The following article was written by Steve Lankton, the Vice-President of Manitowoc County Master Gardeners.
The Manitowoc County Master Gardeners are excited to announce we are hosting our Plant Clinic at Manitowoc Public Library for two days in August. We will be answering gardening questions from the public on Tuesdays, August 1 and August 8, from 10 AM to 12 PM.
For those who may not be familiar with the Master Gardeners, we are a group of approximately 20 trained gardeners who volunteer our gardening skills and knowledge for numerous projects throughout Manitowoc County.
Our credentials as Master Gardeners are administered by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, based in Madison. After receiving in-depth horticulture training from UW-Extension, and passing an examination to test our knowledge, we became Master Gardeners. UW-Extension also requires us to stay up to date with 10 hours of continuing horticulture education each year.
Our mission as Master Gardeners is to provide unbiased, research-based gardening information to the general public. We do this not only by using our experience and training, but also by guiding the public to reliable, factual sources of horticulture information. This includes books, articles, webinars, and much more. We can show you how to focus your internet searching to find gardening information supported by university and government research.
The Manitowoc County Master Gardeners started a Plant Clinic many years ago to answer gardening questions from our community. Typical questions we see regard plant and weed identification, problems with diseases or pests, and even recommendations for good gardening practice. If we can’t answer your question immediately, we will research it for you and get back to you within a few days. There is, of course, no charge for any of this.
For unusual or complex problems, we can help you with receiving laboratory assistance from specialists at UW-Madison. They can analyze soil samples for nutritional content, including recommendations for soil amendments. They can also analyze a diseased plant, providing a diagnosis and recommendations. To be up-front, there may be a nominal charge for this additional level of service.
In addition to the Plant Clinic, the Manitowoc County Master Gardeners participate in many community projects throughout the year. We host a Garden Walk every two years, featuring exceptional home gardens in our community. Our next one will be in July 2024. We also plant and maintain several raised beds at the County Fair, showcasing both perennials and vegetable plantings, with members of our group there to answer any questions you may have.
Steve Lankton
For the past few years, the Plant Clinic has been located at the Division of Extension office at UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus. We are very happy that Manitowoc Public Library has offered to host us for some of the remaining weeks of this gardening season. We think the Library location might make it easier for everyone to find us. Our next two sessions are on August 1 and August 8 (both Tuesdays), 10 AM – 12 PM. We’ll be set up on the First Floor near the Service Desk by the Main Entrance. We hope you will stop by and chat with us. Bring your gardening questions and we will try to help!
Finally, if any of you would like more information about becoming a Master Gardener and joining the Manitowoc County association, please contact us! It is a very fun and rewarding group, and we would love to meet you! I’m Steve Lankton, Vice-President of Manitowoc Master Gardeners. Feel free to drop me an email at lankton929@comcast.net.
If you’d like more background on the Master Gardeners of Manitowoc County, take a look at our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ManitowocCountyMasterGardeners) or our website, https://mastergardener.extension.wisc.edu/.
