Lunch & Learn Webinar Series for Master Gardener Volunteers:
Winter 2026
Recordings
Recordings are usually available within 1-2 business days.
Please be sure to enter your Continuing Education Credits in Hands on Connect
tuesday, January 13
12 - 1 PM
managing insects and mites in pollinator gardens
dr. dave shetlar, professor emeritus, entomolgoy, the ohio state university
Bio
Dr. Shetlar research areas include: monitoring and assessing seasonal populations of sod webworms, hairy chinch bug and bluegrass billbug. Light trap samples have been taken for approximately 18 year/locations and the sod webworms species and northern masked chafer adults have been identified and tallied. However, these data do not help determine larval behavior during an entire season. Studies are to be initiated to take periodic samples and extract the sod webworm larvae to determine life tables. An ongoing project is evaluating hairy chinch bug populations in lawns with a specific interest on how the Beauveria fungal disease appears to be failing to control populations during times of moisture. Many new insecticides and/or formulations are being evaluated each year to determine their spectrum of activity (types of turfgrass insect pests controlled) and timing strategies (preventive, curative, rescue)
Tuesday, February 17
12 - 1 PM
seed starting basics
carri jagger, extension educator, morrow county, The Ohio state university
Bio
Carri has her Bachelors in Agriculture Education and Masters in Human Resources Management. She's worked for over ten years in the Horticulture industry, in retail garden center sales and wholesale growing and sales of perennials and herbs.
tuesday, March 10
12 - 1 PM
Planting trees for longevity
pam bennett, Program director, master gardener volunteer program, The Ohio state university
Bio
Pam is an Associate Professor with The Ohio State University and serves as the State Master Gardener Volunteer Program Director and Horticulture Educator for OSU Extension in Clark County. She specializes in herbaceous ornamental plant trials and presents programs on annuals and perennials as well as other landscape topics locally, statewide, and nationally. Pam has also lectured in South Korea, China, Greece and Turkey. She is a Clark County Park District Commissioner and a Board member of the Hartman Rock Garden. She is the past president of the Friends of the Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden. Pam is the co-author of an award-winning book, Garden-pedia, An A-to- Z Guide to Gardening Terms, writes a weekly gardening column for eight counties receiving the Cox Publishing brands, authors the bi-monthly Ask the Expert Column for Ohio Gardening magazine and is a frequent writer for popular gardening magazines as well as trade publications.
tuesday, March 24
12 - 1 PM
The Mental health benefits of plants
Dr. Charlie Hall, Professor and ellison chair in international floriculture, Texas a&M university
Bio
Dr. Charlie Hall grew up in the industry on a nursery in Western North Carolina. Although an economist by training, he is currently a Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the Texas A&M University and also holder of the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture. His major areas of specialization include innovative management and marketing strategies, financial analysis and benchmarking, and the situation/outlook for nursery and greenhouse crops. He is an invited speaker at numerous regional, national, and international meetings of various industry-related associations and organizations. He is particularly known for the enthusiasm, passion, and intensity he exhibits when speaking. Dr. Hall is an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association (TNLA) and has received TNLA’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Nursery Industry. He is also a member of the Hall of Fame and Honorary Lifetime Member of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association.
Tuesday, April 14
12 - 1 PM
Perennial Lavendar: Varieties best for ohio
Sabrina Schirtzinger, Extension Educator, Knox County, The Ohio State University
Bio
Sabrina is one of two Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension Educators in Knox County. Being in a two-educator county is gives Sabrina the opportunity to specialize in Horticulture. Sabrina enjoys gardening and has numerous perennial gardens and helps to operate her daughters cut flower business called Piper’s Poises. Being an extension educator, wife, and mother of two doesn’t give Sabrina much time for gardening but she has helped Piper grow her business by using simple cut flower techniques to extend their growing season.
tuesday, April 28
12 - 1 PM
Medicine in your Garden
dr. Andrew king, assistant professor, ornamental horticulture, Texas a&M university
Bio
Dr. Andrew King is an assistant professor of ornamental horticulture for Texas A&M AgriLife in Overton, Texas. Andrew’s research interests include ornamental plant improvement, ornamental plant trialing, medicinal plants and nursery/greenhouse production systems. Andrew is a fourth generation horticulturist whose family business, King’s Nursery in Tenaha, Texas, is well over 100 years old. Andrew has served on faculty in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences in College Station, Texas and as the Assistant Director of SFA Gardens on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
tuesday, May 12
12 - 1 PM
Backyard Pond Plants: Friend or Foe?
Eugene Braig, Program Director, Aquatic Ecosystems, The ohio state University
Bio
Eugene is a fisheries biologist by training and applied-limnology jack of all trades in practice; Program Director for Aquatic Ecosystems with Ohio State University Extension; and charged with outreach, classroom teaching, and research. He joined the Ohio Biological Survey Board of Trustees in 2018 and is active with several additional advisory committees and professional organizations. Fully embracing nerd status, he moonlights as a classical musician and serves as Artistic Director of the Columbus Guitar Society’s concert series..
tuesday, May 19, 2026
12 - 1 PM
Shoo fly, don't bother me: What kind of fly do I see in my garden and why?
dr. curtis young, extension educator, van wert county, The ohio state University
Bio
Dr. Curtis Young is a County Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator and Assistant Professor at the Ohio State University. He graduated from OSU in 1985 with a MS and in1998 with a Ph.D, both degrees in Entomology. Curtis specializes in entomology, plant & pest diagnostics, IPM, agronomic crop production, invasive species, and landscape management. Dr. Young is also very involeved with the Buckeye Environmental Horticulture Team and writes many blogs for the BYGL.
tuesday, JUne 9, 2026
12 - 1 PM
Plants and chemical warfare
dr. ann chanon, extension educator, lake county, The ohio state University
Bio
Ann Chanon is a native of Northeastern Ohio. She developed her love for woody plants and flowers at an early age. She turned her passion into a profession by earning a B.S. in Horticulture from The Ohio State University, M.S. in Horticultural Science from Texas A&M University, and Ph.D. in Horticulture and Crop Science from The Ohio State University. The emphasis for all three degrees was woody plant improvement. Ann is currently the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator for Lake County. She worked for five years as the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator for Lorain County. Prior to joining Extension, Ann worked for 12 years as a Research Associate at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in the Horticulture and Crop Science Department. She contributed to projects including, germplasm improvement and domestication of a new crop species, studies on fruit quality and secondary compound production in black raspberries, and other small fruits, and the effect of environmental stress on plant metabolites. Other employment experiences include floral and seed biology technician at Pan American Seed in West Chicago, IL., and internships with Herman Losely and Son Inc. Nursery, and Holden Arboretum.
Recordings
Tuesday, September 30
12 - 1 PM
Everything you need to know about ticks, and some things you'll wish you didn't
Tim McDermott, extension educator, franklin county, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERsitY
Dr. Timothy McDermott has been an Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator within the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for the past six years after twenty years in private practice veterinary medicine and surgery. He assists client resident backyard growers, community gardeners, teacher educators and urban farmers increase their production of fresh local produce through his work in local food production systems in Franklin County. He utilizes his veterinary expertise for Extension work in backyard poultry, small ruminant, insect-vectored disease and companion animal programming to client residents, the Department of Veterinary Preventative Medicine, and 4-H student livestock project education. He is a proud member of Buckeye Nation as a '96 grad of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.
Tuesday, October 14
2 - 3 PM
native alternatives to popular landscape plants
dave gardner, Professor, Turfgrass Science, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Bio
Dr. Gardner is originally from Des Moines, Iowa. He helps plan the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation (OTF) Conference & Show, as well as the OTF Field Day & Spring-Tee Off Events. He is involved with a lot of product testing & product evaluation for weed control in turfgrass and landscape beds. There are a lot of new challenges including herbicide resistant weeds but there are also a lot of new products that may be very helpful.
Tuesday, October 28
12 - 1 PM
Creating your own backyard pocket prairie
Carrie Brown, EXTENSION EDUCATOR, Fairfield COUNTY, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Bio
Carrie Brown is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator for Ohio State University Extension in Fairfield County. She is passionate about community outreach and engagement and is delighted to have the opportunity to work with local producers to create more sustainable, profitable, and resilient operations. She is eager to provide research-based agricultural and natural resource programming and educational resources to help fulfill the needs of Fairfield County businesses, organizations, and communities.
Some of her favorite topics to teach include sustainable agriculture, soil health, invasive weed management, native plants, and community science.
Tuesday, November 4
12 - 1 PM
Bucket List Gardens: Must see gardens from around the world
Janet Carson, Emeritus Extension Horticulture Specialist, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
Bio
Janet Carson, Emeritus Extension Horticulture Specialist, retired in 2019 after a 38-year career with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. She has her BS and MS degrees from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
Janet began her career as a county agent in Pulaski County in 1980 as a horticulture agent. She began the Arkansas Master Gardener program in 1988. Upon completion of her Master’s degree, Janet moved to the state extension office to take on the role of statewide horticulture specialist.
Tuesday, November 25
12 - 1 PM
Spotted Lanternfly is on the move: Newest Counties with infestations
Amy Stone, Extension Educator, Lucas County, The Ohio State University
Bio
Amy Stone is an Extension Educator with Ohio State University in Lucas County. She began working with Extension in 1992, and has been in Lucas County since 2000.
Amy has earned degrees from Owens Community College and the University of Toledo including a Master’s Degree in Vocational Education. Her specialization is horticulture and has evolved to include invasive species and began with a local infestation of the gypsy moth in the county in the mid-nineties. In 2003, Amy collected and submitted the first known infestation of the emerald ash borer in Ohio. Amy worked on EAB for nearly ten years on USDA project dollars from APHIS and the US Forest Service. Work with Purdue University and Michigan State University, along with the USDA Forest Service on Emerald Ash Borer University continues. As Ohio faces numerous invasive species threats, Amy is part of an Extension team to address those threats through outreach and education efforts.
Tuesday, December 2
12 - 1 PM
Plant parenting: How to Propogate nearly any plant
Beth Scheckelhoff, extension educator, Putnam County, The Ohio State University
Bio
Dr. Beth Scheckelhoff has been an Extension Educator with OSU Extension since 2005. She has served both ornamental and hydroponic growers in Ohio through a variety of outreach efforts, programs, and grant-funded projects. Beth currently focuses her time in training producers on produce safety practices as well as agriculture and pesticide safety issues.
Tuesday, December 16
12 - 1 PM
Navigating the noise: a clear look at the science of GMo's
Dr. Kim cochran, extension plant pathologist, texas a&m university
Bio
Kimberly Cochran, Ph.D., is an extension plant pathologist in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M University. She works with a variety of pathogens and crops with a special focus on specialty crops and vegetables. Dr. Cochran also provides diverse educational programming to youth and adults across southwest Texas and beyond.