Horticulture Skills – Basic

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008

9:50 - 10:50 am

HB1     Don’t Call It Dirt: Soil Basics and Planting Techniques
Susan French, Virginia Cooperative Extension

Learn how soil type and planting practices influence the vigor of your landscape plants.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1 | ISA: AMBp = 1

 

11:00 am - 12:00 noon

HB2     Math for Gardeners
Melissa Butler, Norfolk Botanical Garden

You don’t like math? This session covers easy math techniques that help gardeners and landscapers compute things like square feet of turf, cubic yards of mulch, pounds of fertilizer, plants per square foot, etc.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1

12:00 noon - 1:15 pm             Lunch (on your own) or

Industry Roundtable: “Immigration Issues” hosted by the Virginia Green Industry Council ($15 for box lunch. Register with code IRT (Turkey) or IRV (Vegetarian).

 

1:15 - 2:15 pm

HB3     Mid-Atlantic Turfgrasses - No Easy Choices
Mike Goatley, Dept. Crop, Soil, Enviro. Science, Virginia Tech

What are your most pressing turfgrass needs? Year-round color? Density? Sustained quality? Pest resistance? This presentation details the species and varieties of cool-season and warm-season turfgrasses that provide the best opportunity for long-term success in the Mid-Atlantic transition zone. The strengths and weaknesses of each grass are explained, and both standard and innovative management approaches are detailed to aid turf managers in the selection and management of the best grassing options.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1

 

2:30 - 3:30 pm

HB4     Pesticide Basics
Cyndi Wyskiewicz, Virginia Cooperative Extension

Learn pesticide use and safety basics while increasing your skills in handling the various pesticide families and formulations.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1 | ISA: AUBp = 1

 

3:45 - 4:45 pm

HB5     Pruning Deciduous Shrubs and Small Trees
Jim Orband, Virginia Cooperative Extension

This session covers basic pruning principles based on research and technical experience. Basic pruning of small trees, as well as specific pruning for some shrubs, is demonstrated and discussed.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1 | ISA: AMTUBp = 1

 

4:45 - 6:00 pm             VA Society of Landscape Design Reception

 Network with fellow Designers and LAs at this VSLD member recruitment event.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2008

8:00 - 9:00 am

HB6     Bug Basics
Peter Warren, Virginia Cooperative Extension

Did you know that 99% of insect species are beneficial? Discover practical identification tools to separate the good, the bad and the ugly and learn how to diagnose damage after the bugs are gone.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1 | ISA: ABs = 1

 

9:15 - 10:15 am

HB7     Ferns for the Landscape
Jim Orband, Virginia Cooperative Extension

Why don’t ferns make seeds? Ferns can be used as an important landscape component to add dimensions in texture and color. Participants learn to identify many varieties and also see how ferns can be used in landscapes.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1

 

10:45 - 11:45 am

HB8     Which Weed’s Which?
Sherry Kern, Tidewater Community College

Distinguishing common landscape weeds can be frustrating, yet identifying not only the weed but its life cycle can help to manage it. Learn some easy ways to distinguish among look-alike weeds and their pesky characteristics.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1

 

1:00 - 2:00 pm

HB9     Basic Botany: What a Horticulturist Needs to Know About Plants and Plant Parts
Linda Johnson, Christopher Newport University

Discover what green thumbs need to know about plant parts and how they work. Dr. Johnson discusses plant morphology (how they’re formed and built) as well as plant anatomy (the parts and structures they’re built from).

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1 | ISA: AMTBs = 1

 

2:15 - 3:15 pm

HB10

Basic Botany: What a Horticulturist Needs to Know About How Plants Work
Linda Johnson, Christopher Newport University

Discover what green thumbs need to know about plant parts and how they function. Dr. Johnson discusses plant physiology (how parts do the work in plants) and tie together how those anatomical parts of the plant function to enable plant establishment, lush growth and flourishing flowering.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1 | ISA: AMTBs = 1

 

3:30 - 4:30 pm

HB11   Roots, Shoots, Leaves & Flowers: Some Are Good for You & Some Are Not
Barbara Brawley, Virginia Horticultural Foundation Board

Herbs can be easy to grow and healthy for you, but they can also be deadly if used improperly. Not all herbs are good for you, and not all of the parts of the same herb are good for you. Learn from a veteran herbalist which parts are the good ones and how to safely and delectably use them.

VCH = 1 | VSLD = 1 | LCM = 1

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