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Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County
7001 W. 21st Street N.
Wichita, KS  67205
Map & Location

Office Hours:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday - Friday

316-660-0100
sg@listserv.ksu.edu

Gardening and Lawn Care  

Pictured is a digital sign at Sedgwick County Extension Center that shows the hours for the Garden Hotline.

We offer a variety of resources, classes, and opportunities for aspiring and experienced gardeners, DIY home lawn care, and commercial horticulture operations. 

Have a gardening or lawn care question?

Garden Hotline - (316) 660-0190
Monday-Friday, 9:00am - 12:00pm and 1:00-4:00pm

If you have an ailing plant, we recommend that you try emailing pictures of your plant to the Garden Hotline email. For best results and fastest response, we would encourage you to send multiple pictures, as listed below.

For pest or disease diagnosis: 

  1. One picture of the entire plant or garden area
  2. One picture of a branch or affected area
  3. One close up, in focus picture of any symptoms of concern (leaf spots, holes, discoloration, etc.) 

For plant identification: 

  1. One picture of the entire plant or garden area
  2. One picture of leaves or branches
  3. One picture of any flowers, flower buds, or seeds visible

Additionally, you can find answers and resources for the most common questions at the Horticulture Resource Center

For a soil fertility test, please view our Soil Testing Procedures page for details on that process. (Please note: Soil testing only provides nutrient information, it does not test for diseases in the soil.)

Gardening Resources We Offer

We have many online gardening resources to help you in the garden, lawn and landscape. Stay up-to-date with the latest research-based information: 

Programs We Offer

We will be offering timely gardening tips and programming online over the coming weeks and months. Like our Facebook Page to learn about upcoming programs and see gardening tips! 

We have a range of gardening and lawn care classes, workshops, and events throughout the year. The majority of our programs are held between January and June, usually on Saturdays or weekday evenings at the Extension Education Center.  Current classes and events can be found on the right sidebar. For more information on our annual public events, visit our Public Events and Tours page. 

Want to know more about the Extension Master Gardener Program?

The Extension Master Gardener program is a volunteer program through K-State Research and Extension. The Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardeners operate the Garden Hotline, maintain demonstration gardens, teach youth, and hold events and tours for the public. 

On Our Grounds

Our mission is to ensure that the grounds surrounding our facility serve as a learning environment for the public. We feature a Demonstration Garden that is open year-round and offers educational exhibits with raised growing beds, seasonal vegetable plantings, a compost demonstration, and an outdoor classroom area. The Extension Arboretum was created in 1994 and serves as a resource for Sedgwick County citizens. The Arboretum showcases specific trees, shrubs and other plants that are ideal for growing in our County. For more information on the gardens, visit the Demonstration Gardens page. 

 

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Current Gardening Topics
My irrigation system is already turned off for the winter - should I be watering during the winter?  If so, what plants are most important to water?  How much water do they need? 

The weather this winter has been dry, and unseasonably warm, making winter watering an important gardening task to do right now. Trees and shrubs planted within the last year, lawns planted or overseeded this past fall, and evergreen trees are the most important plants to focus on watering. Water anytime the temperature is above freezing and the ground isn’t frozen. Water slowly so that the moisture soaks 6-12 inches deep into the ground. Winter watering once or twice per month is usually sufficient. Don’t forget to disconnect your garden hose when you finish! 

My pin oak tree has the strange growths on the leaves. What is it and what can I do? Is this what causes the Oak Itch Mites? 

There's a good chance that what you are seeing is Oak Vein Pocket Gall. Many local pin oak trees have been severely affected for the last few years. This gall is not associated with the itch mites. That is caused by the Oak Leaf Marginal Gall. The best option is to do nothing, because there are not any effective insecticides. 

What variety of ______ should I plant in my yard? 

 

Contact Information

Have Questions? Contact:

Sedgwick County 
Horticulture
7001 W. 21st St. North
Wichita KS 67205-1759
(316) 660-0144

Garden Hotline
(316) 660-0190
sgemghotline@gmail.com
Mon-Fri
9 am - Noon
1 pm - 4 pm

Matt McKernan
Ornamental Horticulture Agent
(316) 660-0140
mckernan@ksu.edu 

Abbey Draut
Food Crops Horticulture Agent
(316) 660-0142
abbeyd@ksu.edu 

Debra Harries
Master Gardener Coordinator
(316) 660-0138
debraharries@ksu.edu 

Nancy Richardson
Office Professional
(316) 660-0144
nancy77@ksu.edu