homepage-slider - Fluvanna Master Gardeners

Jun 07 2019

Welcome

If you are looking for gardening and horticultural information we hope you will find it here. We have pages of Frequently Asked Questions, a curated list of links to science-based gardening topics, and our online Help Desk, where you can ask questions of our Master Gardeners.

Our Facebook group is our primary public communication media. We hope you will visit our group and "Like" us to see us in your Facebook feed.

Please explore our site and Happy Gardening!

Fluvanna Master Gardeners Facebook Group

4 months ago

Okay, would this really work? Maybe for a bare root plant? ... See MoreSee Less

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4 months ago

Hmmmm, wouldn’t this make a lovely project for Pleasant Grove Park? ... See MoreSee Less

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4 months ago

I’m going to look closer at my hydrangea. I was thinking this was a bit of frost at the tips? HmmmDo you grow Hydrangeas? Have you seen these odd, tightly sewed-up new leaves and wondered what is going on? You may be watching the Hydrangea leaftier caterpillar in action! Read on in this post from the ever-observant "Buggy" Joe Boggs at OSU Extension > https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1568"The oddball "leaf-purse" handiwork hydrangea leaftier moth (Olethreutes ferriferana, family Tortricidae) caterpillars are appearing on wild and cultivated hydrangeas. While these leaf structures may look very odd, the damage appears to cause little harm to the overall health of affected plants.Individual caterpillars apply silk along the edges of newly expanding hydrangea leaves to cement or tie the leaves together. This creates a purse or envelope-like structure that surrounds both newly developing leaves and flowers."~MB ... See MoreSee Less

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4 months ago

Let’s see how many questions this raises.....Poison Hemlock is a common poisonous weed in Virginia! It looks a bit like Queen Anne's lace or wild parsnips but can grow 6-10 feet tall and has stems spotted or streaked with red or purple.Poison Hemlock is an herbaceous biennial flowering plant in the carrot family. It grows 6 to 10 feet in height with a smooth green stem often spotted or streaked with red or purple. The leaves are finely divided and lacy, up to 20 inches long by 16 inches wide. It has white flowers that grow in small erect clusters. Each flower develops into a green, deeply ridged fruit that contains several seeds. All parts of this plant have an unpleasant odor. While Poison Hemlock is usually biennial, in favorable locations it may be perennial.Where it may be found:Poison Hemlock is a non-native that is very common in Virginia and across the United States. It grows along fence lines, ditches, wet roadsides and meadows.What part(s) of the plant are toxicAll parts of Poison Hemlock are extremely poisonous, emit a foul odor and contain the toxin coniine what acts exactly like nicotine. The juice can cause severe skin irritation. Often, internal poisoning occurs after the victim confuses the Hemlock root with Wild Parsnips, the Hemlock leaves with Parsley, or the Hemlock seed with Anise.More info on all poisonous plants in Virginia: https://resources.ext.vt.edu/contentdetail?contentid=1405More info on poison hemlock: https://extension.psu.edu/poison-hemlock ... See MoreSee Less

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5 months ago

And it’s Virginia Native Plant Society for the win! (Regarding my question about propagation of this fabulous honeysuckle) ... See MoreSee Less

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4 months ago

When something has been around this long, maybe we shouldn’t fight it!! ... See MoreSee Less

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5 months ago

I have a question regarding our glorious native coral honeysuckle. Can it be propagated by cuttings? Extra credit for hints or tips... 😊 ... See MoreSee Less

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5 months ago

Found my plant was knocked off my deck this morning and eaten to pieces. I saw squirrels attacking it the other day and devouring portions. Could squirrels knock it off my deck? This was a heavy pot! ... See MoreSee Less

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5 months ago

Yea for compost!! ... See MoreSee Less

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5 months ago

Royal paulownia or princess tree is flowering right now! Its showy purple flowers appear before leaf-out making this invasive tree easy to identify. One large tree may produce 20 million seeds per year. Identify now and plan to control this tree June - February. Photo credit: Leslie J. Hehrhoff, University of Conn, bugwood.orgLearn more about Paulownia tomentosa. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a888 ... See MoreSee Less

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5 months ago

YupIf you don't have space (or time!!) to plant a whole garden, you can still grow a tomato plant in a container!! Container gardening can be a low-cost way to get started gardening--all you need is a 5 gallon bucket, a bag of potting soil, a tall stick/stake, and a plant.If you use a bucket, or another container without drainage holes, make sure to add plenty of holes to the bottom before planting.Put your tomato plant somewhere that will get at least 6 hours of light a day and make sure you water it deeply (until the water drains out the bottom). Containers may dry out very quickly in hot weather and need to be watered every day!Tomatoes can take from 55-100 days from seed to harvest!Learn all about container gardening with vegetables here: https://resources.ext.vt.edu/contentdetail?contentid=1064Image text:Container should:1. Be big enough to support plants when they are fully grown2. Hold soil without spilling3. Have adequate drainage4. Never have held products that would be toxic to plants or people.Potting media: Use a fairly lightweight potting mix. Soilless mixes, such as peatlite mix, are generally too light for container vegetable gardening, not offering enough support to plant roots. If the container is also lightweight, a strong wind can blow plants over, resulting in major damage.Planting: Plant container crops at the same time you would if you were planting a regular garden.Watering: Containers can dry out very quickly, especially on a concrete patio in fullsun. Watering daily or even twice daily may be necessary.Light: Plant needs at least sis hours of direct light.Labeled on plant:No need for gravel in bottom of containerRequires at least a 5-gallon container!1 plant per containerSupport the plant as it grows by staking or with a cage. ... See MoreSee Less

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5 months ago

You can learn something new every day.𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 Plant sales sponsored by Master Gardeners, Churches, and other organizations are often done as fund raisers using donated plant material from volunteers dividing specimens from their home gardens. Unfortunately, donated plant material (even gifts from friends) can easily harbor invasive jumping worms or their eggs and spread them to uninfected areas. The best way to avoid that is to root wash your material before potting it up into fresh potting media, and/or root washing any plant material you get before planting it. >>Researchers are looking into how the worms will affect forests long-term and what can be done to control already established populations, reports PBS Wisconsin. Herrick and his team at the University of Wisconsin plan on connecting gardeners and landscaping professionals so they can share observations about the worm and practices for controlling them.<<Below is a good article about "best practices" for sharing plants from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Extension. ~rce via Iowa Master Gardeners and Smithsonian Magazine𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 https://smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/…𝐔𝐍𝐇 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 "Plant Sales and Jumping Worms"https://extension.unh.edu/resource/plant-sales-and-jumping-worms𝐈𝐨𝐰𝐚 𝐌𝐆𝐬 https://www.facebook.com/iamastergardeners/posts/5705420829475791𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧https://www.facebook.com/UIExtension/posts/10157677094636793𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 (with links to other posts and resources)https://www.facebook.com/extensionmastergardener/posts/3378540615505808𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 https://youtu.be/tflbNuegJH0 ... See MoreSee Less

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Feb 28 2018

Horticultural Help Desk

The Fluvanna Master Gardeners Horticultural Help Desk at the Fluvanna Public Library will reopen on Tuesday April 6, 2021!

Weekly Help Desks are every Tuesday from 2 to 5 pm on the covered patio of the Library. Come with your questions on gardens, lawns, trees, and plants. We provide research-based advice, along with handouts, and reference material from Virginia Tech and other research institutions.

During the pandemic we require masks and social distancing. Hand sanitizer will be available.

If you can't make the face to face Help Desk, you can still get help by contacting us by clicking here or the Help Desk tab at the top of any of our web-pages and completing the Contact Us form. You can also call the Fluvanna Virginia Cooperative Education office in Fork Union at 434-591-1950 and ask the staff to convey your message to us.

Bring us your gardening questions!

Special note: If you wish to send a plant or insect sample to the VT Plant Clinic - PLEASE contact us FIRST for instructions on how to do this correctly or the Clinic may not be able to process your sample. Click on our Help Desk page for instructions for submitting plant samples.