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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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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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Since the spring of 2007, Master Gardener volunteers have been teaching informal, hands-on gardening classes at Regional Senior Centers in Fairfax County. In 2009, a total of 22 classes were taught by 15 MG volunteers to 220 participants at 8 Senior Centers.
In 2010, FCMGA will continue this program by offering seasonal gardening classes to Senior Centers from April through September. Topics can include Herb Gardening, Care of House Plants and/or Plant Propagation, Creative Containers, and Growing Vegetables in Pots. The classes follow a simple and flexible curriculum that may be modified by the volunteers teaching the class. Class sign-ups will be available on March 6, 2010 at the Volunteer Fair.
If you would like more information on this program contact Doris Jean, Coordinator of the program, at dorisjean3125@cox.net or (703) 304-8909. |
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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 the Fairfax County Public School system at no charge, but is limited based upon the number of volunteers available.
Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) Teachers
The kick-off for the Ready, Set, Grow! project season begins in late November to early December with an informational letter and registration form forwarded by the FCPS Science Coordinator from our county Extension Agents to fourth grade lead teachers. The registration period is from the date the email is sent out until mid-December (about two weeks). 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 from mid-February through mid-April on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
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 November through January. Informational orientation meetings are scheduled by the RSG leadership team in early January, during which participating volunteers partner with other volunteers in 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 training classes are scheduled and materials for claimed classes are distributed. It is mandatory that all participating RSG Master Gardener volunteers attend one training class. Class presentations are conducted from mid-February through mid-April on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Impact on our Community
For the 2010 spring season 30 Fairfax and 14 Green Spring Master Gardeners will teach basic plant anatomy and life processes in 89 classrooms throughout 29 schools to 2,207 students in our county.
If you would like additional information or have questions, please contact the Ready, Set, Grow! project chair at readysetgrow@fairfaxmastergardeners.org. |
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