UHMG header
Issue No. 15
March | April | May 2016
Spring 2016 Master Gardener Newsletter
In This Issue
MG NEWS from around the STATE
NEW from CTAHR
Lyon Arboretum's #OhiaLove Project
Quick Links
Mangoes are Flowering: Check/Treat
Mango powdery mildrew (low rainfall areas)
Mango anthracnose (high rainfall areas)

2017 International Master Gardener Conference
Jayme T. Grzebik, UHMG Statewide Coordinator 

The International Master Gardener Conference (IMGC) has been held every two years since 1987. The IMGC provides an opportunity for Master Gardeners, State and County coordinators to come together and learn through seminars and tours, celebrate successes through the  International Search for Excellence Program, and meet and network with Master Gardener volunteers, faculty and staff from across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Korea.

In 2017, the  Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener Program and the Oregon Master Gardener Association will host the 2017 International Master Gardener Conference at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, July 10-14, 2017!
  • Have a group that wants to attend the 2017 IMGC in Portland Oregon?  Start talking with your local MGs to coordinate a trip.
  • Have a UH MG Project that you would like to highlight for the International Search for Excellence Program?  Lets put your local program on the map. See here for details: http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/2017imgc/. Nominations are being accepted by the International Master Gardener Committee through August 1, 2016.
Master Gardener NEWS from around the STATE

NEWS FROM KAUA'I  
Joshua Silva, MG Coordinator Kaua'i    
       
Mokihana, Melicope anisata
Mokihana
Melicope anisata
Kaua'i Master Gardener Newsletter:
December 2015-February 2016     

The Kaua'i MG program is off and running with 28 new recruits in training, a weekly booth at the Kaua'i Community College farmers market, and a demonstration garden in the works!
NEWS FROM O'AHU
Jayme Grzebik, MG Coordinator Oʻahu

'Ilima, Sida fallax
Ilima 
Sida fallax 
O'ahu MGs support the Hawai'i Food Bank  
Learn about the small gardens at the UGC, our grafting hui, Amy's herb garden, and how our produce is used to support the Hawaii Foodbank. Our heartfelt thanks go to Kathy Ano and Barbara Alexander for this final issue and for 4+ years of effort to keep O'ahu MGs united through communication at the Urban Garden Center.
Read here. 

NEWS FROM MAUI COUNTY
Cynthia Nazario-Leary, MG Coordinator

Lokelani Rose
Rosa chinensis
Maui Update  
Read about Maui's busy master gardener trainees, participating in groundbreaking virtual training events, planting square foot vegetable "learning gardens," and developing 5 learning centers as part of their group projects. The vision for the Maui Kahului CES Garden is to become a place where the community and MGs can come to learn and explore sustainable and renewable techniques and practices for home gardens and yards.
Read the article here.
 
NEWS FROM EAST HAWAI'I  
Compiled by Bill Miller, EHIMGA President

Ohia, Metrosideros polymorphas
'Ohi'a
Metrosideros polymorpha
Aloha Andrew!
Andrew Kawabata, Extension Agent at CTAHR in charge of the East Hawai'i Master Gardener Program since 2003, retired on 12/2015. Read about the progress made by the East Hawai'i Master Gardener Association (EHIMGA) under his care and guidance as well as the send off they gave him.

Without the benefit of having a MG coordinator, EHIMGA is organizing their spring 2016 MG training class, participating in distance learning events and holding outreach events. Read about their efforts here.
NEWS FROM WEST HAWAI'I  
Ty McDonald, MG Coordinator 
Ohia, Metrosideros polymorpha
'Ohi'a
Metrosideros polymorpha

West Hawaiʻi Master Gardeners Spring Newsletter 2016
by Celeste Makrevis, West Hawai'i MG 

Read about the delicious adventures of West Hawaii MGs as they tour the Kona Coast, with visits to local farms to learn more about cacao and honeybees. Learn how they are nurturing their volunteers to keep more master gardeners trained, active and involved. Read here.
New from CTAHR
 
Lyon Arboretum's Seed Conservation Lab #OhiaLove Project

ʻŌhiʻa trees (Metrosideros polymorpha) are the keystone species of Hawai'i's native forests, providing habitat for native wildlife and plants, and creating the watersheds that recharge our water supply. This tree also has immense cultural significance, symbolizing strength, beauty, and sanctity.
 
Rapid 'Ōhi'a Death (ROD) is a fungal disease that has affected >34,000 acres of ʻōhiʻa trees on Hawai'i Island. Many efforts are ongoing to understand and stop its spread, but in the meantime ROD is a serious threat with the potential to kill ʻōhiʻa trees statewide.
 
Lyon Arboretum's Seed Conservation Lab is establishing the #OhiaLove Project for its staff and partners to systematically collect and store seeds of ʻōhiʻa, to preserve genetic diversity of both at-risk populations as well as those that are potentially ROD-resistant, for future forest restoration.
 
Please consider supporting #OhiaLove by donating at gofundme.com/ohialove and/or by helping to spread the word via email, post on social media, and tell your family & friends!

Seeding the future of the 'ohi'a forest
Seeding the future of the 'ohi'a forest

Marian M. Chau, Ph.D.
Seed Conservation Laboratory Manager
Lyon Arboretum, Hawaiian Rare Plant Program
 
Aloha!

 

Jayme Grzebik
University of Hawaiʻi Master Gardener Statewide Coordinator

Assisted by Jody Smith | smithjos@hawaii.edu
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources | University of Hawai'i
Master Gardener in East Hawaii