UHMG header
Issue No. 8
June | July | August 2014
Summer 2014 Master Gardener Newsletter
In This Issue
NEWS from around the STATE
2014 Statewide UHMG Conference
Control Garden Pests Using the Least Toxic Methods
Wildfire in Hawaii
Quick Links

In the year that we celebrate the centennial year of Cooperative Extension, we have over 140 new UH MGs that successfully completed the UH Master Gardener Training Class of 2014! Welcome to the UH Master Gardener program! What sets a Master Gardener apart is their dedication to be a life-long learner in sustainable gardening practices. We don't know all the answers (and that's ok!), but we are dedicated to learning and sharing resources so that local home gardeners, school gardens, community gardeners and other small-scale gardeners can make knowledgeable decisions in their backyards. Training classes have come to an end, but your journey to contribute to your local community has just begun. Your local MG Extension Agent Coordinator wants you to succeed in earning your first Certification. Help your local Coordinator & encourage your fellow MGs to keep their commitment, reach certification, share knowledge, and learn with fellow MGs.  

 

Learn more about the Centennial Celebration & CTAHR here: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ces100/

 

NEWS from around the STATE

NEWS FROM KAUA'I 
Kim Perry, MG Coordinator Kaua'i
Mokihana, Melicope anisata
Mokihana
Melicope anisata

Congratulations Kaua'i Master Gardener Class of 2014!

Kaua'i Master Gardeners had much to celebrate as the largest class in the program's history, the Class of 2014, completed the final day of their 16-week Training Course. Groups presented talks on everything from aquaponics to homemade weed wipers, growing lei plants at home, native plants in the home garden, conservation and restoration of kiawe, post-harvest food preservation, and herb gardening in containers. READ here

 
NEWS FROM O'AHU
Jayme Grzebik, MG Coordinator Oʻahu

'Ilima, Sida fallax
Ilima
Sida fallax 

Our UH Master Gardener Class of 2014

Every year it is so great to see the diversity of local community members interested in the MG Program. This year 41 Trainees successfully completed the training class and will be working throughout the next year to obtain their very first certification in the UH MG Program. Read here.

 

NEWS FROM MAUI COUNTY
Lorraine Brooks, MG Coordinator Maui

Lokelani Rose
Rosa chinensis

Busy Maui master gardeners have built new gardens to teach and learn about plants to support pollinators and beneficial insects, and plants to trap and repel insect pests. Plus, there are "bees at work" on Maui with apprentice master gardeners to care for them, all this while planning our UH Master Gardener Statewide Conference for October 24, 25, and 26. Read here.

 


NEWS FROM EAST HAWAI'I  
Andrew Kawabata, MG Coordinator
Ohia, Metrosideros polymorphas
Ohia Metrosideros polymorpha

Hilo Extended Care Beautification
by Dawn Lambert Garlich, Newsletter Editor, East Hawaii

East Hawaii Master Gardeners have been adding hanging baskets and potted plants to enhance the environment at the Hilo Extended Care Facility.  Along with checking on the care of the plants, they have from time to time offered planting experiences to the patients. Read here.

   

NEWS FROM WEST HAWAI'I  
Ty McDonald, MG Coordinator 
Ohia, Metrosideros polymorpha
Ohia
Metrosideros polymorpha

UHMG Summer Newsletter
by Celeste Makrevis, West Hawai'i Master Gardener

Follow the adventures of our West Hawaii MGs as they chase down invasive plants at local nurseries, harvest 1609 lbs. of Surinam cherries, and share the joys of gardening at their new Keiki Corner displays offered at their public events. Read here.

Save the Date!   
2014 Statewide UH Master Gardener Conference 
October 24-26, 2014 on the island of Maui

Maui Master Gardeners are planning an event to grow by! Starting on Friday with a Meet Your Neighbor Island MGs Party, Saturday Maui Garden & Farm Tours, and Sunday MG Advanced Training Classes. Awards banquet to be held during this conference. Check with your local MG Coordinator to set up an Awards Committee! All submissions due by August 30th to receive a plaque and be eligible for Statewide Awards.

Control Garden Pests Using the Least Toxic Methods
by Kim Perry, MG Coodinator Kauaʻi    
Bt products. Photo: UC Davis

Studies show that home gardeners are apt to apply more pesticides in their backyards than farmers or landscapers-up to 10x as much per square foot-because they lack the financial and regulatory incentives to ensure that pesticides are prudently applied. A systematic, preventative approach combining cultural, physical, biological, and chemical controls, IPM is the only effective and sustainable way to manage pests. There are several non-chemical IPM strategies that can reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides in the home garden. Read more here.

Wildfire in Hawai'i

Clay Trauernicht, Wildland Fire Specialist, UH Manoa  

 

Wildfire in Hawaii

Over the past decade, an average of more than 1000 wildfires burned over 17,000 acres each year in Hawai'i.

Humans have caused much of the increase in wildfire threat by increasing the abundance of ignitions and introducing nonnative fire-prone grasses and shrubs. Nonnative grasslands and shrublands now cover nearly one quarter of Hawaii's total land area and greatly increase the incidence of larger fires especially in leeward areas. Read more here. 

Aloha!

 

Jayme Grzebik
Email: [email protected]
University of Hawaiʻi Master Gardener Statewide Coordinator

Assisted by Jody Smith | Oahu MG | [email protected]
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
University of Hawai'i
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