Master Gardeners Tackle Local Plants

It's a sunny Saturday in September with a steady 70 degrees heat and slight breeze – the perfect day to get to work in the garden.  That is what brought one area boy to the Quince Orchard Library on Saturday.  He wanted to plant a vegetable garden but he didn't know where to start. So he asked the Master Gardeners -- volunteers from the University of Maryland extension service who answer local gardening and planting questions from the community at the library on Saturdays.

Their advice for this young gardener: "Read these fact sheets, amend your soil, and get ready for next year," said Master Gardener Julie Super.

It's near the end of planting season for most vegetables, so the gardeners are mainly advising people on preparation for the spring.

Early spring is the best time to start planting a vegetable garden, said Master Gardener Linda Waters.  Over the winter, she recommends people start to get their soil ready.

"New homes that haven't been gardened much might need to amend their soil," said Waters. "If the acidity isn't right, plants can't take up in the gardens."

The Master Gardeners recommend sending soil away to be tested.  Interested planters can find soil labs on the Master Gardener website.

Local agriculture is becoming more popular in the area, said Waters.  But, she said, the majority of people still come to the Master Gardeners with plant and soil questions.

"Diagnosis is big," said Master Gardener Mary McKnight. "We first have to identify the problem."

On average the Master Gardeners answer 10 to 20 questions each Saturday during 10a.m. to 1p.m. The most common questions concern lawns and problems with an individual plant.  Waters said people often bring in samples.

This Saturday, Super brought in a sample of grass from her garden.  Super's fellow Master Gardener Sally Byrne quickly diagnosed the problem: Japanese Stiltgrass. 

"It actually came here in 1919, but it took a long time to get into the area," Byrne said.

"It is hugely invasive in park lands," added McKnight. "But less infective in the spring."

While some people aim for golf course-like perfection in their lawns, Byrne said the best way to protect a grass lawn is not to cut it too short.

"In healthy turf, weeds will not come," said Byrne, who recommends keeping grass around three inches tall.

Even though fewer gardening questions come up in the fall and winter months, the Master Gardeners still offer suggestions for planting indoors.

The biggest concerns for indoor plants are watering and sun light, some plants need more light and some need less. 

For example, an orchid plant needs light in the morning.  Put an orchid in an east window, said Byrne, and it will get two hours of direct sunlight early in the morning.  But put it by a south window and it will get too much sun in the afternoon.

The gardeners are full of their own plant lingo.  Byrne calls indoor plants "throw away plants," because they usually only bloom once before they have to be thrown away. Though, Waters points out that they're still better than buying cut flowers because they last longer.

Sometimes flowers grow without any attention. These they call volunteers.  "They're plants we don't try to do anything with and they just bloom anyway," said Super.

Next Saturday, Sept. 25, is the last day this year the Master Gardeners will answer questions at Quince Orchard Library.  They are considering a monthly gardening clinic to answer questions during the fall and winter, but the gardeners say they are not sure if there is sufficient interest. 

Master Gardener volunteers will continue to answer questions throughout the year at the Horticulture Hotline: (301) 590-9650.