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Discolored leaves - Mexican Petunia
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Date Posted: Tue, Aug 27 - 11:07 pm
- My dad has a lot of mexican petunia at our beach house in North Carolina. They have developed this odd discoloration on the leaves (see pic below). They reside in predominantly shade and have been there forever. Any idea what this could be and how to fix it? I have them here in Richmond but mine have not done that.
- First - please let me apologize for the delay in getting a response over to you! The website had some updates done that unintentionally prevented our access to answer questions! We finally have it fixed and are back up and running. We appreciate your patience! This seems most likely to be gall mites. Wet and humid conditions which are typically prevalent throughout the month of August will facilitate the growth of gall mites. Mexican Petunias tend to prefer full sun, so being in the shade has probably exacerbated the problem. From what we have read, a horticultural oil like All-Seasons Oil Spray will get rid of these mites, although they should be used with caution as they can cause phytotoxicity at high temperatures. If you are interested in reading more about gall mites here is an informative article: https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/monroeco/2022/08/30/what-is-this-gall-mites/ As Master Gardeners, we would also be remiss not to mention that concerns for mexican petunia to be invasive. It is currently classified as highly invasive in Florida and we imagine other states will start listing it as such as well. It spreads via both numerous seeds and lateral roots and therefor can be difficult to control and/or remove. It could be a good time to consider removing this plant and replacing it with native options. Here are a few ideas that you could think about if you are looking to keep some color in the area: East coast dune sunflower, Helianthus debilis subsp. debilis, blue porterweed, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, tickseed, Coreopsis leavenworthii, tropical sage, Salvia coccinea, or firecracker plant, Russelia equisetiformis can be used.
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Flyers
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Date Posted: Sun, Aug 04 - 11:50 pm
- I saw flyers for Homegrown National Parks at your table at a Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens plant sale. I am interested in getting some of the flyers if you have them available as well as your flyer National Night Out next week. I look forward to your response in my email. Thank you.
- Hello! Thank you for reaching out! While we definitely support both Homegrown National Parks and National Night out, the Richmond Master Gardeners did not have a booth at the Lewis Ginter Plant sale and we do not have either of those flyers. I'm not certain which of the local Master Gardener groups attended the sale, but I would suggest trying Henrico Master Gardeners next. Good luck!
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Transfering from out of state
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Date Posted: Tue, Jul 30 - 12:23 am
- Hello, I recently moved go Richmond and I am interested in transferring my Master Gardener certification here. I completed the MG training in Philadelphia and was certified in October 2023. I would love to be involved here and start volunteering. Is there a way for me to transfer my certification? Thanks so much!
- Hello! Welcome to Richmond! We hope you will enjoy it here. We would love to have you join the Richmond Master Gardeners. Richmond does not have an extension agent currently so we are trying to do our homework to figure out what is needed for your transfer. We believe that you will need to take a few additional classes related to this area specifically. The Richmond office is not offering classes at this time. It may be best if you connect with one of the surrounding counties to transfer your membership to Virginia and then it would be easy to transfer over to Richmond. I will follow up with an e-mail to you so that we can stay in touch and try to get you plugged in with Richmond!
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Becoming a Master Gardener
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Date Posted: Wed, Jul 24 - 4:44 pm
- Hello! I am interested in becoming a master gardener, and I have found a program through Powhatan & Goochland. However, I'm wondering if there is one offered through Richmond? Thank you!
- Hello! Thank you for reaching out about becoming a Master Gardener! There are currently limited opportunities across the commonwealth as there are many open extension agent positions, including in the city of Richmond. We are hopeful that there will be two spaces for Richmond Master Gardener trainees with the Chesterfield unit this year. We should have more information about this possibility by early September. Should you decide to go through the training program with Powhatan or Goochland, you could always transfer your membership to Richmond once you have completed the training process. I will send you a follow up e-mail so that we can stay in touch about this!
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Home consult
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Date Posted: Sat, Jul 13 - 11:59 am
- Can I master gardener come out to my home to see if I'm gardening the right way? This is my first year and I'm not sure if everything I'm doing is correct.
- I will send you an email to follow up on this with you. Once I have more information, I will see if we have a master gardener available.
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Planting sapling redbuds
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Date Posted: Thu, May 30 - 5:26 pm
- I have two sapling eastern redbuds. I have grown them from seed. Looking to plant them in my yard, what is the proper exposure and best time of year for them to thrive in the ground? Also how far apart should they be planted?
- How exciting! Redbuds are so beautiful, and what an accomplishment to grow them from seed. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when planting sapling redbuds- First, it is best to plant them on the smaller side as they don't enjoy being transplanted due to their long taproot. Second, the best time of year to plant many natives, including eastern redbuds, is the early fall after the heat of summer has passed. This allows the plant time to get established before winter and sets it up to really thrive the following year! An exception to this, is if you are planting in a space that closely mimics the redbud's natural environment. They are happiest with partial shade and in moist, well-drained soil. Whether you decide to plant now or early fall, keep them well mulched and watered as they for at least the first year as they get established. They should be planted at least 12 feet apart from each other to allow space for both to grow. Good luck and happy gardening!
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Rust on serviceberry
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Date Posted: Wed, May 01 - 1:12 am
- Our serviceberry (about two years old) has a rust on the berries. It looks relatively minor (about half the berries are about 50% covered in the rust spores). We planted this tree specifically to support the birds with the berries, although we are also very happy with all of the other ecological benefits the tree provides. Will the rust effect the desirability of the berries to the birds? Is there anything we can or should do to protect the tree/berries from more rust? We live in Churchhill on a tiny urban plot - the serviceberry is our only tree. Thank you!
- Cedar-apple rust and related rust fungi need plants from two plant families to complete their life cycle; Cupressaceae family (eastern red cedar and other junipers) and Rosaceae (apple, hawthorn, serviceberry). It seems likely there must be an eastern red cedar or juniper nearby, even though you do not have any other trees in your yard - the fungal spores can travel up to two miles! This can make it difficult to control the rust. You can prune and remove infected twigs and branches and dispose of them in the trash (not compost). Be sure to decontaminate pruning tools between cuts by dipping them for at least 30 seconds in 70% alcohol (e.g., rubbing alcohol) or 10% bleach. Alternatively, you can spray tools with a disinfectant that contains approximately 70% alcohol, then allow them to air dry. Decontaminating tools will prevent movement of rust fungi from branch to branch or from plant to plant during pruning. If you are able to find nearby juniper and red cedar trees and have neighbors that are willing to help with the cause - in late winter or early spring you can prune and remove brown, woody galls found before orange, gelatinous structures that form in the spring. This will help reduce the level of infection on nearby Rosaceae plants like your serviceberry. Fungicides are not recommended since serviceberries are a resource for wildlife, birds and bees. Your question about serviceberries with rust being less desirable to the birds is challenging. It is recommended that people do not eat serviceberries affected by rust. I have read both that rust does not effect wildlife and that birds will naturally avoid berries with rust. My inclination is to think that the birds would not be interested in the berries affected by rust but I would be curious to know if you have seen a decreased bird population around your serviceberry since you started noticing the rust. I know that things like rust can be frustrating to deal with, especially given your goals with this plant. I wish you the best!
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Plant identification and recommendations
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Date Posted: Wed, May 01 - 12:03 am
- I have a lot of what I am told is moss in my yard. Have pictures to send. Can you identify it and provide any treatment options?
- Thank you for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners. I will send you an e-mail to be able to get the pictures from you and we will try to give you some assistance.
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English Ivy Replacements
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Date Posted: Mon, Mar 18 - 12:49 am
- Hi there! We just had a ton of English ivy removed from our yard and were wondering if someone would be willing to help us plan/design the landscape since we have a mostly clean slate! Thanks for your time. Regards, Haven
- Oh! English Ivy is one of my enemies. I bet it feels so great to have it removed from your yard. And you are absolutely correct in wanting to plant in its place. We do not have any master gardeners going out on site to make recommendations like this, but many of our local nurseries are excellent resources for landscape and design advice (ex Sneeds, Cross Creek, Great Big Green house and I'm sure others)! There are even several local native plant growers that offer their services for this as well (ex Reedy Creek Environmental, Parallel Nursery). It seems like you are looking to take advantage of the blank slate you have and design a wonderful space for yourself. However, it you, or anyone else reading this answer, are interested in strictly filling the space left from removing english Ivy, The Northern Virginia Master Gardeners have a great article about replacing english ivy. Their top three suggestions include: golden ragwort (Packera aurea), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) and Hairy alumroot (Heuchera villosa). Their full article can be found here: https://mgnv.org/invasive-plants/replacing-english-ivy/ Good luck!! Happy gardening!
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Joining Master Gardeners
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Date Posted: Tue, Mar 05 - 12:26 pm
- Good March morning, I read about Richmond Master Gardeners and would love to learn more about participating. Thanks so much.
- Hello! Thank you so much for your interest in getting involved with the master gardeners. To become a master gardener, there is a 50 hours of classroom instruction that is followed by 50 volunteer hours. Unfortunately, the city of Richmond has been without an extension agent to organize the training program for the last several years. We are hoping to connect with another locality that is offering virtual training classes for 2025, but have yet to nail that down. In the mean time, several of our neighboring counties have an annual training program you could apply to be a part of: Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover. You can find more information about Chesterfields program here: https://www.chesterfield.gov/441/Master-Gardeners#:~:text=Master%20Gardener%20Requirements,-A%20Virginia%20Cooperative&text=Training%20consists%20of%2050%20hours,programs%20during%20the%20first%20year. And Hanover's here: https://hanovermastergardeners.org/become-a-master-gardener/ While we wish we could bring new members directly into the Richmond group, we do hope you will find a way to get involved in the Master Gardener program! It is very rewarding!