One of the most gratifying yet frustrating aspects of gardening is that it’s always changing. One year you may have a bumper crop of tomatoes, and the next you have plants that refuse to thrive. Or you grab pruners to keep a plant “in-bounds” and your carefully shorn hydrangea refuses to bloom the next season.
When searching for answers to the most common and vexing garden problems, most people embark on an internet search, which can turn up information that is inaccurate, conjecture or simply wrong for your climate zone.
One way to separate fact from fiction is to consult a research-based source of plant care. That was the thinking behind the newly updated “Penn State Extension Master Gardener Manual” (Penn State University, $75), an expansive guide containing a comprehensive inventory of gardening and landscape management topics.
The manual’s main purpose is to train volunteers in the Penn State Master Gardener Program, but it is now available to the public. Nearly all of its 783 pages and 600 color images are a treasure trove of information for any gardener.
The chapter on vegetable gardening provides guidance on how to create a healthy garden and what to do if something goes wrong. If the leaves on your tomatoes are disfigured, color photos in the manual will allow you to determine if Septoria leaf spot or early blight is the culprit. The book has a complete range of solutions from cultural practices to chemical control.
An entire chapter is devoted to pruning ornamental plants, ending with a comprehensive chart that includes the confusing hydrangeas, whose pruning needs are determined by species and when they develop flower buds. The line drawings of proper pruning techniques are part of an extensive collection of illustrations produced specifically for the manual by artist Sue Wyble, a master gardener.
Other chapters cover botany, plant propagation, soil health and fertilizer management, composting, pest control and entomology, plants diseases, indoor plants, vegetable gardens, lawn care, ornamentals, fruit trees and shrubs, landscape design, herbaceous plants, native plants, weeds, invasive species, garden wildlife and gardening equipment
Nancy Knauss, project manager and state master gardener coordinator for Pennsylvania, said the manual is a resource for gardeners of all skill levels.
“It includes the basics for beginning gardeners, but also provides more extensive, detailed information for advanced gardeners and professionals,” she said.
Having the manual on your bookshelf can give any gardener a good starting point and all recommended plants will work in our climate zone.
The Master Gardener Manual is available from Penn State Extension for $75, plus shipping, at 1-877-345-0691 or online at http://extension.psu.edu/publications/agrs-139/view. The publication number is AGRS-139. Most major credit cards are accepted.
Carol Papas is a Penn State master gardener. This volunteer program supports the outreach mission of Penn State Extension and provides research-based information on best practices in sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship. For more information, email alleghenymg@psu.edu or 412-482-3476.
First Published: December 16, 2016, 2:50 p.m.
Updated: December 16, 2016, 2:50 p.m.
