Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Mengmeng Gu, 979-845-8567, mgu@tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION — A three-day Earth-Kind Landscape Short Course will be held Dec. 14-16 for professionals who manage and maintain urban green spaces, according to Dr. Mengmeng Gu, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist in College Station.
The course will be in the Horticulture and Forest Science Building on Texas A&M University’s West Campus. Registration, which is limited to 35, is $375 until Dec. 2 and $435 thereafter. Texas Nursery and Landscape Association members are offered discounted registrations of $325 until Dec. 2 and $395 thereafter. Registration and group rates are online at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/horticulture.
“People who tend to residential landscapes, parks, commercial properties and golf courses will benefit from the information taught, especially those who are interested in developing sustainable urban landscape conservation programs,” Gu said.
On Dec. 14, the program will be 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and include talks on landscape plant physiology, diversifying plants, the effects of neonic pesticides on bees, sustainable landscape designs and practices, and crape myrtle bark scale.
The program on Dec. 15 will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with talks on plant pest identification and integrated pest management, demystifying green roof plantings, selecting healthy landscape plants, a laws and regulation update, and an update on chemical labeling.
On Dec. 16, the program will be 8 a.m.-noon with instruction on dealing with drought and salinity issues, how to spot water-conserving plants, and information on native and invasive plants and weeds.
Instructors for the short course in addition to Gu include Dr. Carlos Bogran, manager of technical services for OHP in College Station; Dr. Whitney Griffin, horticulture lecturer at Texas A&M University; Heidi Sheesley, owner of TreeSearch Farm in Houston; Laura Miller, AgriLife Extension horticulture agent in Tarrant County; Dr. Mark Matocha, AgriLife Extension agriculture and environmental safety specialist in College Station; Dr. Genhua Niu, Texas A&M AgriLife Research horticulturist in El Paso; and Dr. Kevin Ong, director of AgriLife Extension’s Plant Diagnostic Lab in College Station.
For more information, contact Gu at 979-845-8567 or mgu@tamu.edu.
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