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Beginning in early May, members of the Fairfax County Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners host Plant Clinics. These Plant Clinics are held at various Libraries and Farmers Markets. The Master Gardeners at these Plant Clinics are happy to help you with plant and insect identification (both common and scientific names). They can also help by answering gardening questions, diagnose pest or disease problems and provide recommendations to prevent or control further damage. The information, provided free of cost, by Master Gardeners is unbiased, research-based and environmentally sound.
In addition, Fairfax County Master Gardeners provide you with handouts on various plants and shrubs; pruning and lawn care calendars; and soil test kits that you mail to Virginia Tech. for in-depth analysis and recommendations. For the $10.00 (plus postage) fee, the soil test is an invaluable and money-saving gardening tool. |
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 Home Turf keep it simple + keep it green
Ever wondered what you really need to do to maintain a healthy lawn? Do you have any idea what the pH of your soil is, or why you should care? When do you think is the best time to fertilize your lawn – spring or fall? Does the way you maintain your lawn impact the health of neighboring lakes and streams, and even the Chesapeake Bay?
This program helps you understand the answers to these and other questions and helps you get organized to maintain your lawn in a research-based, environmentally sound manner.
For a fee of $25, Master Gardener volunteers come to your property to assess and measure your lawn. During the visit, you are given a Home Turf keep it simple + keep it green booklet which outlines key steps for proper lawn maintenance in Northern Virginia. During the visit they also take a blended soil sample for analysis at the Soil Lab at Virginia Tech. When the results from the soil test are received, a Nutrient Management Plan is generated to meet the needs of your lawn.
Our season is wrapping up for this year, and new enrollments will no longer be accepted after September 10th. We will start a new season in 2012, so come back to this site in late March, download and complete the Enrollment Form and Survey and send them in with your check. We’ll get you on track for a great lawn in 2012! |
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The Fairfax County Master Gardeners' diagnostic laboratory operates year-round. The lab is staffed by senior Master Gardeners who have many years of experience in solving plant, pest, and disease problems. Bring a sample of whatever is troubling you to any Fairfax County Library and ask the staff to send it to the County Extension office.
Please note this service is not available from city libraries which are not run by the Fairfax County government.
Your sample will be analyzed at the lab and a detailed diagnosis with recommendations will be mailed back to you. This generally takes 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the time of year and the backlog of requests. For instructions to send samples read more.. |
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The Writers Group supports the FCMGA's educational mission by providing short, informative articles, written by FCMGA members, on gardening and related horticultural activities. These articles are published on the FCMGA web site, in the Garden Library section. They can also be made available for republication in the newsletters of homeowners associations, garden clubs, and other groups. |
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Volunteers from FCMGA and Green Spring master gardeners staff a year-round horticulture help desk to answer home gardeners' questions and help solve gardening problems. During the growing season (April through October) we are on duty five mornings a week, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. In November through March, the desk is staffed 9:30-12:30 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings only.
Contact us anytime by voice mail at (703) 324-8556 or by e-mail at mgfairfax@vt.edu. Please clearly explain your question or problem, and we will conduct any needed research before getting back to you. During our duty hours (see the previous paragraph), you can also stop by our desk in the VCE Office on the 10th floor of the Pennino Building in the Fairfax County Government Center. |
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Are you looking for a speaker for your club or organization?
Fairfax County Master Gardeners, in keeping with our mission to educate, inspire and motivate Fairfax County gardeners, offer speakers on a wide range of gardening topics. Our presentations are based on environmentally sound horticultural practices and principles, and are informative, entertaining, and fun!
Our experienced and knowledgeable speakers have a wide range of topics: For complete list of topics read more.. |
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Ready, Set, Grow! (RSG) is a 4-H school enrichment project for 4th grade students to teach them the importance of plants to people and the environment in fun and imaginative ways. Teams of two trained Master Gardeners present two (2) hours of instruction with several hands-on and interactive activities and students get the opportunity to plant their own seeds to take home. This project is available to interested 4th grade classrooms in Fairfax County Public and private Schools, 4-H and home school groups at no charge, but is limited based upon the number of volunteers available.
The kick-off for the Ready, Set, Grow! project season begins in late November to early December. An informational letter and registration form is forwarded by the FCPS Science Coordinator from our county Extension Agents to fourth grade lead teachers while the RSG chair sends an email to all private schools, 4-H and home school groups on the contact list. (To add your school or group to the contact list please send an email to readysetgrow@fairfaxmastergardeners.org.)
The registration period lasts about two weeks, from the date the email is sent out until mid-December. In late-January to early-February email notifications are sent out by the Ready, Set, Grow! project chair to all of the teachers that registered confirming or regretting their participation for the season. Class presentations by the volunteer Master Gardener teams are conducted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in February and March plus Wednesdays in April.
Master Gardeners
Recruiting volunteers from the Green Spring and Fairfax programs interested in participating in the RSG project is done throughout the year but particularly during the months of November, December and January. Informational orientation meetings are scheduled by the RSG leadership team in early January, during which participating volunteer’s partner with other volunteers to form teams of two people. The sign-up period to claim classes and meetings to organize materials provided for the presentations occur in mid-January. In late January and early February training classes are scheduled and materials for claimed classes are distributed. It is mandatory that all new volunteers to the RSG project attend one orientation meeting and all participating RSG Master Gardener volunteers attend one training class.
Impact on our Community
Each year approximately 40 Fairfax and Green Spring Master Gardeners teach basic plant anatomy and life processes in approximately 90 classes, throughout 30 schools to over 2,000 students in our county.
If you would like additional information about participating in or volunteering for this project or have other questions, please contact the Ready, Set, Grow! project chair at readysetgrow@fairfaxmastergardeners.org. |
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