3/8/04

Contacts:
Cindy Haynes, Horticulture, (515) 294-4006, chaynes@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033, jmcguire@iastate.edu

Yard and Garden Column for the Week Beginning March 12, 2004

Got questions? We have answers.

By Cindy Haynes
Extension Horticulture Specialist
Iowa State University

Gardening is the number one hobby or leisure time activity in the United States. Gardening rewards us with beautiful landscapes and nutritious foods. But let's face it, gardening is not easy. In fact, many accomplished gardeners can recount as many failures as successes. While these failures are frustrating, they are also opportunities to learn and improve.

Fortunately for the novice or life-long gardener in Iowa, there are many ways to avoid common mistakes. Through the services provided by Iowa State University Extension, gardeners can turn potential disappointments into accomplishments.

One of the first places to start is your local county extension office. Many counties have Master Gardeners or horticulture specialists that answer questions during the growing season. Master Gardeners grow plants in your area, possibly even in your neighborhood. So, they are familiar with the growing conditions and problems that may be prevalent in your area. Master Gardeners volunteer their time to help the community to garden successfully and they have been trained to help you.

You can also check out the gardening publications available through ISU Extension online. By visiting www.extension.iastate.edu/pubs you can browse one of the most complete collections of gardening publications offered by a university. New and updated publications are constantly being added, and many of these publications can be downloaded from the Web for free. If you want printed copies of the publications, simply contact any county extension office or order via phone or Web from the ISU Extension Distribution Center (See sidebar). Through these extension publications, you can learn how to grow all sorts of plants and prevent many problems from happening.

Your county extension office and the ISU publications Web site aren't the only sources of gardening information. Several departments on the Ames campus offer services to assist with your garden-related questions or concerns. The ISU Horticulture Hotline should be one of the first places to contact with your gardening questions. The Hortline (515) 294-3108 is staffed Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Several thousand questions about lawns, vegetables, fruits, flowers, houseplants, trees or all things green and growing are answered by the Hortline staff each year.

If you suspect one of your plants has a disease problem, you can contact the Plant Disease Clinic. The plant pathologists at the Plant Disease Clinic are trained diagnosticians and assist thousands of gardeners and farmers every year. For a nominal fee you can send in a sample of a "sick" plant and receive a written response with suggestions for control and/or preventative measures. You can contact the Plant Disease Clinic directly or send plant samples through any county extension office.

Got bugs? No one is better at answering all those pesky bug questions than ISU Extension entomologists. They can identify which insect is wrecking havoc on your lawn or garden. The entomologists also will recommend ways to control or prevent insect damage. They can probably even tell you the fascinating life cycles and history of most Iowa insects, if you are interested.

So, as the gardening season gears up and those gardening questions begin to pop up, you now know where to go for the answers. Give us a call!

Sidebar

Hortline
Phone: (515) 294-3108
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m.
E-mail: hortline@iastate.edu

Plant Disease Clinic
Phone: (515) 294-0581
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
E-mail: sickplant@iastate.edu

Extension Entomology
Phone: (515) 294-1101
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
E-mail: insects@iastate.edu

Extension Publications
Phone: (515) 294-5247
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fax: (515) 294-2945
E-mail: pubsdist@iastate.edu

To find phone numbers and email addresses for counties in Iowa go to www.extension.iastate.edu and click on counties and area offices, then click on your county.

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