Volunteer Opp's Bulletin
March 2019 || Volume 5 Issue 2
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In This Month's Edition of Vol Opp's:
- Activity Spotlights:
- Jackson County MGs are "Sow" Busy!
- Coffee COunty MGs Complete Advanced Master Gardener Course
- Harvest for Health Volunteers Needed - See Announcement Below
- Lab update: Tea Scale
- Lab Update Extra: Winter Weather and Insect Populations
- Baldwin County Spring 2019 Workshop Schedule
- Lunch And Learn Schedule
- Upcoming Events and Announcements
- MGNA Pruning Workshop
- MGNA Bonsi Workshop
- Lee County MGA Spring Mulch Sale
- All Bugs Good and Bad 2019 Webinar Series
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Jackson Co. MGs are "Sow" Busy!
The Jackson County Master Gardeners did not start off 2019 with a dormant period. They kicked off the year by spreading the word about the Master Gardener Program at the 12th Annual Senior Expo sponsored by AARP. Several potential new Master Gardeneres showed interest in joining their 2020 class.
JCMGA also assisted the Jackson County Extension Office with the 6th annual Chemical Applicators Workshop. 27 attendees learned more about turf management, plant pathology, and pest control from Auburn professors and Extension Agents from surrounding counties. They will continue to host this presentation annually, so stay tuned for next year!
In honor of Arbor Day, JCMGA partnered with the Scottsboro Tree Commission to host a Tree Give-away in late February.
On March 5th, they will have "sow" much fun learning how to use the ACES SOW App to plan their 2019 gardens. This program will be from 11:30 am until 1:30 pm at the Scottsboro Public Library. Looking ahead to April, they are planning a tomato workshop (date and time TBA).
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Coffee County MGs Complete Advanced Master Gardener Course
For some Master Gardeners, the next step is becoming an Advanced Master Gardener. Individuals with special gardening interests want to learn more and specialize their volunteer outreach.
This process is tedious. Master Gardeners must submit an application to an Extension Agent proposing a particular topic of study, listing education materials they plan to utilize, and how they propose to conduct outreach to share their expertise. The Extension Agent has to approve the application, the methods they plan to use to achieve their goals, then complete forty hours of training and ten hours of outreach to complete the program. Congratulations to these three Coffee County Master Gardeners for going above and beyond!
Individuals shown in photo (left to right): Kathryn Firsching, Landscape Design; Ona Garwood, Herbaceous Perennials; and Brenda Evans, Pollinators and Pollination. Firsching and Evans were the featured speakers at a recent CCMGA meeting, speaking on their projects and future plans for Advanced MG outreach.
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We need you on our team – our Home Grounds Extension Team.
WSU Cooperative Extension started planning the MG Program in 1971 with a single purpose – foster a crew of Extension ambassadors who would expand their educational programs. Ten years later, Alabama Extension adopted the MG program for this same reason.
How are you an Extension ambassador? It happens every time you mention the ACES-MG connection. Last year, Alabama MG volunteers made over 2.5 M public contacts through educational programs. That was 2.5M opportunities to promote our partnership and a huge brag point to an Extension Administrator. Please don't miss this opportunity.
Vol. Opp’s is a tool we use to tell the MG story. Send us your stories illustrating the mission of the ACES-MG partnership. We need each other and we need you as an ambassador on the Home Grounds Extension Team.
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Volunteers Needed to Mentor Harvest for Health Participants
Master Gardeners are needed to mentor in Harvest for Health, a joint program between the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Alabama Extension’s Home Grounds Team. We pair MGs with cancer survivors in order to study the health and healing benefits of gardening. Mentors are expected to visit the participant twice monthly, with one garden visit and a phone call. Build new friendships and share a hobby you love with others! Contact Renee Thompson, ACES-Harvest for Health Outreach Coordinator, at 334-826-1590 or thomprw@auburn.edu.
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A message from Renee Thompson:
"We are so excited to see Harvest for Health gardens popping up all over our state! We are still in need of wonderful, caring MGs to be mentors in the following counties:
Shelby, 8 mentors needed
Autauga, 3 mentors needed
Etowah, 4 mentor needed
Cherokee, 3 mentors needed
Lauderdale, 2 mentors needed
Limestone, 3 mentors needed
Madison, 25 mentors needed
Marshall, 4 mentors needed
Lee, 15 mentors needed
Tallapoosa, 2 mentors needed
Elmore, 5 mentors needed
Coffee, 2 mentors needed
Covington, 1 mentor needed
Dale, 3 mentors needed
Houston, 6 mentors needed
Montgomery, 12 mentors needed
DeKalb, 1-2 mentors needed
Jackson, 1 mentor needed
Morgan, 1-3 mentors needed
Colbert, 1-2 mentors needed
I'll leave you with a fun thought: 'One is nearer to God's heart in a garden than in anywhere else on Earth' -Dorthy Frances Gurney."
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Do you have a cool story or project you'd like to share? We'd love to hear what your MG association is doing in your community. Send your stories to Kerry Smith at smithkp@auburn.edu.
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March's Insects to Scout : Tea Scale
Most commonly found on camellias and hollies, Tea Scale is a tiny insect that hides on the underside of foliage. These tiny insects hide beneath a fuzzy white coating and suck nutrients from the leaf. In addition to the white fuzz under leaves, yellow spots on the upper sides of the leaves can indicate a scale problem. Heavy tea scale infestations will reduce plant vigor and in some cases kill the plant.
Tea Scale can be managed with applications of horticultural oils. It is best to apply horticultural oil while the temperatures are between 45 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, so be sure to take advantage of March's mild weather and scout for tea scale now! (Photo creds: Chazz Hesselein, ACES)
 
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Pest Update Extra: Winter Weather and Insect Populations
It has long been assumed that warmer winters will cause increased insect populations later in the year. This is not entirely true. Insects hibernate, so winter temperatures don't effect them much.
Rain, on the other hand, can cause insects to wake up from their long winter nap early and seek shelter in dry places. Often, these "dry places" are residential homes. Periods of lots of rain usually lead to increased home invasions by troops of ants and cockroaches.
You can reduce your chance of an insect invasion by keeping your turf grass maintained at the proper mowing height and making sure there are no piles of clutter around for insects to camp out in. (from Xing Ping Hu, Auburn University Entomology)
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March Lunch and Learn Schedule
(Events start at 12:00pm and participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch)
- Mar 6, Montgomery
- All Veggies Love a Raised Bed; Armory Learning Arts Center
- Mar 7, Autauga
- 101 Questions; Trinity United Methodist Church
- Mar 12, Elmore
- Hummingbirds; First Presbyterian Church, Wetumpka
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The Master Gardeners of North Alabama invite you to come tune in to your inner peace, work with nature, and explore the ancient art of Bonsai.
They are hosting a Bonsai Demonstration Workshop on Tuesday, March 21st from 10:00 am- 12:00 pm at the Alabama A&M Agribition Center (4925 Moores Mill Rd, Huntsville).
The workshop is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Register online at www.mginfo.org/workshops
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Lee County MGA Spring Mulch Sale
Lee County Master Gardener’s will be selling pine bark mulch on March 9th, March 23rd March 30th, April 6th and April 27th 2019 from 9:00am unil 1:00 PM at the Lawrence Farm (3327 Moores Mill Rd, Auburn). The pine bark, purchased from a local lumber mill, is excellent for soil amendment or top-dressing. The price, cash or check, is $25 per cu. yard for coarse and $35 for fine. There is a front-end loader tractor available for loading trucks or trailers. There will be Master Gardener’s available to answer any questions. If Saturday is a rainy day, Sale will be rescheduled . For more information, contact Steve Cater by phone (334)332-6100 or email sec4500@gmail.com
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All Bugs Good And Bad 2019 Webinar Series
Throughout the year, Extension teams from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas will partner together to offer a free webinar series. These Webinars will take place on the first Friday of every month at 1:00pm Central Time.
Some upcoming topics include: The Ins and Outs of Termite Treatments, GMOS and the Effect on Insect Populations, Red Imported Fire Ants in the Landscape, and many other interesting topics!
For more information about the topic schedule and how to tune in, visit https://articles.extension.org/pages/74786/2019-all-bugs-good-and-bad-webinar-series |
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