2024 Master Gardener Volunteer State Conference

2024 Master Gardener Volunteer State Conference: October 24-25

Awards Presentation: October 24 @ 6 pm

Awards Ceremony Registration (free)

Thursday, October 24, 2024

9:00 am Keynote

Benefits of Native Grasses
Mary Hockenberry Meyer, Phd, Horticultural sciences professor emerita, University of minnesota

Landscape grasses fulfill many ecosystem services as well as adding beauty to gardens. North American prairie grasses are underutilized, low-maintenance plants that play an important role in providing food and shelter for native butterflies. This webinar will discuss the many benefits of using grasses in your landscape along with specific grasses for a diverse variety of garden sites.

Bio

Dr. Mary H. Meyer is a Horticultural Sciences professor emerita at the University of Minnesota. She has studied grasses and their use in the landscape in the Northeast and Midwest U.S. for over 40 years. She is the author of several publications, including Ornamental Grasses for Cold Climates, and co-author of The 10 Plants That Changed Minnesota and the online book Gardening with Native Grasses in Cold Climates. Dr. Meyer curates and manages the North American Plant Collections Consortium Grass Collection at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, which was planted in 1987. Long-term research on grass hardiness from this collection has been published in HortTechnology. In 2018, Dr. Meyer was awarded the AHS Great American Gardeners Teaching Award.

10:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 1

You Can't Break Compost - What i've learned teaching novices about soil health and composting
Karolyn Schalk, Master Gardener Volunteer, Hamilton County, The Ohio State University

Over the past two years I've taught multiple classes to novice gardeners, and community garden coordinators about soil health, and how to start composting in urban, and suburban settings. The anxieties, and questions asked in these sessions always push me to do more research, and experiment on my own patch; discovering that you there is flexibility in the established rules. I'd like to share what I've learned from teaching, and playing in the dirt so other MGV's can benefit, and pass the information along.

BIO

I developed a love of gardening, the habit of recycling, and a concern for the environment as a child working outdoors alongside my grandparents and parents. These are subjects I've immerse myself in with both academic, and self study over the years. When I retired from professional life as an information technology executive I had a plan - become an MGV, and evangelize for composting, and sustainable gardening practices. I’ve taught classes on composting, and soil health for the HUB Gardens program of the Cincinnati Civic Garden Center, and at Gorman Heritage Farm (GHF). I also work with school groups at GHF; composting and soil health are a big part of those education field trips.

Breakout Session 2

Weird things bugs do
Ashley Kulhanek, Extension Educator, Medina County, The Ohio State Univeristy

Join us to learn about common and not-so-common insects and some of their strange and endearing behaviors happening in yards across Ohio.

BIO

Ashley joined OSU Extension in 2013, but has been with Ohio State University (OSU) for many years. She earned her Master's of Science in Entomology at OSU and began working as a Program Coordinator for the Good Agricultural Practices Team at OSU's Ohio Agricultural Research Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster. Kulhanek uses these experiences to provide research-based information and programming about on-farm food safety regulations; pest management; invasive species like emerald ash borer; conservation; and horticulture to Medina County and the state.

Breakout Session 3

Plant by numbers: native perennials, garden guides, and sample designs to attract pollinators and other beneficial creatures
denise ellsworth, Program director, Pollinator education, The Ohio state University

Gardeners play a vital role in the development and conservation of habitat for pollinators and other creatures. Plant by Numbers is a new OSU effort featuring plants, growing steps and sample garden designs to support pollinators. This program will highlight five Plant by Numbers themes: Bumble Bees, Specialist Bees, Butterflies & Moths, Hummers and Singers (for the Birds!), and Good Garden Bugs. Who are these creatures, why are they important, and which “garden-worthy” perennial plants support them?

BIO

Denise directs pollinator education programming through the Ohio State University Department of Entomology, a position she has held since 2012. In her Extension and outreach work, Denise supports and teaches beekeepers, farmers, gardeners, and others across the state through a variety of workshops, webinars, written materials, and electronic resources.

Before coming to Entomology, Denise served for 18 years as agriculture and natural resources county extension educator in the Akron/Canton area with a focus on horticulture, integrated pest management, and environmental education.

In addition to chasing bees, Denise enjoys gardening, cycling, and hiking the towpath trail along the Tuscarawas river with her husband and dogs.

11:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 1

Tools and techniques to improve your small-space vegetable garden
Tom Richey, Master Gardener volunteer, Hamilton County, The Ohio State University

Building on serious research and 40 years of trial-and-error vegetable gardening, these tips really work in Ohio! Learn about vertical trellising, tall tomato cages, potatoes in clay soil, walking boards, composting leaves/grass clippings, weed reduction, mole, rabbit & deer control and dense planting. (And, you don't need a huge garden to eat tasty vegetables...)

BIO

Tom planted his first tiny vegetable garden in Cincinnati in 1981. His current garden is a bit larger at 10’x25', but packs a lot of vegetables into a small space. After retiring from Procter & Gamble in 2012, Tom became a Master Gardener Volunteer. With further Extension training as an MGV Community Garden Specialist, he began managing a small community garden in 2017 and shares his expertise as a contributor to "Ask a Master Gardener" online.

Breakout Session 2

Manage your Energy instead of your time
brian raison, Professor and extnesion field specialist, community and organizational leadership, The Ohio State University

Are you any good at managing your time? What if you worked on managing your energy instead? With practice, we can learn to harness energy’s four dimensions (body, emotion, mind, spirit), creating our own energy. This focus will help prioritize work and life, automatically improving time management. Then, you’ll be poised to focus on what’s most important, and consider your potential for positive impact, and how you want to be remembered.

BIO

I serve Ohio State University as a Professor in the Departments of Extension (80%) and Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL) (20%), both housed in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Here, I work as a field specialist doing teaching, research, and service in Community & Organizational Leadership Development. My areas of specialization are in: Leadership Development; Instructional Strategies; Capacity Building.

The majority of my teaching is not end-user content. Instead, I most often teach, coach, or consult with educators, faculty members, nonprofit leaders, local government directors, and other managers and administrators to equip them with process skills. Examples include mentoring, coaching, facilitation, strategic thinking, formal and non-formal instructional strategies, online engagement, and other critical leadership skill sets. My goal is to build capacity in these leaders so they can better reach, teach, and lead an exponential number of end-users, clients, and students.

Breakout Session 3

Seeing spots? how to engage the public in spotted lanternfly outreach and engagement
Amy Stone, ANR Extension Educator, Lucas County, The Ohio State University

The Spotted Lanternfly is in the news and continues to spread across Ohio. How can your county’s MGV Program help with outreach and engagement on this non-native invasive insect pest. Participants will learn how to spot the spot and how to engage the public in those efforts as well.

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.

Friday October 25, 2024

9:00 am Keynote

A Seed’s Journey: From Field to You!
Mike Lizotte, the seedman

We’ve all purchased seed packets at our favorite garden center or nursery. Have you ever wondered how those seeds ended up in that packet? Do these seeds in each packet magically go ‘bad’ at the end of the year (packed for dates on the back of the seed packet). My name is Mike ‘The Seed Man’ Lizotte and I’ve been sling’in seed for over 35 years. I will take you on a journey and learn how the seed gets chosen, planted, and ends up in those seed packets. From ‘stock’ seed, to production fields; from collection and cleaning, to lab testing and packaging, we’ll take a voyage through the process to learn exactly how those seeds end up in that packet you planted this spring (or fall).

BIO

Mike Lizotte, also known as ‘The Seed Man,’ has been slinging flower seeds for over 30 years! He’s had the pleasure of speaking to hundreds of thousands of gardeners from across the world, helping them grow the wildflower meadow of their dreams. At the age of 13 he could be found packing seeds on the weekend as he continued honing his craft and love for wildflowers through his high school and college years. In 2009 he fulfilled a lifelong dream and became owner and managing partner of American Meadows where he has worked his entire career.

He’s a published author, Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere around Your Yard, , been featured on national tv shows such as Growing a Greener World and been interviewed and quoted in hundreds of gardening articles through the years.

He is a certified Master Gardener and sits on the board of various trade organizations such as the National Gardening Bureau (www.ngb.org) and the Home Garden Seed Association (www.ezfromseed.org).

When Mike isn’t talking all things flowers, he enjoys spending time with his wife Rachael and their daughter Sadie. He plays hockey, loves to fish and spend time outdoorsar

Breakout Session 1

perspectives on box tree (boxwood) moth
joe boggs, Assistant professor, The Ohio State University

Boxwoods (Buxus spp.) were one of the earliest plants used in North American landscapes with planting records dating back to the late 1600s. These deer-resistant evergreens remain one of our most popular landscape plants. However, their long run is under perceived threats from non-natives such as the box tree (boxwood) moth and boxwood blight. This presentation describes these threats and offers perspectives on their current and future impacts on boxwoods.

BIO

Joe is an assistant professor in Extension and has a courtesy appointment with the OSU Department of Entomology. In Extension, he is an Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Specialization: Tree/Shrub Diagnostics, Applied Entomology, Non-Native Invasive Pests, Urban Forestry.

Joe Boggs has authored a large number of posts on the Buckeye Yard and Garden Online website.

He averages over 100 teaching presentations per year. He's published articles in the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) Magazine, Landsculptor (Michigan Green Industry Association), the Buckeye Arborist, the Society of Commercial Arboriculture Newsletter, and the Canadian Groundskeeper. He has provided educational outreach on Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) since the beetle was discovered in Ohio in 2011 garnering over $100,000 in funding for outreach efforts. Joe is a frequent contributor to the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL) blog [bygl.osu.edu]. His weekly radio segment, "Buggy Joe Boggs Report," runs from April through October on the Saturday morning show, “In the Garden with Ron Wilson,” (iHeartRadio: WKRC, Cincinnati; News Radio 610 WTVN, Columbus). The Cincinnati show is syndicated to 34 radio stations in 12 states.

Breakout Session 2

The key to plant ID is... using a key!
carrie brown, Extension Educator, fairfield County, The Ohio State University

A dichotomous key is a tool often used in field guides to help users accurately identify organisms or objects in the natural world, such as plants, animals, or rocks. Learn how to use a key to "unlock" the identification of your surrounding flora!

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.

Breakout Session 3

Native trees and shrubs in their autumn attire

Trees form the backbone of the ecosystem and the backdrop of the landscape. In summer, our native trees whether small or large can provide cooling shade and habitat for wildlife. Then, in fall, many of these trees provide an additional benefit of a beautiful autumnal display of color before shedding their leaves in preparation for winter. This program will highlight noteworthy characteristics, growing conditions, and care considerations for this special group of plants. Come and learn about some of our native trees and which ones can find a home in your yard.

BIO

11:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 1

diagnostcatastrophies: Misadventures in diagnostics
joe boggs and Eric draper, assistant professors, The Ohio State University,

Plant problem diagnostics can be a high-pressure proposition. After all, you're a Master Gardener! Fact is, even the most seasoned professional has made diagnostic mistakes; it's part of gaining hard-earned knowledge through experience. This "been there, done that" presentation uses real-life diagnostic case studies to illustrate diagnostic pinnacles and pitfalls. As Einstein said, "The only source of knowledge is experience."

BIO

Joe Boggs has authored a large number of posts on the Buckeye Yard and Garden Online website.

Erik Draper is an assistant professor with the Ohio State University Extension in Burton, Ohio and one of Ohio's own “Tree Amigos”. Erik conducts research in Wooster, Ohio on 78 taxa of crabapples to evaluate the impact of multiple disease susceptibilities, insect predation, bloom timing, fruit impact and duration to create an accurate, overall aesthetic profile for each crabapple taxa. As part of the "Tree Amigos", a major focus of Erik's job is actively identifying, using, teaching and refining critical thinking skills to accurately diagnose plant health problems. Erik has written various articles regarding trees, plant diagnostics and sensible pruning for the American Nurseryman and Fine Gardening magazines.

Breakout Session 2

gardening as you age - ideas for adapting
laura akgerman, Disability Services Coordinator, The Ohio state university

You do not have to stop farming and gardening just because you have a disability, or age-related stiffness and mobility issues are catching up with you. Learn good habits, techniques, tools and Universal Design solutions to continue gardening with a disability, arthritis, low vision and other age or health related conditions. Special attention will be focused on decreasing the risk of secondary injury, working smarter, not harder, modifying your garden and the way you work to fit your ability - now and in the future.

BIO

Laura Akgerman is the Disability Services Coordinator for Ohio AgrAbility & Ohio State University Extension. She also coordinates the Caregiver Support Program, and a substance misuse education and prevention grant for several rural Ohio counties.

She is a two-time Ohio State University Alum, with degrees in English and Rehabilitation Services. She presents workshops on Accessibility, Gardening with Arthritis, Farming with a Disability, AgriTourism, and other disability related issues for Ohio AgrAbility and OSU Extension. She grew up outside Sunbury Ohio, and was active in 4-H in Delaware county.

Breakout Session 3

The Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic: Your Partner in Plant Health
Francesca rotondo, program director, c. Wayne ellet plant and pest diagnostic clinic

The presentation will provide an overview of the Clinic, its roles and the different types of services. It will provide information on how to select and submit a good sample for diagnostics analyses. Finally, I will provide an overview of important diseases and disorders observed in different plants, trees and crops.

BIO

Dr. Francesca Rotondo is the Program Director of the OSU C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic, CFAES Wooster Campus. The Clinic offers a broad spectrum of testing for residential and commercial clients to identify pests and cultural/environmental related plant health issues.

Prior to this position, Dr. Rotondo was Research Associate in Dr. Sally A. Miller’s research group in the Department of Plant Pathology at The Ohio State University),working mainly on bacterial diseases of tomato and their management. Under the leadership of Dr. Miller, Dr. Rotondo coordinated the Ohio State Vegetable Pathology Lab’s diagnostics services by being actively involved in the diagnostic process and interactions with growers and Extension Educators.

From 2011 to 2012, Dr. Rotondo worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, in Tucson. During this period, Dr. Rotondo investigated speciation processes among closely related Alternaria taxa that differ primarily in their host associations.

She received her degrees from the University of Bologna, Italy (B.Sc. in Biology, M.S. in Environmental Ecology, and Ph.D. in Plant Pathology).

2024 Master Gardener Volunteer State Conference