Indiana Flower Growers Association Educational Conference 

Save the Date - You are invited to attend the 33^rd Annual Indiana Flower Growers Association (IFGA) Educational Conference which will be held at the Purdue Beck Agricultural Center in West Lafayette, IN on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. The Indiana Flower Growers Association (IFGA) and Purdue Extension are jointly sponsoring this year’s Educational Sessions. Please find the attached conference brochure for more information.

Registration, Floriculture Person of the Year nomination and AD Forms will be sent out next week.

Please note that there is no golf tournament set for this year. However, members are welcome to set up a golf outing.  

2015 IFGA Conference – Purdue Beck Agricultural Center, 4540 U.S. 52/231 West, West Lafayette, IN 47906

9:00 to 10:00 AM           Registration

Worker Protection

10:00 to 10:30 AM         Everything You Wanted to Know About the Worker Protection Standard but Were Afraid to Ask

Joseph Becovitz, Pesticide Program Specialist Office of Indiana State Chemist

Water

10:30 to 11:30 AM         Adjuvants and the Power of Spray Droplets

Fred Whitford, Fred Whitford, Purdue Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology

11:30 to 12:00 PM         Clean Up Your Water (1): Particles and Salts

Dr. Paul Fisher, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida

12:00 to 12:30 PM         Break, lunch distribution, and awards

12:30 to 1:00 PM           Clean Up Your Water (2): Biofilm and Pathogens

Dr. Paul Fisher, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida

Nutrition

1:00 to 1:30 PM             pH and EC measurements – How to and Comparison of Test Methods

Dr. Todd Cavins, Ball Horticulture Co.

1:30 to 2:00 PM             Fix It - Nutritional Problems and Correction Strategies

Dr. Todd Cavins, Ball Horticulture Co.

Break

2:00 to 2:15 PM

Pesticides

2:15 to 2:45 PM             Non-Neonic Pest Control – A Growers Prospective

Zach Schlegel, Grower, L.F. Schlegel & Son Greenhouse, Inc.

2:45 to 3:45 PM             Neonicotinoids and Pollinators

Rick Fletcher, Technical Services Manager, Nufarm

Break

3:45 to 4:00 PM

Growth Regulators

4:00 to 4:15 PM             Pre-Transplant PGR Liner Soaks and Post-Transplant Spray Applications Influence Height and Branching

Of Purple Fountain Grass

Dr. Roberto Lopez, Purdue Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture

Production

4:15 to 4:30 PM             Growing Bedding Plants under Greenhouse LED Top Lighting

Joshua Craver, Purdue Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture

4:30 to 4:45 PM             Reducing Greenhouse Air Temperatures with the use of Root-zone Heating

Madeline Olberg, Purdue Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture

   Purdue Rainscaping Education Program


Rainscaping Practicies Map
Add your rainscaping practicies to the map and view others.

Registration open for rain garden training

September 17-18, 2015 - Columbus, Indiana​

​

Download 2015 Program Brochure (pdf)​

For those staying overnight September 17, please note the updated, local phone number to make reservations:  Comfort Inn & Suites Columbus, 2485 Jonathan Moore Pike, Columbus, IN. Reserve your room no later than August 17 by calling 812-376-3051. For the special rate, please mention “Rainscaping Education Program."

Rainscaping includes the use of sustainable land​scape design and management practices at both the household and community scales to prevent polluted runoff from reaching water bodies by directing stormwater to be absorbed by plants and soils.  The Purdue Rainscaping Education Program provides training and resources on practices that can be installed in a residential setting or small scale public spaces project.  ​

The program development focus for 2013-2016 includes community awareness and education for bioretention/ rain garden planning, installation, and maintenance using an advanced training model for Purdue Master Gardeners, conservation agencies and organizations, stormwater professionals, and landscape companies and consultants. Participants are encouraged to attend as a community team to support implementation of public education programs and provide technical assistance to homeowners upon completion of the training. The model consists of five, three-hour training modules in a workshop setting. The workshops include flipped classroom instruction, online learning opportunities, experiential training activities, field techniques, and field trips to community examples of rainscaping projects. Participants also receive hands-on experience through creation of a demonstration bioretention /rain garden project with community partners in a public space such as a county Extension office.

The Purdue Rainscaping Education Program is for Certified Purdue Master Gardeners, conservation agencies and organizations, stormwater professionals, and landscape companies and consultants.

https://ag.purdue.edu/extension/rainscaping/Pages/default.aspx

UPCOMING AUGUST/SEPTEMBER EVENTS

August 13, 2015

Indiana State Fair Master Gardener's Booth from 9:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in the Purdue Extension Hort Building (near Gate 18).  Hope to see you there!

September 12, 2015

Plant Exchange at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds arena from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Bring your unwanted plants and exchange for a new plant or two.  Looking forward to seeing you.

September 14, 2015

Next Master Gardener's meeting at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds beginning at 6:30 p.m.  If you have any questions, please contact Renee Wiatt at 364-6363.

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

John Scott Foster, Ph.D. – Saving the Monarch

Nicholas Staddon – The New American Garden & Landscape

Irvin Etienne – Natives Suitable for our Gardens

Amanda Smith – Treats for the Birds

Jim McCormac – Butterflies & Moths – The Darker Side

Registration Deadline July 31

Cost – $35.00

OPEN to the Public

Your registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, break refreshments and a seminar folder with speaker handouts.

Please detach Registration form below and mail with payment (checks payable to HCMGA) to : 

Deb Hager

2003 Pleasant St., Noblesville, IN 46060

Registration Form for mailing

Corporate Sponsor:  

Vendors:

• Benedicts Nursery
• Wild Birds Unlimited
• Profiles of Distinction (stepping stones)
• Janus Developing Services
• Impressive Floral Designs by Barb McEvoy
• HCMGA Plant Sale

4-H Fair, Crawfordsville, IN Plant Sale

Master Gardener's will be hosting a plant sale on Saturday, July 18th, from 12 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the 4-H fairgrounds in Crawfordsville, IN.  We will be featuring butterfly bushes in red and purple colors, as well as other native perennials.  Also a new Purdue Master Gardening class will be held in 2016 and we will have a sign-up sheet for those who are interested in becoming a Master Gardener.  We look forward to seeing you at the fair!!!

March Master Gardener Meeting

NOTICE....CHANGE OF LOCATION OF MEETING

The March meeting will be held at Crawfordsville Public Library at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 9, 2015.  If any questions, feel free to contact Renee Wiatt at the Purdue Extension Office (765) 364-6363.  Guest Speaker will be Monica Wilhoite.

Upcoming Seminar/Shows

Here are some of the upcoming events:

March 14, 2015
Wabash Valley Master Gardeners Spring Seminar 2015
Terre Haute, IN
http://WVMG2015Tri-fold.pdf//


March 20-21, 2015
Morgan County Master Gardeners Gardenfest
Hoosier Harvest Church

March 28, 2015
Monroe County Master Gardeners Garden Fair

April 11, 2015
Boone County 29th Annual Gardenfest
Boone County Fairgrounds

April 25, 2015
Hendricks County Fairgrounds

Hendricks County Master Gardeners

Gardening for All Ages--April 25 2015

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Spring Gardening Show--Free Admission
At the Hendricks County Fairgrounds and Expo Center

June 4-6, 2015
Indiana State Master Gardeners Conference
"Dig, Sow and Grow"
Evansville, IN
http://www.ag.purdue.edu/counties/vanderburgh/

September 22-25, 2015
International Master Gardener Conference
Council Bluffs, Iowa

2015 Flower and Garden Show

The new year has begun, so we are starting to think about Spring.  Seed catalogs are coming in the mail and the anticipation of a great season is in the planning.  The date has been set for this year's show!  Mark your calendars for March 28, 2015.   This promises to be a great show, so plan to attend!

New Extension Officer Named

A big warm welcome to Montogmery County new extension officer....Renee Whiatt.  Renee can be reached at (765) 364-6363 with any questions.   Congratulations on your new job and the Master Gardeners are looking forward to working with you!

Officers Elected For 2015

The following Master Gardeners have been elected....they are as follows:

     Bob Smith - President
     Byron Thada -Vice-President
     Kathy Leafgreen - Secretary
     Jody Holladay -Treasurer

Congratulations to those newly elected officers!  Our members are looking forward to serving the community in 2015.


   

   

Spring Calls for Cool-Season Vegetables, Container Gardening | My Indiana Home

Spring Calls for Cool-Season Vegetables, Container Gardening | My Indiana Home

Patience is a needed virtue in spring gardens

Patience is a needed virtue in spring gardens

What is the Purdue Master Gardener Program?

The Purdue Master Gardener Program is an integral part of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service and provides the citizens of Indiana a chance to grow.

The Program provides a learning framework for participants to increase their knowledge on a wide variety of horticultural subjects. In turn, participants volunteer and help others grow by sharing knowledge while providing leadership and service in educational gardening activities within their communities.

For more detailed information about the Purdue Master Gardener Program, please review Purdue Extension Publication HO-184 (PDF 440K) - Revised 10/12.

 

 

Thank you to everyone who attended the garden show on Saturday. We look forward to our next event and seeing everyone again soon!!!

2013 Schedule of Events

Feb 11 -  Master Gardeners Meeting / 4H Building   6:00 PM

Feb. 23 - Garden Symposium (free event) / Crawfordsville Public Library 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Feb. 23 - Advanced Training Seminar at Putnam County Fairgrounds

March 9 - Wabash Valley Spring Seminar at Ivy Tech Community College / Terre Haute

March 9 - 17 - Indy Flower and Garden Show / State Fairgrounds

March 15 - Purdue Master Gardeners Booth at Indy Flower and Garden Show  10:00 AM - 3:30 PM

March 28 - Set up and arrange 4H building for Garden show

March 29 - Vendors allowed access to set up 3:00 PM - 6:30 PM

March 30 - Lawn and Garden Show / 4H Building / 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Fungi & Mushrooms

Steve Russell's presentation on fungi and mushrooms was excellent.  Here he is in his morel t-shirt pointing to a slide of the filament-like growth patterns of fungi.

For those who weren't able to attend, here's a recap of the things we learned:

Mushroom identification starts with these five areas:
1)substrate--is the mushroom growing on wood or soil or other mushrooms?
2)spore bearing surface-does the mushroom have gills or spines or pores?
3)spore color-cut off the top and let it rest on a white paper for 3-4 hours.  The spores will drop out.  The color of the spores is an identifying factor.
4)gill attachment to the top and stem
5)other features--is there a volva or egg sac?  Is there a ring around the stem?  Does the mushroom bruise a particular color?  Does the mushroom exude latex?

Some of the edible species that Steve mentioned include:
Morels, Chicken of the woods, Chanterelles, Boletes, Oysters, Hen of the Woods, Lion's Mane, Cauliflower Mushrooms, and Puffballs.

Remember to cook all wild mushrooms. Enjoy your explorations and observations of fungi!

The Hoosier Mushroom Society can be reached at http://www.hoosiermushrooms.org/.

Mycological Meeting--Mushrooms!

For some of us "mycological" is almost "mythological", but to Stephen Russell is is a way of life.  Mycology is the study of mushrooms and Stephen has been following fungi for years.

His presentation will focus on edible mushrooms--both finding them and making sure they are safe for consumption!

Join us at 6:30pm on Tuesday, Jan 10th to meet Stephen and learn more about mushrooms.


More about Stephen:

Stephen Russell is the owner of The Hoosier Mushroom Company, based in Bloomington, IN (www.hoosiermushrooms.com). He been growing mushrooms for nearly a decade.  The company not only grows mushrooms, but also offers pre-made grow kits for indoor and outdoor cultivation, as well as most of the supplies needed for mushroom cultivation processes and mushroom hunting. His ongoing love of fungi has led him to found The Hoosier Mushroom Society, Indiana’s first and only amateur mycological association (www.hoosiermushrooms.org). He holds a Master’s of Environmental Science with a focus on Microbiology, and a Master’s of Public Affairs with a focus on Public Policy – both from Indiana University, and is currently writing a book on at-home mushroom cultivation.