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Plant Management Systems: Urban Horticulture (Santa Fe County)

Plan Goal

Increase urban horticulture knowledge and skill levels of homeowners and landscape professionals by teaching and recommending practical and responsible landscape and gardening practices.

Situation Statement

Over the last 15 years, New Mexico has been experience a growth in population with a high percentage moving in from some of the coastal states. Santa Fe county is no different from the rest of the state experience such grow. Many of the newcomers are unfamiliar with growing plants in this high desert environment. However, many are familiar with the Cooperative Extension System and tend to seek out this office for locally sound information on horticultural practices. In addition, many are familiar with the Master Gardener course since many have taken it in other states and therefore make it a point to enroll in the course to get that local un-biased information that they need.

Because of their unfamiliarity with growing plants in this environment, many of the newcomers tend to overwater or underwater their plants. Therefore there is a need to train these newcomers about proper irrigation techniques while educating them about water conservation due to the fact that it is such a limited resource for New Mexico

Target Audience and Actions

Santa Fe County residents will be provided current research-based information relative to gardening in this high desert environment. The horticultural education will be provided through formal and informal settings as well as printed materials. In addition, specific programming will be conducted for private and public landscape professionals working in the Santa Fe area.

Short-Term Objectives

1. At least 25 Master Gardeners will be trained annually to assist the Agent in the dissemination of basic horticultural information through workshops, educational demonstrations and developing of demonstration gardens.
2. The Agent will respond to 95% of the requests for horticultural information providing the clientele which will lead to a minimum of 10% increase in knowledge.

Medium-Term Objectives

1. The Agent will respond to presentation requests from community groups and organizations at a minimum rate of 3/year. Clientele participating in such presentations will increase their knowledge base by an average of 10%.
2. A minimum of 1 training per year will be conducted for private and public landscape professionals including information on pest management techniques.

Long-Term Objectives

1. Residential landscape owners who participate in Extension horticultural programs will reduce their water by 10% during the next 4 years while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing landscape and helping to preserve a sustainable water supply.

Evaluation Plan

Evidence of successful Extension horticulture teaching will result in gardeners changing their landscapes without loss of aesthetics or plant survival. Individual landscape water use will be decreased. Commercial, residential, and institutional landscapes will employ water conserving practices.

Success of Master Gardener program will guaged by the number of course participants who pass the class participants successfully through subject tests that are administered as well as the number of hours of recorded of volunteer service in the disseminating horticultural information and service projects.

Survey and evaluations will be used to guage the success of workshops and educational demonstrations conducted.