• How can you test seed for germination potential?  - Week of January 7, 2008
• Can you give me information about starting vegetable and flower seeds indoors? - Week of January 7, 2008
• Do I need to cold-treat paperwhite bulbs after I purchase them in order for them to be forced into bloom indoors? Is it possible to save the bulbs and force them into bloom the following year? - Week of January 14, 2008
• My garden space is limited but I would like to grow some vegetables. How can I make the most of the space that I have?  - Week of January 21, 2008
• What is concentrated planting in a vegetable garden? - Week of January 21, 2008
• What is intercropping in a vegetable garden? - Week of January 21, 2008
• What is succession cropping in a vegetable garden? - Week of January 21, 2008
• We have a wet area in the backyard that is too costly to drain. Can you recommend some trees and shrubs that would grow in a wet area? - Week of January 28, 2008
• Besides boxwood or yews, what can you suggest for a hedge 4'-6' tall? - Week of January 28, 2008
• Something has injured the bark on some of my small trees and shrubs this winter. What could be causing this? - Week of January 28, 2008
• Front Yard Landscape Basics - Week of February 4, 2008
• What kinds of things should I be considering when selecting trees and shrubs for my new landscape? - Week of February 11, 2008
• What are the best plants to attract hummingbirds? - Week of February 18, 2008
• What are some plants I can install in the garden to attract birds?  - Week of February 18, 2008
• What perennials would be suitable for a shady garden? - Week of February 25, 2008
• Do you know of a good resource on Ohio native plants? - Week of February 25, 2008
• What is the difference between annuals and perennials? How do I plan a garden that blooms all season without having to replant each year? - Week of March 3, 2008
•  Is crown vetch long-lived, is it drought-tolerant, and how does the foliage look after the plant blooms? Is it too invasive for the home landscape? - Week of March 3, 2008
• I thought that purple loosestrife was considered a noxious weed in Ohio and could not be planted. Yet I've seen plants in the garden centers for sale in the spring. Shouldn't they be banned from sale? - Week of March 10, 2008
• I continue to read about the need for improved soil conditions for perennial gardens. However, Since the perennials are in place for several seasons, how can the soil be continually improved with organic matter without disturbing the plant roots? - Week of March 10, 2008
• How Should Annual Flower Beds be Fertilized? - Week of March 17, 2008
• What Recommendations do you have for Fertilizing Perennial and Annual Flowerbeds? - Week of March 17, 2008
• What "Hardy Annuals" can I use to extend the bloom season in Ohio? - Week of March 17, 2008
• Go Green - Week of March 24, 2008
• Growing Herbs in Fun! - Week of March 31, 2008
• I'm ready to start sowing seeds and I never know when or if I should pinch the seedlings. Do you have a source I could check or a good rule of thumb? - Week of April 7, 2008
• We want to build flower beds in a shady area under some mature trees. We are wondering if adding four to six inches of soil would hurt the trees?  - Week of April 7, 2008
• 2008 Master Gardener Class - Week of April 14, 2008
• I planted some annual and vegetable transplants last weekend, when it was perhaps a little too cool. Now the leaves on these plants are turning purple! Should I fertilize? - Week of April 21, 2008
• When can I safely plant tender annuals and vegetables outdoors? - Week of April 21, 2008
• When should I begin fertilizing the vegetables and flowers that I started from seed? - Week of April 21, 2008
• When should I apply pre-emergent herbicides for crabgrass prevention? - Week of April 28, 2008
• I scalped my lawn. What measures should I take to try to bring the brown and light green portions back? - Week of April 28, 2008
• How can I control clover in my lawn? - Week of May 5, 2008
• What is red thread and where am I likely to see it? - Week of May 5, 2008
• What is causing toadstools and mushrooms to grow in my lawn and garden? - Week of May 5, 2008
• Surface roots on two maple trees in my front yard are causing a mowing problem. Is there a solution?  - Week of May 12, 2008
• Should I mow the lawn even though it is wet? - Week of May 12, 2008
• How long can a lawn be under standing water and survive? We've had some drain tile problems after heavy rains and the lawn has been under water for a couple of days. - Week of May 12, 2008
• May 18 – 24, 2008 is Master Gardener Volunteer Program Week - Week of May 19, 2008
• Grown some flower and vegetable seedlings in your basement under lights. What steps must you follow to harden these before planting them in the garden this spring? - Week of May 26, 2008
• I know I need to pinch my mums for more bloom later this summer and early fall. How do I do this and what is the latest date I should be pinching the plants?  - Week of May 26, 2008
• What can I do to insure the longest bloom time for cut flowers?  - Week of May 26, 2008
• When should I apply mulch to my flower beds? How deep should the mulch be? - Week of June 2, 2008
• Do I need to do anything to the vegetables and flowers that I started indoors before I plant them outside in the spring? - Week of June 2, 2008
• What are hardy annuals? - Week of June 2, 2008
• Please tell me about the new daylily rust disease in Ohio. What do I need to look for and what can I do about it? - Week of June 9, 2008
• Are ants necessary for peonies to bloom? - Week of June 16, 2008
• Why aren't my peonies blooming like others in the neighborhood? - Week of June 16, 2008
• Can cutting back peonies directly after their bloom period cause problems the following year? - Week of June 16, 2008
• What’s The Buzz about Bees? - Week of June 16, 2008
• We are having a real problem with rabbits in our garden - they are eating every tender shoot that comes up. What can I do to discourage them?  - Week of June 23, 2008
• In mid-spring, I planted some annual flowers. Three weeks later, the marigolds look burned and the sweet William leaves are purplish. Is there something wrong with the soil? None of the flowers look as robust now as the day I planted them.  - Week of June 23, 2008
• What is causing toadstools and mushrooms to grow in my lawn and garden?  - Week of June 23, 2008
• I thought that Verticillium wilt was a disease of woody plants. Now I have heard that impatiens can get it. Is this true?  - Week of June 30, 2008
•  My annuals are looking pretty bad…leggy and such. How can I improve their vigor and flowering?  -Week of June 30, 2008
• I just planted some annual flowers, and now they are covered with hundreds of aphids! What can I do to get rid of them before they injure my plants extensively?  - Week of June 30, 2008
• Master Gardener Food Preparation Class – July 12, 2008 - Week of July 7, 2008
• Is there anything we can do for bacterial blight on geranium? We planted about 150 plants this spring in our front flower beds, and they are looking very bad now - wilted and yellow. Please help!  - Week of July 14, 2008
• The leaves on my hollyhocks are disgraceful! They look as though they have been skeletonized almost like a Japanese beetle would do, but it's too early for them. I don't see any insects attacking them. What could be causing this? - Week of July 21, 2008
• What could be eating holes in the leaves of my hostas and other annual and perennial flowers? - Week of July 21, 2008
• I'm new to perennial gardening, and don't understand the term "deadheading." What is this? - Week of July 21, 2008
• As a new homeowner, I am trying to take care of my lawn and landscape with limited knowledge. I have heard about lawn grubs and that they can be devastating. What are they, when are they out, how do I find them, and how do I kill them?  - Week of July 28, 2008
• What are those scary-looking insects I am finding in abundance under the mulch? They are brown, have a big pincher on the rear end, and move fast! They are everywhere!  - Week of August 4, 2008
• How can I control mosquitoes? - Week of August 4, 2008
• I'm trying to reduce my watering in the vegetable gardening by using mulches. However, there are probably times I should water to benefit the plants. Are there critical watering times for vegetables?  - Week of August 11, 2008
• I have problems year after year with squash vine borer killing my zucchini plants. Is there a way to get ahead of this pest?  - Week of August 11, 2008
• What are the common pest problems of honeylocust? - Week of August 18, 2008
• What how can peach tree borers be controlled? - Week of August 18, 2008
• I'm having trouble with Canada thistle throughout my ornamental beds. If I pull them, I get more popping up! How can I get ahead of this problem? - Week of August 25, 2008 
• How can I control poison ivy in ornamental beds? - Week of August 25, 2008
• I don't want to irrigate my lawn all summer, but do want it to survive in hot, dry weather. Is there a way to irrigate intermittently and not all summer? - Week of September 1, 2008
• It has been so hot and dry this summer that I have been watering my small trees every day - but they are still wilting. What has gone wrong, and what can I do? - Week of September 8, 2008
• What is the proper watering method for new, young tree transplants? - Week of September 8, 2008
• Within the last 6-8 weeks, fuzzy, brown spots have appeared on the underside of the leaves on our maples. What is it and will it kill the tree?  - Week of September 15, 2008
• What Are Oak Galls?  - Week of September 15, 2008
• We have a terrible problem with yellow jackets in late summer. They are nesting in the ground and when I mow, they come after me! How can I get rid of the nest? - Week of September 22, 2008
• Union County Master Gardeners Open House - Week of September 29, 2008
• I've always been leery of using that greenish treated lumber in my garden because of the arsenic in it. Now I hear that it's being taken off the market - what are the details of this? - Week of October 6, 2008
• I'd like to do some garden soil preparation this fall, since the last two springs have been wet and the soil was impossible to work. Can you give me some guidelines improving soil for annual flower and vegetable beds? What amendments should I use?  - Week of  October 16, 2008
• How do I provide winter protection for my tree rose? - Week of October 20, 2008
• How do I go about winterizing my roses?  - Week of October 27, 2008
• How do I harvest and cure gourds for use in fall arrangements? - Week of November 3, 2008
•  Is Winter Protection Required for Roses?  - Week of November 10, 2008
• This season I planted a few small trees and shrubs in containers. They are too large and numerous to move into the garage for winter. What should I be doing to ensure their survival through winter?  - Week of November 17, 2008
• 2008 Union County Master Gardener Banquet - Week of November 17, 2008
  

For answers to gardening questions, call 937.644.8117 or e-mail George McVey, Union County Master Gardener Coordinator at mcvey.22@cfaes.osu.edu. Office hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

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