Tri-County Master Gardener Training
Limestone - Madison - Morgan
Growing in the Heart of the Valley
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Ken Creel, Regional Master Gardener Program Coordinator
Phone: (256) 532-1578, ext. 18
Cell: (256) 382-1554
E-mail
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This site was last updated on January 29, 2010.
View a map to the
Belle Mina Research Station.
Got a question or need some help?
Contact your county Team Leader if you are going to miss a class or have questions about anything in the program. Go to your county's website for more information about projects and volunteer opportunities.
• Tri-County Class Coordinator - Alice Lawler, E-mail, Phone (256) 539-2815 •
• Limestone County - Kathryn Davis, E-mail, Phone (256) 350-2431. Website •
• Madison County - Max Campbell, E-mail, Phone (256) 883-5704. Website •
• Morgan County - Stan Addyman, E-mail, Phone (256) 350-9425. Website •
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) maintains a very large library of informational publications on many topics. A number of these are listed below as reading assignments or additional resources. You will need a PDF viewer to read the files online. A free copy is available for download from Adobe
Acrobat. Click here to search the ACES library for other brochures of interest.
Another great source of information is the online Tri-County Calendar of Events. Kathie Bass, Chair of the Communications Committee, posts information about meetings, projects, and continuing education opportunities of interest to Master Gardeners in Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties. It is kept current by volunteers in each county. Anyone with information about an upcoming event can email it to Kathie and she will get it added to the calendar.
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Weather Note: The blue bar at the top of the weather link will turn RED when severe weather is forecasted in the area of the Tennessee Valley Research Station at Belle Mina, Alabama.
View the syllabus for this AMG training course. Some rearranging of the class sequence is necessary for each course due to availability of the guest speakers.
Invite a friend to be a Master Gardener. Print and mail this MG application to: Kenneth W. Creel, Regional Extension Agent, 819 Cook Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801.
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January 28, 2010
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BASIC BOTANY (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Rudy Pacumbaba
Objectives:
• Review basic plant parts/structures and their functions in plant growth and development
• Understand relationship of photosynthesis and respiration to plant growth and development
• Identify the basic requirements for plant growth including the 12 essential elements
• Recognize the process by which plants absorb essential elements
Reading Assignment for Plant Physiology
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 3: pages 5 – 22
TREES AND PRUNING TECHNIQUES (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Ken Creel
Objectives:
• Become familiar with basic cultural practices relating to the planting and care of trees
• Understand the importance of proper site analysis and selection
• Learn to identify and control major diseases of trees
• Recognize types of trees successfully grown in this geographic region
• Learn appropriate basic pruning techniques
Reading Assignment for Trees and Pruning Techniques
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 9; Chapter 10, pages 35-46.
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February 4, 2010
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SOILS AND PLANT NUTRITION (4 hours)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Charles Mitchell
Objectives:
• Identify the five factors of soil formation
• Recognize the physical components of soil
• Be able to identify and explain the function of the elements essential to plant growth
• Recognize types of fertilizer and their appropriate uses
Reading Assignment for Soils & Fertilizers
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 2
Additional Resources for Soils & Fertilizers
• ANR-0340 Soils of Alabama
• ANR-0744 Fertilizer Basics For Home Grounds
• ANR-0006-A Home Soil Testing: Taking a Sample
• ANR-0006-B Home Soil Testing: Using The Soil Test Report
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February 11, 2010
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Doug Chapman
Objectives:
• Understand the basics of small scale vegetable gardening
• Understand planting schedules and fertilization
• Review methods of insect and disease control
• Learn harvesting and storage techniques
Reading Assignment for Vegetable Gardening
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 12.
Additional Resources for Vegetable Gardening
• ANR-0910 Common Insect and Disease Pests of Turfgrasses and Ornamentals in Alabama
• ANR-0063 Planting Guide For Home Gardening In Alabama
• ANR-0479 The Alabama Vegetable Gardener
SUSTAINABLE GARDENING (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Elouisa Stokes
Objectives:
• Learn the major elements of environmental gardening
• Become familiar with benefits of environmental gardening
• Understand the practice of adaptive gardening for specific reasons
• Recognize the basic principles of composting
Additional Resources for Environmental Gardening and Composting
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 2, pages 35-36
• Class hand-outs
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February 18, 2010
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SMALL FRUITS (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: TBA
Objectives:
• Identify the recommended varieties of fruit trees for our growing zone
• Gain an awareness of the basic cultural practices for home orchards and small fruits
• Become familiar with methods to identify and control insects and deseases in home orchards and on small fruits
• Learn the basic pruning techniques for home orchards
• Understand the importance of site and cultivar selection for small fruits in the home garden
Reading Assignment for Small Fruits
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 13.
MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERING (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Ken Creel
Objectives:
• Learn the requirements for AMG Certification
• Learn how to report volunteer hours
• Learn what volunteer opportunities are available
Additional Resources for
• Class hand-outs
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February 25, 2010
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• NOTE FOR THIS WEEK •
This week's class will meet at the Huntsville Botanical Garden at the regular time.
PLANT SELECTION (4 hours)
Guest Speaker: Harvey Cotten
Objectives:
• Learn what to look for in a plant, i.e. growth habit and cultural requirements
• Obtain an overview of plants that perform well in our growing zone
Reading Assignment for Plant Selection
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 10; Chapter 3, pages 22-27.
Additional Resources for Plant Selection
• ANR-0566 Herbaceous Perennials in Alabama
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March 4, 2010
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• NOTE FOR THIS WEEK •
This week's class will meet at the Huntsville Botanical Garden at the regular time.
ANNUALS AND PERENNIALS (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Niki Sothers
Objectives:
• Learn about the selection and care of annuals and perennials
• Become familiar with their growth habits and best cultural practices
Reading Assignment for Annuals & Perennials
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 14
Additional Resources for Annuals & Perennials
• ANR-751 Correct Installation And Establishment Of Ornamental Plants
• ANR-0566 Herbaceous Perennials in Alabama
• ANR-1071 Wildflower Identification
LANDSCAPING WITH HARVEY (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Harvey Cotten
Objectives:
• Gain knowledge of design principles to help create garden rooms
Reading Assignment for Landscaping with Harvey
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16
• NOT REQUIRED: P. Allen Smith's GARDEN HOME
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March 11, 2010
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LAWNS (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Ken Creel
Objectives:
• Identify the varieties of lawn grasses recommended for our area
• Learn to evaluate them based on temperature tolerance, resilience, and amount of care required
• Learn basic techniques involved in establishing lawn grass
• Become familiar with the basic requirements for proper lawn maintenance
Reading Assignment for Lawns
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 11.
WEED SCIENCE (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Ken Creel
Objectives:
• Learn to identify and classify weeds
• Become familiar with the four general methods of weed control
• Understand the importance of proper selection of herbicides and safety procedures for their use
Reading for Assignment for Weed Science
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 6
Additional Resources for Weed Science
• ANR-1128 Weed Identification for Horticultural Crops
• ANR-0854 Weed Control in Residential Landscape Plantings
• ANR-0322 Weed Control in Home Gardens
• Auburn University Weed Identification
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March 25, 2010
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PLANT PATHOLOGY (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Jim Jacobi
Objectives:
• Learn to identify the major diseases of ornamental flowers, shrubs, and trees
• Acquire a knowledge of techniques for diagnosing growth problems of ornamentals
Reading Assignment for Plant Pathology
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 5; Chapter 9, pages 19-21; and Chapter 10, pages 47-65
Additional Resources for Plant Pathology
• Auburn University Plant Laboratory
• Birmingham Plant Diagnostic Laboratory
ENTOMOLOGY (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Ken Creel
Objectives:
• Learn to identify and control various types of common insects
• Become familiar with the principles of pesticide safety
Reading Assignment for Entomology
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 4; Chapter 9, pages 19-21; chapter 10, pages 66-71; Chapter 11, pages 32-38.
Additional Resources for Entomology
• ANR-1042 Common Diseases and Insects Found in Landscape Settings
• ANR-1045 Garden Bugs
• Integrated Pest Management
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April 1, 2010
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• NOTE FOR THIS WEEK •
This is a hands-on class. Bring your garden gloves. We will view a short video and then split into small groups to rotate through learning stations. Experienced MGs will demonstrate how to perform various types of propagation and then you will practice them. You will keep what you plant so bring a medium-sized box to put your plants in.
PLANT PROPAGATION (4 hours)
Guest Speaker: Ken Creel
Objectives:
• Be able to categorize methods of propagation as sexual or asexual
• Learn techniques and methods of vegetative propagation
• Learn techniques and methods of propagation by seeds
Reading Assignment for Plant Propagation
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 7
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April 8, 2010
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LANDSCAPE DESIGN (4 hours)
Guest Speaker: Kerry Smith
Objectives:
• Gain an awareness of the basic principles of “good” landscape design
• Understand the process of analyzing a site to be landscaped
• Become familiar with the steps involved in developing a landscape design
Reading Assignment for Landscape Design
• Read Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16
Additional Resources for Landscape Design
• ANR-0813 Residential Landscape Design
• Auburn University Landscape website
• Auburn University Landscape Plant Database
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April 15, 2010
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INDOOR FOLIAGE PLANTS (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Drucilla Esslinger
Objectives:
• Review the principles of successful indoor container gardening
Reading Assignment for Container Gardening
• Alabama Master Gardener Handbook, Chapter 15.
Additional Resources for Container Gardening
• ANR-0184 Annual Bedding Plants
• ANR-1139 Container Gardening
• ANR-1242 Home Selection and Care of Interior Foliage Plants
HERBS (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Kathryn Davis
Objectives:
• Learn the basics of herb gardening including varieties appropriate for our area
• Gain an awareness of growing, harvesting, and storage and use techniques
Reading Assignment for Herbs
• Hand-outs
Additional Resources for Herbs
• ANR-1037 Growing Herbs in Containers
• ANR-1164 Growing Herbs
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April 22, 2010
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BACKYARD WILDLIFE HABITAT (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Herb Lewis
Objectives:
• Illustrate incorporating water into a backyard wildlife habitat
• Focus on the key element of flowing water
• Demonstrate associated benefits within a small backyard setting
Additional Resources for Backyard Wildlife Habitat
• For the Birds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, March 2001
• Guide to Bird Behavior, Volume One, Donald Stokes; Little Brown and Company, 1979
• The Practical Rock & Water Garden, Peter Robinson, Hermes House, 2002
• Garden Stone, Barbara Pleasant, Story Books, Stone Publishing, 2002
WATER FEATURE CONSTRUCTION (2 hours)
Guest Speaker: Herb Lewis
Objectives:
• TBD
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Heart of the Valley Regional
Master Gardeners
Ken Creel - Regional Master Gardener
Coordinator
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• Limestone
County •
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• Madison
County •
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• Morgan
County •
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