KSRE

The annual fall Horticulture Night will be held Tuesday, September 19th at 6 p.m. This is an open invitation to the public to attend various presentations in the gardens at the K-State Agricultural Research Center in Hays. Daylight in the autumn evenings is short so presentations will be brief.

This is the 20th and last year for the Prairie Star bedding plant trials at K-State and the Hays Research Center due to budget limits. From those years, 1,877 varieties have been trialed at the Hays site with only 421 selected as worthy of being on the Prairie Star List. The Prairie Star List only includes flower varieties available on the market and that perform well throughout Kansas.

A segment of how to collect a representative soil sample for the garden will be presented by Augustine Obour, KSU Ag Research Center soils scientist. He will also discuss the interpretation of test results and soil amendments. Holly Dickman, the new water conservationist for the City of Hays will comment on the program regarding water-smart landscaping. Ellis County Master Gardeners, Pat Phillips and Terry Pfeifer will report preliminary harvest results of the performance vegetable trials. There will be sampling tables. This is the first year for the Backyard Demonstration Garden. Ellis County Master Gardener, Mary Lou Mastin, will share the experience of establishing and maintaining a sustainable garden.

Bring along your friends and neighbors! Property and homeowners are encouraged to attend.

Questions about flowers, vegetable gardening and soil tests will be addressed but it is not limited to these topics. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. with the program starting at 6 p.m. The Research Center is located south of Hays at 1232 240th Avenue. For more information phone: 785-625-3425 or check Facebook or Twitter.