Plant pest, disease detection program slated for Feb. 6 in Austin

AUSTIN – The Travis County Master Gardeners will present a program for detecting insects and diseases that may harm gardens and landscapes.

“The idea behind this program is to help gardeners improve their observation skills toward detecting invasive pests and diseases such as the brown marmorated stink bug and rose rosette,” said Daphne Richards, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist for Travis County.

The program will be from 10 a.m.-noon Feb. 6 at Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Road in Austin.

The program is free and open to the public, but there is an entrance fee to Zilker Park: $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 3-12 or seniors 62 and older, and $3 for non-Austin residents.

Richards said Master Gardeners Susan Jung and Tommie Clayton will present the program.

The Travis County Master Gardener association is a volunteer horticulture program of AgriLife Extension.

“These experienced Master Gardeners will introduce attendees to the National Plant Diagnostic Network program and review ‘wanted posters’ of pests and plant disease symptoms so they will know what to look for, which web-based resources are available to identify and address these problems, and where to report sightings for confirmation,” she said.

No RSVP is required. For more information, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Travis County at 512-854-9600.

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