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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

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Participants to Learn About Plant Health at Workshop

May 31, 2001

WOOSTER, Ohio - Nursery, landscape and arboretum professionals seeking management tips to keeping plants healthy and happy may find a plant diagnostic workshop helpful.

The Ohio State University 33rd Plant Diagnostic Workshop, sponsored by OSU Extension, will be held June 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fisher Auditorium on the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center campus in Wooster.

Jim Chatfield, an OSU Extension horticulture specialist, said the purpose of the workshop is to educate garden professionals on what pests and diseases can be detrimental to the health of a plant and what steps can be taken to keep plants healthy.

"The workshop is designed to help people understand what's wrong with a plant and help them make the right decisions in terms of treatment," he said. "For example, if you've got an acid-loving plant growing in alkaline soil, then this workshop will help you identify symptoms associated with that so as not to make the same mistake twice."

The one-day workshop will feature sessions on identifying and diagnosing nutrient disorders and landscape pests that find their way into homes. Hannah Mathers, an OSU horticulture specialist, will be on hand to diagnose nutrient disorders of woody ornamentals.

"Hannah will talk about deficiencies and excesses of nutrients, what symptoms are associated with them, and where they can be identified on the plant," said Chatfield. "For example, if a plant has an iron deficiency, yellowing would be present between the veins. But if it has a nitrogen deficiency, the entire leaf would be yellow."

Susan Jones, an OSU entomologist, will also help participants identify insects, such as Asian lady beetles, termites and carpenter ants that may be a nuisance to homeowners if they find their way into homes.

Chatfield and Joe Boggs and Erik Draper, both OSU Extension specialists, will present a plant triage designed to identify pests and diseases that can pose serious health problems for plants. A diagnostic tour of Secrest Arboretum on the OARDC campus will take place, and participants are asked to bring slides and samples of insects or plant diseases as part of a roundtable discussion.

Registration for the workshop is $25. The deadline to register is June 6. For more information or to obtain a registration form, contact Jim Chatfield or Cheryl Fischnich at (330) 263-3832, or e-mail chatfield.1@osu.edu or fischnich.1@osu.edu.

Author(s): 
Candace Pollock
Source(s): 
Jim Chatfield