(5/1) Spring plants are up and growing. Weeds and insects are becoming active. If you are wondering what "UFOs" are growing in your yard or garden or attacking your plants, then the Penn State Master Gardener Hotline is for you.

The Penn State Master Gardeners of Adams County are dedicated, trained volunteers who share a love of gardening and horticulture. The Master Gardener program educates and promotes research-based horticultural information for the gardening public. Such information is based on proven research specific to Adams County’s local climate, soils and plants. The following pointers can help when seeking a solution to a gardening problem from a Master Gardener volunteer.

Visiting the Extension Office in Person

• Bring a recent FRESH sample of the plant in question. Picking it right before coming in is ideal. If you’re unable to bring the sample in on a Monday or Friday during regular Hotline hours from 10 am to 2 pm, bring it in when you can. The sample can be refrigerated until a Master Gardener volunteer is available to examine it.
• Seal the sample in a plastic bag. Bring the diseased portion and some adjacent healthy tissue from the plant whenever possible.
• Write down all pertinent information about the plant, i.e., its name, age, location and relation to other nearby plants. Include time of disease onset, duration of problem, and anything you have tried to mitigate the problem.
• For insects, secure them in a plastic bag or small container, being careful not to crush or otherwise change the appearance of the specimen. A smashed insect may bear little resemblance to the actual live creature.
• For insects, information, such as is it a single find or an infestation, is useful. Is the insect found inside or outside? If found outside, on what specific plant and in what specific area? What kind of damage is associated with it?
• Bring a photo if possible. In this age of digital photography, this can often be accomplished with minimal trouble.

Because not all insects are a problem, it is important to have suspected pests correctly identified since many insects are beneficial and should be left to flourish. A good example of an important correct identification is the photo below of a tomato hornworm infected with the eggs of the beneficial Braconid wasp. The eggs are larval cocoons that cause the worm to stop eating the tomato once it becomes infected by the larvae of the wasp. The worm eventually withers and dies. Wrongly thinking the infected worm should be destroyed would in reality destroy many future beneficial wasps. It should be left to die naturally and spawn lots of beneficial wasps.

Calling the Hotline

When calling in a problem, please keep in mind that the Master Gardener on the phone does not have the advantage of seeing what you are looking at and trying to explain. It is very important to have as much information as possible available about the plant, insect, or disease. If calling other than the staffed times from 10 am to 2 pm on Mondays and Fridays, leave a detailed message including your name and phone number.

No Specific Problems, Just Needing Advice

Call or stop by with any general gardening questions. Pick up a soil test kit for $9. Test results will indicate how to amend your soil with specific fertilizers or an acidity adjustment for whatever is being grown in that area. Soil tests are highly recommended as many plants, such as blueberries or azaleas, require acidic soil in order to thrive. Samples are usually processed within two weeks.

If you temporarily stump the Master Gardener on duty, then the extensive horticultural resources at Penn State University can be called upon to help solve the problem. Penn State Master Gardeners of Adams County are available on the Hotline to answer your gardening questions and help solve your gardening problems – just call 717-334-6271 extension 316.

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