Gear Up for National 4-H Week

Fall is here -- and it even is starting to feel like it in the weather department too! National 4-H Week will soon be here; October 3-9, and Riley County 4-H clubs are busy planning for the week.

Randolph Ramblers will be performing a song and skit for 4-H Sunday. They have been busy practicing and will share it on October 17 at 9:30 a.m.

College Hill will be visiting Manhattan Broadcasting to promote 4-H and share 4-H made treats.

Bonfire 4-H members will be sharing brochures about their club and their 4-H experience with their classes at school.

The Riley County 4-H Ambassadors will be visiting local radio stations and sharing more about the 4-H program.

The Extension Office will be conducting a special science experiement on carbon footprints with the 4th grade at Manhattan Catholic Schools.

What are you going to do to celebrate National 4-H Week? Email your ideas to afeld@ksu.edu

Aeration

I aerated the lawn and broadcast seed to repair the lawn. The soil was moist which makes for good 2-3 inch plugs for the seed to fall into. Hopefully, in 10 days the dead areas will be showing signs of green.

Old & New Year Stuff

This time of year is crazy! School has started, fall sports are well underway, and 4-H still has lots to accomplish.

The Kansas State Fair comes at the tail end of the 4-H year, and this year's fair will run September 10-19. 4-H members are also preparing award applications, which are due on September 20. 4-H clubs are electing new officers, designing new program calendars, signing up for new committees and collecting volunteers for the new year. The new year, by the way, begins October 1. Yikes!

The Extension Office is busy turning over enrollments, collecting state fair entries and preparing for the end of the year awards rush. Then the fun begins. All items must be screened and processed in time for the October 24th 4-H Achievement Celebration. Not to mention ordering awards, preparing a program, contacting presenters, event details and communicating with the event committee.

So, when people ask what do we do when we are done with the fair for another year? I really don't know quite what to say!

Dead Bluegrass

Bluegrass likes cool temperatures and water. This summer got too hot and turned dry. My lawn had looked great for the last 4 years. The tall fescue is still standing, but you can tell where the bluegrass had taken over. Over-seeding with a turf-type tall fescue blend is the remedy.

State Fair Gear Up

We are approaching the "final" weekend of summer, or at least most folks view Labor Day weekend as the final time to celebrate summer. The thermometer may still be on the toasty side, but fall will still soon be here. One of the final summer destinations for everyone should be the Kansas State Fair.

The Kansas State Fair will be held September 10-19 in Hutchinson, Kansas. Members are putting some finishing updates on exhibits, as Kansas 4-H members from across the state have the opportunity to share their work. The Kansas State Fair is, for most 4-H members, the final "big" activity of the 4-H year.

Come check out the action! Visit http://www.kansasstatefair.com/ to explore the schedule and a listing of places to visit. Don't forget to congratulate youth participants for their work! Enjoy this final summer adventure!

Grass Seed Label

You don't always get what you pay for. I found this seed which you wouldn't want to plant for a lawn here in Kansas for $7 a pound. Good grass seed is only $2 a pound. This seed label tells us why I don't want it for a lawn. Other crop seed is 2.58%. A preferred package would contain less than .5%. Other crop indicates other grasses than what is on the label. That means weeds. None of the cultivars are on the K-State recommended turfgrass list. The seed could be used for temporary cover.

Youth Activities Fair

Visit with Riley County 4-H members and Riley County 4-H teen Ambassadors at Manhattan Town Center's Youth Activities Fair on Saturday, August 14.

The fair will be conducted in the center fountain area, located on the west side. School age youth are invited to come and check out what 4-H has to offer from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. that day. Various 4-H clubs will be present throughout the day to showcase project work, and invite you to join their club!

Riley County 4-H is home to 13 community based clubs and three project clubs. So, no matter where you live -- there is a club near you!

The 4-H year begins on October 1, 2010, and we hope you become a part of the Riley County 4-H action!

Webworms

Fall webworms are becoming noticeable in several of my trees. The picture is of our black walnut. They are also in the pear and crabapple.

My management strategy is to do mostly nothing. I did reach in and take them out of the pear tree so that the leaves can continue to feed the fruit.

Sticking something into the web and pulling the web and the weborms out works. Insecticides could be used once the web is removed but most of the worms fall out along with the removing of the web.

To view publication on webworms go to http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/entml2/mf2395.pdf