Tips to Help you Stand Out
* Integrating Facebook Ads into Your Marketing Plan
* Simple Graphic Tools to Make Your Content Shine
*Facebook Deeper Dive: Analyzing Performance of Your Page AND featuring for Retail Minded, Nicole Leinbach Reyhle
 
More information about  session descriptions, travel information, registration  and more can be found on our website menu under New-Media Marketing Bootcamp. Question?  Contact us at newmedia@ksu.edu

Home gardeners have had to rely on proper storage conditions (cool and moist) to prevent potatoes from sprouting. But sprouting will eventually occur even if the gardener does everything right. Research by Mary Jo Frazier, Nora Olsen and Gale Kleinkopf from the University of Idaho have found products that should help home gardeners.

These researchers were looking for an organic method to control potato sprouts. They found essential oils from some herbs and spices to be effective sprout inhibitors. Specifically they found that spearmint oil, peppermint oil and clove oil suppressed sprouting by physically damaging rapidly dividing cells in the sprout. Each of these products is so safe that the FDA has approved them for addition to food.
 
Several application methods were considered though most were only suitable for commercial storage facilities. The only practical method for homeowners was one the researchers labeled a “low-tech” wick method. This was accomplished by placing a small piece of blotter paper saturated with spearmint or peppermint oil in a box with the potatoes. This method was not recommended for the clove oil. Though it was found that peppermint and spearmint oils were equally effective in suppressing sprouts, the peppermint oil was less likely to affect flavor of the potatoes. Reapplication at two- to three-week intervals will be needed for continued sprout suppression. Little to no residue was found on the potatoes from these products due to their high volatility. The first application should be done before sprouting occurs.
 
Blotting paper is much more difficult to find than it was in the past and so you may want to substitute blank newsprint. However, if blotting paper is desired, try herbarium supply houses. Blotting paper is used to press plant specimens. (Ward Upham)

If you start vegetable plants indoors, it is often helpful to list seeding dates on a calendar so that plants are ready for transplanting at the proper time. To do this, choose your transplant date and count back the number of weeks necessary to grow your own transplants. For example, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are usually transplanted in late March to early April. It takes 8 weeks from seeding to transplant size. Therefore, plants should be seeded in early February.
 
Information on how many weeks it takes to grow transplants is available in our January 3 newsletter at:
http://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/newsletters/2017/January2_2017_1.pdf . Below are examples of some common vegetables grown for transplants and a recommended date for seeding. Dates are Saturdays as this is when many homeowners have the most free time. The dates are not set in stone, and a week earlier or later will not ruin the plants. Also, you may want to seed a week or two earlier if you are in southern Kansas and possibly a week later if you are in northern Kansas. Calendars can be reused year after year by a slight reset of the dates.  Also keep notes on how well the transplants did so you can tweak the planting schedule. Your conditions may result in plants that need a bit more or a bit less time.
 
Crop                                          Seeding Date                                       Transplant Date

Cabbage, Broccoli
& Cauliflower                             February 4                                                  April 1

​Lettuce (if you grow
 transplants)                               February 4                                                  April 1

Peppers                                        March 18                                                      May 13

Tomatoes                                     March 25                                                     May 6

(Ward Upham)

Each year we have our Master Gardeners plant and rate a number of tomato varieties.  We also give a set to Tom Fowler with the University of Missouri Extension Service.  He combines our set with a number of additional varieties.  I am still working on data from our Kansas Master Gardeners and will write on those results later.  Following are the results from varieties that Tom grew in both 2015 and 2016.  All data are from the combined results of both years. We list the average fruit size in ounces, the numbers of fruit per plant and the number of pounds per plant.  I have listed the varieties in alphabetical order.

Both 2015 and 2016 were challenging years for northwest Missouri with 2016 being the most diffucult.  It will be interesting to compare what Tom found with the results from our Master Gardeners.  (Ward Upham)

We occasionally receive calls from gardeners who want to know how to treat an apple seed so it will germinate. Usually, the gardener is trying to reproduce an old apple tree that was special for some reason (good quality fruit, planted by grandparents, etc.) Unfortunately, apples grown from seed will not be like the parent. About 1 in every 80,000 apple trees grown from seed will be as good as the apples we are used to eating. Apple trees grown from seed usually have small and inferior quality fruit.

If you want a tree exactly like the parent, you must propagate that tree vegetatively. In the case of apples, this usually means grafting. Apple trees are actually quite easy to graft, even for novices. Don't be afraid to try even if you haven't grafted before. The step that needs to be done at this time of year is the choosing and cutting of scion wood or small branches that will be grafted on top of a rootstock.
 
See the accompanying article in this newsletter on how this is done. However, if you don’t have an existing tree to graft onto, you will need to plant a rootstock this year for grafting onto next. Fruit trees are normally grafted (or budded) onto specially selected rootstocks. These rootstocks usually reduce tree size. For example, a tree that normally would reach 25 feet tall will only reach 10 feet if it is grown on a certain rootstock. Dwarfing rootstocks also allow apples to bear fruit a year or more earlier.
 
A tree on its own roots normally takes 5 to 7 years before it will bear. Semi-dwarf trees bear in 4 to 5 years, and dwarf trees bear in 3 to 4 years. Unfortunately, not all dwarfing rootstocks are well adapted to Kansas. Semi-dwarf trees usually are a better choice for us. Note that rootstock reduces tree size, not fruit size. Therefore, a Golden Delicious tree that only reaches 8 feet tall due to a dwarfing rootstock, will bear the same size fruit as a Golden Delicious tree that is 25 feet tall.
 
Most nurseries only sell trees that are already grafted. A company that does sell rootstocks is Raintree Nursery, Morton, WA, (360) 496-6400,  http://www.raintreenursery.com/Rootstocks/ Another is Cummins Nursery, (865) 233-3539,  http://www.cumminsnursery.com/rootstocks.htm  though there is a minimum shipping and handling fee of $20.
 
It is also possible to buy a tree from a local nursery and graft your clone into it. This will give you one tree that produces two different apples. One disadvantage of this method is that it is possible to prune off the special clone by mistake in later years.
 
This information does not include the details of grafting or budding or subsequent care.  The Missouri Extension Service has an excellent publication on grafting at http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/hort/g06971.pdf as well as a second publication on budding at http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/hort/g06972.pdf. Be sure to practice your cuts on wood you prune off in March. After you do about 100 cuts, you will start to get the hang of it. (Ward Upham)

Nurseries often sell apple trees that bear more than one variety of fruit. The secret is grafting. All apple trees are grafted, which is done by grafting the apple-producing variety (the scion) on a variety chosen for its dwarfing effects (the rootstock). A tree with more than one variety simply has more than one fruiting variety grafted onto a single rootstock. Grafting allows growers to have a single tree that could produce Jonathan, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious apples. These trees can be a unique attraction and a good conversation point in a fruit garden. If space is limited, a multiple grafted tree may allow growers to have a greater variety of fruit than with individual varieties on separate trees.

​However, there are some possible drawbacks. Whoever prunes the trees may not recognize the individual grafts and may unknowingly prune off one of the varieties. Also, varieties may vary in vigor, and stronger varieties can crowd weaker ones. There also may be a difference in susceptibility to disease among varieties and among different kinds of fruit. Some may have resistance to a disease and not require protection, but others are susceptible and do require protection. If the susceptible fruits are protected, the more resistant ones will be sprayed unnecessarily. (Ward Upham)

In order to avoid energy costs, some homeowners are turning to wood for heat. Plant species is an important consideration as not all trees have the same density and therefore, heat value. The greater the dry weight, the better.
 
The highest value for trees commonly found in Kansas is osage orange (hedgeball tree) at 4,800 pounds per cord. Osage orange has a gnarly growth habit and a nasty set of thorns. This species also sparks which isn’t a problem in a
wood-fired boiler but certainly would be in an open fireplace.

Black locust is next with 4,200 pounds per cord. Black locust is a fast grower and also has excellent burning qualities and makes a nice bed of coals. However, it is hard to split, suckers, and has some relatively small thorns, especially on young trees.
 
Buroak and red oak come in at 3,800 and 3,500 pounds per cord respectively but are not fast growers. Mulberry, however, has the same weight as red oak but grows more quickly. Silver maple has less heat value (3,000 pounds per cord) but is a very fast growing tree.
 
Black locust would be my first choice for this purpose though you may wish to plant rows of several species. However, each situation is different and another species may work better for you. So how do you set out your plantation? Dr. Wayne Geyer, our late forestry professor, did many woody biomass studies over a period of 35 years. Following are some recommendations that have come out of his studies.
 
- Plant locust a few rows in from a field edge to reduce suckering in the field.
- Plant on a close spacing, 4 to 6 feet apart. This maximizes yield and reduces side branching.
- Control weeds the first two years.
- Harvest every 5 years, most trees will resprout and can be reharvested.
- Plant about 1 acre per year for 5 years if you wish to supply the majority of the firewood needed to heat your home.
 
Trees mentioned above and available from the Kansas Forest Service include osage orange, bur oak, red oak and silver maple. (Ward Upham)

Great Plains Growers Conference
January 12, 13 & 14, 2017
St. Joseph, MO
For more information, go to http://www.greatplainsgrowersconference.org

Potatoes stored below 40 degrees F will not sprout and will remain firm for long periods. However, such  storage will often lead to starches being converted to sugars, which will give tubers an undesirable sweet taste. Placing potatoes at room temperature for 2 to 3 days will allow sugars to be converted back to starches and remove the objectionable taste. (Ward Upham)

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) and Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) are epiphytes native to the jungles of South America. Epiphytic plants grow on other plants and use them for support but not for nutrients. Though these cacti are different species, they will hybridize and produce varying stem shapes. Christmas cactus normally has smooth stem segments, and Thanksgiving Cactus has hook-like appendages on each segment.
 
Both of these cacti prefer bright indirect light. Too much sun can result in the leaves turning yellow. Common household temperatures are fine. Soil should be kept constantly moist but not waterlogged. Give them a light fertilization every other week. Blooming will normally cease in late winter to early spring, but continue to keep them moist and fertilized until fall. During the fall, stop fertilizing, and give the plants only enough water so the stems do not shrivel in order to encourage flower bud formation. Though these plants seem to flower best if kept a little pot bound, flowers will diminish if they are too crowded. If you haven't repotted in several years, or if you notice a decrease in flowering from the previous year, move the plant to a larger pot in the spring. If possible, move the plants outside for the summer. Choose a shady spot because these plants will not tolerate full sun. Leave the plants outside until frost threatens.
 
Normally, the plants will have received enough cool nights in the 50- to 55-degree range that flower buds will have formed. However, if they haven't, subjecting the plants to nights greater than 12 hours long and temperatures between 59 and 69 degrees can also generate flowers. Twenty-five consecutive long nights is enough for flower initiation. Place the plants in an unused room or cover them with a dark cloth or cardboard box to insure that they receive uninterrupted darkness. After the flower buds have formed, it takes an additional nine to 10 weeks for flowers to complete development and bloom. (Ward Upham)

If selecting a cut tree, watch for these signs that the tree is too far gone.
- Needles are a dull, grayish-green color
- Needles fail to ooze pitch when broken apart and squeezed
- Needles feel stiff and brittle
- Needles pull easily off tree
 
Once you have your tree home, recut the trunk about one inch above the original cut. This will open up clogged, water-conducting tissues. Immediately place the trunk in warm water.
 
Locate the tree in as cool a spot as possible. Avoid areas near fireplaces, wood-burning stoves and heat ducts as the heat will result in excess water loss. Make sure the reservoir stays filled. If the reservoir loses enough water that the bottom of the trunk is exposed, the trunk will need to be recut. Adding aspirins, copper pennies, soda pop, sugar and bleach to the water reservoir have not been shown to prolong the life of a tree.
 
If you choose a living Christmas tree, be sure to dig the planting hole before the ground freezes. Mulch the hole and backfill soil to keep them from freezing. Live trees should not be kept inside for more than three days. Longer periods may cause them to lose dormancy resulting in severe injury when planted outside. You may wish to tag the tree at the nursery and then pick it up a couple days before Christmas. After Christmas, move the tree to an unheated garage for several days to acclimatize it to outside temperatures. After planting, water well and leave some mulch in place to prevent the soil water from freezing and becoming unavailable for plant uptake. (Ward Upham)

Not all firewood is created equal. Some species of trees are able to produce much more heat per cord of wood. A cord is the amount of wood in a well-stacked woodpile measuring 4 feet wide by 8 feet long by 4 feet high.
 
Following are heat values (in million BTUs) per cord for various species of trees. The higher the value, the better the wood.

Ash, Green                     22.8

Cottonwood                 15.9

Elm, American             19.8            Difficult to split

Elm, Siberian              20.9            Difficult to split

Hackberry                    21.0

Honeylocust                25.6
 
Locust, Black               28.3             Difficult to split

Maple, Sugar              24.0
 
Maple, Silver               18.9
 
Mulberry                       25.3
 
Oak, Red                        24.0
 
Oak, Bur                         24.9

Oak, Post                       25.6
 
Osage Orange (Hedge) 32.6        Sparks, do not use in open fireplace

Sycamore                     19.5               Difficult to split

Walnut, Black             21.8
 
The Kansas Forest Service has a publication titled “Managing Your Woodland for Firewood” that is quite helpful. See http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/mf773.pdf .
 
Remember to obtain firewood locally. Emerald Ash Borer is now in Kansas because of transported wood. (Ward Upham)
 
Contributors: Ward Upham, Extension Associate

Even though pawpaw is native to eastern Kansas, many people in the state have never eaten one. Fruits resemble fat bananas and are generally up to 6 inches long and as much as 3 inches wide. The taste is unique and is difficult to describe but is often said to resemble bananas or pineapple and has a texture somewhat like custard. They are rarely grown commercially because they are difficult to ship. Ripe fruit will only hold 2 to 3 days at room temperature and up to a week under refrigeration.

Pawpaw prefers a well-drained, moderately acid (pH 5.5 to 7.0), moist soil and high organic matter content. Organic mulch is also recommended. Irrigation will be helpful to necessary depending on what part of Kansas they are grown.
    
In the wild, the pawpaw is an understory tree and may do better with partial shade, especially during the first 2 to 3 years. Protection from high winds is also advisable due to the large leaves. The pawpaw is a small tree that may reach 20 feet high but is less broad.  Trees require cross-pollination and so at least 2 and preferably 3 different varieties should be grown. These trees are pollinated by insects other than bees and must be planted close together. Trees should be no further than 30 feet apart in order to insure good pollination.

The soil for planting should be prepared in advance of receiving the trees.  Amend the soil with organic matter in the area where the trees will be planted.  Do not amend just the soil from the planting hole especially if the soil is heavy and has high clay content. If you do, you have essentially made a pot that will hold water and may drown the tree.  Rather add organic matter to the area in which the tree will be planted before digging the planting hole; at least a 10- by 10-foot square. You may want to treat the entire area where your trees will be planted. Add 2 inches of organic matter to the surface of the soil and then till in.
    
The planting hole should be the same depth as the root system but 2 to 3 times as wide. Pawpaws have fleshy roots and are better planted in the spring (April) rather than fall unless container grown. Container-grown plants can be planted virtually anytime.
    
Keep newly planted trees well watered. The soil should be moist but not waterlogged. Keep the planting area completely free of weeds or any other type of vegetation within 3 feet of the trees. Mulching is recommended.
    
There has been a significant amount of work done on pawpaw by Kentucky State University. You can reach their pawpaw site at http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/ Information on growing pawpaws is available from Peterson Pawpaws at http://www.petersonpawpaws.com   Neil Peterson’s pawpaws are the result of over 25 years of research and have been widely tested.  Though Neil no longer sells his varieties directly, he does list a number of nurseries that carry them.
    
The Kansas Forest Service (www.kansasforests.org) has seedling trees available for sale though I would recommend getting named varieties instead if you wish to plant only a few trees. The fruit from named varieties will be of a higher quality than that from a seedling tree. Named variety pawpaws are available from Stark Brothers 
(www.starkbros.com) and one from Raintree Nursery (www.raintreenursery.com).
    
The University of Missouri has a couple of different pawpaw cultivar trials. You can find results from one of these trials at http://www.centerforagroforestry.org/pubs/pawpaws.pdf   (Ward Upham)

Potatoes stored below 40 degrees F will not sprout and will remain firm for long periods. However, such storage will often lead to starches being converted to sugars, which will give tubers an undesirable sweet taste. Placing potatoes at room temperature for 2 to 3 days will allow sugars to be converted back to starches and remove the objectionable taste. (Ward Upham)

If selecting a cut tree, watch for these signs that the tree is too far gone.
- Needles are a dull, grayish-green color
- Needles fail to ooze pitch when broken apart and squeezed
- Needles feel stiff and brittle
- Needles pull easily off tree
 
Once you have your tree home, recut the trunk about one inch above the original cut. This will open up clogged, water-conducting tissues. Immediately place the trunk in warm water.
 
Locate the tree in as cool a spot as possible. Avoid areas near fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, heat ducts and television sets as the heat will result in excess water loss. Make sure the reservoir stays filled. If the reservoir loses enough water that the bottom of the trunk is exposed, the trunk will need to be recut. Adding aspirins, copper pennies, soda pop, sugar and bleach to the water reservoir have not been shown to prolong the life of a tree.
 
If you choose a living Christmas tree, be sure to dig the planting hole before the ground freezes.

Mulch the hole and backfill soil to keep them from freezing. Live trees should not be kept inside for more than three days. Longer periods may cause them to lose dormancy resulting in severe injury when planted outside. You may wish to tag the tree at the nursery and then pick it up a couple days before Christmas. After Christmas, move the tree to an unheated garage for several days to acclimatize it to outside temperatures. After planting, water well and leave some mulch in place to prevent the soil water from freezing and becoming unavailable for plant uptake. (Ward Upham)

It’s the time of the year for hollies to shine in the landscape. As a general rule hollies…well…struggle in Kansas. They don’t like how cold it gets, our soil pH, or our heat and drought. Yikes. The only species of holly we can really count on is inkberry holly (Ilex glabra). It is a beautiful, hardy and high performing plant. As the name implies, the berries are black, or ink-colored. Probably not the bright red berries you were imagining in an article about holly. Fortunately, if you live in southeast Kansas, there is a second holly that is just outstanding: deciduous holly (Ilex decidua). It drops its leaves every fall revealing a brilliant, long-lasting, bright, red berry display. They are so prolific that they pop up in fence-rows and ditches all over the area. As you move north, though, they are seen less and less as the cold-hardiness catches up with them.
 
I often say that there are only two hollies that do well in Kansas, but we all know that rules are made to be broken. I love hearing stories of plants unexpectedly out of place. For example, just last year a gardener in Hays shared his Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta) photos to me. How exciting! Chinese holly is just on the edge of the northern part of Kansas’ cold hardiness zone. If I were a nursery grower in that area, I’d be collecting some seed and cuttings for propagation of those plants!
 
I recently visited the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension where they showcased winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata). A species that generally prefers acidic soils, it was performing well in the display garden. The bright red berries were already quite eye-catching. Some hollies require a male pollinator cultivar nearby in order to have a good berry set. Winterberry holly is an example of this so you’ll need to keep that in mind when planting this species.
 
If a local source of holly plants in the landscape is not within reach and you want to decorate with red berries and glossy green foliage, visit your local garden center or search online for a reputable greenery supplier so that you can make your own displays. After all, you’ll want a reliable source to help celebrate the happiness of the holly-days! (Cheryl Boyer)

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) and Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) are epiphytes native to the jungles of South America. Epiphytic plants grow on other plants and use them for support but not for nutrients. Though these cacti are different species, they will hybridize and produce varying stem shapes. Christmas cactus normally has smooth stem segments, and Thanksgiving Cactus has hook-like appendages on each segment.
 
Both of these cacti prefer bright indirect light. Too much sun can result in the leaves turning yellow. Common household temperatures are fine. Soil should be kept constantly moist but not waterlogged. Give them a light fertilization every other week. Blooming will normally cease in late winter to early spring, but continue to keep them moist and fertilized until fall. During the fall, stop fertilizing, and give the plants only enough water so the stems do not shrivel in order to encourage flower bud formation. Though these plants seem to flower best if kept a little pot bound, flowers will diminish if they are too crowded. If you haven't repotted in several years, or if you notice a decrease in flowering from the previous year, move the plant to a larger pot in the spring. If possible, move the plants outside for the summer. Choose a shady spot because these plants will not tolerate full sun. Leave the plants outside until frost threatens.
 
Normally, the plants will have received enough cool nights in the 50- to 55-degree range that flower buds will have formed. However, if they haven't, subjecting the plants to nights greater than 12 hours long and temperatures between 59 and 69 degrees can also generate flowers. Twenty-five consecutive long nights is enough for flower initiation. Place the plants in an unused room or cover them with a dark cloth or cardboard box to insure that they receive uninterrupted darkness. After the flower buds have formed, it takes an additional nine to 10 weeks for flowers to complete development and bloom. (Ward Upham)

Not all firewood is created equal.  Some species of trees are able to produce much more heat per cord of wood.  A cord is the amount of wood in a well-stacked woodpile measuring 4 feet wide by 8 feet long by 4 feet high.
 
Following are heat values (in million BTUs) per cord for various species of tree.  The higher the value, the better the wood.

Ash, Green                             22.8
Cottonwood                          15.9
Elm, American                     19.8 Difficult to split
Elm, Siberian                        20.9 Difficult to split
Hackberry                              21.0
Honeylocust                         25.6
Locust, Black                        28.3 Difficult to split
Maple, Sugar                        24.0
Maple, Silver                        18.9
Mulberry                                25.3
Oak, Red                                 24.0
Oak, Bur                                  24.9
Oak, Post                                25.6
Osage Orange (Hedge)      32.6 Sparks, do not use in open fireplace
Sycamore                                19.5 Difficult to split
Walnut, Black                        21.8
 
The Kansas Forest Service has a publication titled “Managing Your Woodland for Firewood” that is quite helpful. See  http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/mf773.pdf.
 
Remember to obtain firewood locally. Emerald Ash Borer is now in Kansas because of transported wood. (Ward Upham)
 
Contributors: Cheryl Boyer, Nursery Crops Specialist; Ward Upham, Extension Associate