UGA Cooperative Extension

Houston County Extension Office:
Agriculture & Natural Resources

• Newletters
• Factsheets
• Programs
• Services We Offer

Newsletters

The Garden Bench is free bi-monthly newsletter from the University of Georgia Extension Office in Houston County. We provide research based information to help Middle Georgia gardeners. To subscribe, email tberry1@windstream.net

Most Recent Issue of The Garden Bench

2009 Archives

• JANUARY - FEBRUARY GARDEN BENCH
• MARCH - APRIL GARDEN BENCH
• MAY - JUNE GARDEN BENCH
• JULY - AUGUST GARDEN BENCH
• SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER GARDEN BENCH

2008 Archives

• JANUARY - FEBRUARY GARDEN BENCH
• MARCH - APRIL GARDEN BENCH
• MAY - JUNE GARDEN BENCH
• JULY - AUGUST GARDEN BENCH
• SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER GARDEN BENCH
• NOVEMBER - DECEMBER GARDEN BENCH

2007 Archives

• JANUARY - FEBRUARY GARDEN BENCH
• MARCH - APRIL GARDEN BENCH
• JULY - AUGUST GARDEN BENCH
• SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER GARDEN BENCH
• NOVEMBER - DECEMBER GARDEN BENCH

2006 Archives

• JANUARY - FEBRUARY GARDEN BENCH
• MARCH - APRIL GARDEN BENCH
• MAY - JUNE GARDEN BENCH
• JULY - AUGUST GARDEN BENCH
• SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER GARDEN BENCH
• NOVEMBER - DECEMBER GARDEN BENCH

The Landscape Alert is a free bulletin published for commercial landscapers, providing a timely analysis of problems prevalent in the Middle Georgia area at this time. View this publication online at www.gaurbanag.org

top

Factsheets

Lawns & Turf	Shrubs & Trees
Centipede Grass Turning Red Purple or Yellow	Asian Ambrosia Beetle
Centipede Lawn Quick Care Guide	Dogwood Borers
Fairy Rings in Lawns	Dogwood Care
Post Emergence Weed Control	Crape Myrtle Care
Late Season Sodding	Fire Blight
Lawn Disease	Leaf Spot
Managing Turf in a Drought Situation	Learn to Talk Tree
Preventing the Spring and Summer Weed Flush	Leyland Cypress
Slime Mold in Lawns	Mistletoe Control
Spots in Bare Turf	Moving Trees and Shrubs
St. Augustine Grass	Pine Beetle Control
Winterkill	Planting Trees
Pests	Producing Pecans in Middle Georgia
Chinch Bugs	Reblooming Crape Myrtle
Earth Worm Information	Selecting and Planting Trees
Mole Crickets	Selecting and Planting Trees2
Spittlebugs	Slime Flux or Wetwood
White Grub Control	Small Trees for Stressful Urban Sites
Argentine Ant Control Inside	Tree Decline and Care
Weeds	Yoshino Cherry Care
Controling Florida Betony Wild Garlic and Dandelions	Miscellaneous
Post Emergence Weed Control	Compost and Mulch Sources
Wildlife Control	Gardening on the Web
Armadillo Control	Holes in Yards
Chipmunk Control	Mulching
Controlling Frogs and Lizards	Plant Care During Drought
Evicting Wild Guests	Protecting Plants from Freezing Temperatures
Rats and Mice
Mole Control
Squirrels
Vole Control

top

Programs

For the Homeowner

Master Gardener
Master Gardener Hours Logbook
Junior Master Gardener
Garden Academy

top

 

top

Services We Offer

Soil Sampling

Home: http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C896/C896.htm
Commercial: http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/L99.htm

 

Standard - These will tell you how to lime and fertilize your plants for good growth. Cost: $6.00

 

Pesticide/Chemicals - These are expensive ($50-$100 or more) and usually not necessary to diagnose a problem.

 

Nematode assays - These identify the presence, numbers and type of nematodes in the soil around the roots of the plant. Assays are free if we are troubleshooting or $25 for routine samples.

Water Sampling

http://apps.caes.uga.edu/urbanag/

UGA can test for many contaminants in water, but the client must know what they are looking for. There is no such thing as a sample to see if the water is "safe to drink."

For well water, the first concern would be bacterial contamination (coliform). The Envirnomental Health Department does these samples - (478) 218-2020.

Plant Insect and Disease Samples

At the agents' discretion, a sample can be sent to the diagnostic labs. The goal is to identify the problem so as to reach a solution.

Plant Identification

Plants are identified if necessary to solve a problem. We are not able to identify all plants to species or variety, but will help where we can to solve problems.

DDDI

Digital Diagnosis through Digital Imaging - Extension agents make digital images of problems and post them on the web. Specialists look at these and diagnose the problem.

Questions and Answers

Home Gardening and Landscaping: Contact Teddie Berry at mg@uga.edu or 478-987-2028.

top