Spring will be here soon, and many people will be determined to have that luscious lawn. Others may not be focused on the grass but instead are curious as how to maintain and enhance a landscape. Congratulations to both because determination and curiosity are required to be a successful gardener. Here are two programs that the Chesterfield Cooperative Extension office offers that may be of interest if the above sentences are applicable.
Grass Roots is a program designed for citizens to learn and remedy specific problems that are contributing to current lawn conditions. More than 5,000 county residents have participated in the program since 2000. The program includes: a site visit by a Master Gardener who measures the lawn and collects a soil sample; a detailed site evaluation determining soil compaction, shade density, and weed cover; a tailored plan written by Cooperative Extension staff that combines the site visit information and laboratory soils test results for the individual site. In addition to the report, each participant receives one year of seasonal Grass Roots newsletters that give tips for successful lawn care in central Virginia. The cost of the program is $25, which includes one soil sample. Additional soil samples are $11 each. Call 804-751-4401 for more details or http://www.chesterfield.gov/extension/ and click on the Events and Programs tab on the left side of the screen. The program runs from mid-March to the end of May, so register now.
Learn Your Landscape is another Chesterfield Cooperative Extension program where Master Gardeners work with homeowners to enhance landscapes and meet specific needs and goals. Each homeowners meets with two Master Gardeners on their property for an initial site evaluation. The Master Gardeners will assess the homeowner’s property and discuss the existing landscape and determine what the homeowner’s wishes for the landscape are. A final site visit will take place several weeks later, and the two Master Gardeners will present the homeowner with an information binder containing a site plan of their property with existing conditions, suggestions based on their wishes for their future landscape, and fact sheets on general gardening information in central Virginia.
The cost is $30 and the program runs from April 1 through Sept. 30. Space is limited, and persons interested can use the same telephone number and website listed above. Two visits, two Master Gardeners, and one site-specific binder for thirty bucks. Sounds like a great deal to me.
Finally, I have an opportunity to check off another item on the garden bucket list. The Prince George Master Gardeners Association is having its 15th annual Good Gardening Symposium on Saturday, March 11 at the Richard Bland College Barn. I will be speaking about “Treat Your Garden Like a Business.” That’s right, little ol’ me on the big stage. If you can make it to the event, I would love to meet you. Registration is required, and the fee is $15. Visit http://www.pgmga.org/ for details.
Emergent application will be needed in six to eight weeks depending on the density of your turf. Be good to your grass this spring; eat crab instead of growing them.
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