Advice from Extension Master Gardeners
Ever wonder what Extension Master Gardeners (EMGs) know that you don’t? In this talk, you’ll learn some of what EMGs have learned either through training or hard experience. EMG Alyssa Ford Morel has gathered helpful tidbits from her colleagues with the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia and compiled them in this presentation.
Zoom session, recorded January 19, 2024
Video of Presentation
Chapter Breaks
Tips:
- Do a Soil Test 01:17
- Learn to Share Your Yard With Other Creatures 06:44
- Be Safe 11:43
- Dig the Right Hole and Plant Well 14:22
- Know How Much Sun You Have 17:09
- Always Plan for the Full Size of Your Plant 20:41
- Hand Pull Your Weeds 25:51
- The Right Clothes Make a Difference 32:38
- Water Wisely 33:49
- You Can Be Successful 39:00
- Take Care of Your Tools 39:52
- Climate Change is Here 40:46
- Gardens Grow 48:28
- Garden Design 50:29
- Roots Grown in Water vs Roots Grown in Soil 53:43
- Seeds Are Not Scary 55:10
- Containers, from Anne Reed 57:58
- Containers, the Sequel 1:00:35
Chapter Breaks, continued
Tricks:
- Improve Your Soil 04:36
- How to Find Reliable Information 08:55
- Smother Your Grass 22:02
- Keeping Herbicide on the Weeds 28:19
- Try the “Chelsea Chop” 30:35
- Dealing with Black Walnuts 1:03:28
- How to Keep Track of Your Tools 1:04:46
- You Can Bring Color into Your Garden Even Without Flowers 1:08:53
Tools:
- Good Pruners are Worth the Investment 10:08
- Find Good Gloves 19:16
- Hori-Hori Knife 26:27
- Hose Timer 36:30
- Stretch Out Watering With Ollas 37:14
- Take Care of Your Tools 39:52
- Pick Axe 57:09
- CobraHead Weeder 1:05:43
- Plan for Proper Support 1:06:00
- Shovels 1:07:46
Questions:
Additional Information
From Alyssa:
There were questions about using black plastic (known as occultation) and clear plastic (known as solarization) that I didn’t have answers for. I found articles from three universities which should help shed some light on these practices.
Occultation takes longer than solarization, but both appear to be effective methods of killing lawn and/or weeds. Note that the articles from the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University make brief reference to the possibility that killing grass using these methods may impact the health of life in the soil, but do not expand on that issue, which is an emerging area of study.
- Hoidal, Natalie. 2021. Using the sun to kill weeds and prepare garden plots. University of Minnesota Extension.
https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/solarization-occultation - Lawn (Turfgrass) Removal Methods. 2023. University of Maryland Extension.
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/lawn-turfgrass-removal-methods/ - Steil, Aaron. 2023. How to Kill Grass to Create a New Garden Bed. Iowa State University Extension
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/how-kill-grass-create-new-garden-bed