Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture

Based on the objective to respond to 95% of the requests for horticultural information, clientele will report a 20% increase in knowledge.

Impact: During the reporting period there were 3006 requests for horticultural information from clientele throughout Los Alamos County. Information requested was on a variety of subjects including integrated insect pest management, ornamental trees and shrubs, noxious weed management, wildlife management and enhancement, water conservation and turf management, and home production of fruits and vegetables. Each client contact is approached with a strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties. Pesticides are recommended only after there are indications they are needed according to established guidelines, and treatments are made with the goal of removing only the target organism. Pest control materials are selected in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, beneficial and non-target organisms, and the environment. A sample of 401 of the clientele indicated at least a 60% gain in knowledge associated with the specific request for information. Respondents also indicated a high level of usefulness of the information. Three hundred sixty-four of those sampled indicated that they had incorporated at least one of the strategies discussed with the agent in their overall strategy in solving their problem.

Based on the objective to train at least 15 Master Gardener volunteers to assist the agent in the dissemination of horticulture information to the general public.

Impact: Following a series of 15 three hour training sessions, 18 Master Gardener volunteers were trained in basic horticulture to prepare them to aid the agent in educational efforts. All 18 volunteers increased their knowledge about basic botany, the plant environment, growing fruits and vegetables, pruning of trees and shrubs, basic soils, basic landscape design, weed management, fire defensible space, integrated pest management and plant selection. Participants demonstrated their horticulture proficiency by passing exams with at least an 80% average score. The volunteers have contributed 961 hours during the reporting period valued at $15,276.00. Volunteers participate in educational programming which includes public programs, private consultations with clientele on urban horticulture issues and the design and maintenance of a 1½ acre public demonstration garden in downtown Los Alamos.

Turf Irrigation Efficiency Through Sub-surface Drip Irrigation Workshop

For the second consecutive year, the agent arranged and hosted a half-day presentation by the Extension Turf Specialist focusing on efficient turf irrigation. The 3 participants were given information on analyzing and improving sprinkler irrigation systems, and on the design, installation and implementation of sub-surface drip irrigation for watering turf. The information presented also showed comparative differences in efficiency between above ground sprinklers and sub-surface irrigation. As a result of having attended this program last year, one of the participants convinced the home owners association of which she is a member of to conduct a water audit of the turf area which is in the common areas. The homeowners have determined through the audit that they are over-watering the turf and can afford to reduce the frequency of the irrigations by 12%.

Community Presentations

The County Agent arranged for the Urban Horticulture Specialist to present a slide talk on the “Use of Native Plants for Landscaping.” The presentation was done due to a request by a member of St. John’s Methodist Church. Although the presentation was intended for church members, the church was receptive to opening the participation to other members of the community. This presentation was attended by 24 members of the community with the Santa Fe area.

A slide talk on “Proper Tree Care” was presented by the County Agent to the members of Las Jardineras Garden Club in November of 2006. The 28 female members of the club felt that they had all gained some knowledge on proper installation and maintenance of trees. All of them indicated that they had at some point or another done at least one thing wrong in the planting or maintenance of their own trees in their landscapes.

The “Principles of Xeriscape” were presented to each of the two Homemaker Clubs in Santa Fe County for a total 26 club members. Based on the 18 evaluations collected, 84% of the participants rated the information as excellent in terms of its usefulness while 3 shared the comment that they needed to convert their landscapes to one that was more xeric in nature.

The County Agent presented two workshops to 7 members of a home for mentally disabled with each presentation being no more than one and one-half hours long. The first presentation was on the selection of xeric plants for confined spaces and the second presentation was on the proper methods of planting a vegetable gardens. The second presentation was done using a hands-on approach which also included the installation of a irrigation system. All but one member of this home participated in one form or another through the whole process.

Nine girls from Girls Inc. were provided two instructional demonstration sessions. The first was on the “Proper Care and Maintenance of Garden Tools” and the second one on “Soils” and “Insects”. The County Agent was asked to present these demonstrations due to the fact that the girls attending the summer program were also actively gardening using the space at one of the local Santa Fe schools. Based on personally observations, it seemed that all of the girls understood and had learned the processes taught to them through the demonstrations.

The Olla Demonstration Garden was developed in 2005 by the master gardeners to demonstrate an antiquated method of irrigation utilizing unglazed clay pots filled with water and buried into the ground. However, at the end of 2006 growing season they felt like they were ready to abandon the project thus leaving the irrigation system in place. During the 2007 4-H Day Camp the County Agent taught a day’s worth of horticulture and irrigation methods to the 29 youth participating in the camp. As part of the lesson, the youth learned about the olla irrigation method and transplanted chile and tomato plants next to the pots. The tomatoes and the chile harvested from the garden will be donated to local soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

Master Gardeners

Due to popular demand 2 Master Gardener classes were offered in Santa Fe and Eldorado this year accommodating a total of 44 students with 36 of the students completing the course successfully. At the end of the 15-week course 72% of the participants rated the course “highly satisfactory” in terms of the course having met their expectations with the other 28% of the participants rating it as “satisfactory”. The Agent was responsible for contacting speakers, developing the course syllabus, ordering manuals, and teaching the session on Intergrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety. Additionally, the Agent arranged for two of the presenter for the advanced trainings for the master gardeners on diagnosing plant problems and on keying out plants for identification purposes.

Many calls are received throughout the year of individuals wanting to get on a list to receive information and an application for the 2008 Master Gardener course. As of the end of September 121 people are on the list. On one September afternoon many of these prospective students were invited to attend a social gathering at the Audobohn Center (which is one of the sites in which the Master Gardeners do some volunteer work) so that they could interact with Certified Master Gardeners and ask questions about the program. Many of those prospective students were hoping to fill out their applications at this event.

As Master Gardener interns and Certified Master Gardeners, this group of volunteers continues to provide a great amount of service to the greater Santa Fe area in the form of education, outreach and community service. Over 2700 hours of volunteer service valued at minimum of $45,100 was provided by the Master Gardeners from the Fall season of 2006 to the late summer of 2007.

The third annual Gardening Fair was organized and facilitated and with 12 different presentations made by Master Gardeners, the Extension Agent, and other gardening experts from the Santa Fe area. Inclusive of this one day fair this year was the development of a directory of landscape and gardening related businesses and organizations along with several pages of water conservation tips. The cost of printing the directory was underwritten by the Rio Grande Basin Initiative. Also inclusive of the Gardening Fair was the trade-fair where 28 organizations and businesses were invited to have an information table. The parking crew reported that they had parked an estimated 550 vehicles on that day.

As part of the 2007 Gardening Fair, a plant sale was held once again with the proceeds being used to cover the cost of projects that the Master Gardeners have been working on or are in the process of developing.

The Master Gardener Home Gardening Hotline continues to be staffed 2 mornings every week from early May to the end of October. Typically 3 volunteers are available to staff and answer questions at each session. A dedicated phone line provided by the County Extension Office was established in 2002 which includes an answering machine that is checked mid-week by a volunteer.

In 2007, the Santa Fe Master Gardeners once again staffed an information table on Tuesday mornings and occasionally on Saturday mornings at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. Through the information table the master gardeners provided literature, answered questions, promoted the hotline and promoted the Master Gardener course. Approximately 750 contacts were made through the course of the market season with the vast majority of the contact being related to gardening questions or problems.

Several demonstration gardens continue to be managed and cared for by the Master Gardeners.

1) The management of the Herb/Drip Irrigation Demonstration Garden has been taken over by the County Agent and the master gardeners. This demonstration garden is a Rio Grande Basin Initiative project to demonstrate efficiency of drip irrigation in backyard gardens while testing and demonstrating varieties of culinary herbs suitable to grow in the Santa Fe area.
2) The Xeric Demonstration Garden in front of the County Extension Office continues to be maintained to demonstrate low water use ornamental landscape plant material. This demonstration garden was expanded last fall along the southwest corner of the garden while incorporating moss rock and new plant materials into the garden.
5) The Audobohn Native Plant Demonstration Plot is a small garden which was planted and has been maintained since 2003 at the Randall Davey Audobohn Center. The purpose of the plot is to demonstrate native plants that can make for an attractive landscape and yet attract small wildlife into the landscape.

The Santa Fe Master Gardener Association continues to work with Habitat for Humanity by assisting with the planting of new plant material around newly built homes for the third consecutive year. This year 8 new homes received the assistance from the master gardeners and provided home owners with garden care and maintenance information.

One of the local nurseries asked the Santa Fe master gardeners back to setup an information table every Saturday morning for 3 hours from May through July. The program lasted for 13 consecutive weeks. The nursery recognizes that these volunteers are well trained in the subject of horticulture and can provided unbiased and sound information to the public. The team leader for this project reported that they received many good questions from the public.