Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 14, 1993                   TAG: 9311150237
SECTION: HOMES                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: John Arbogast
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

HERE'S HOW TO BECOME A MASTER GARDENER

We need these people who undergo training and then share their talents. For most gardeners, sharing seems to be a natural thing. Roanoke Master Gardeners, who staff the Extension Office's "green line," have taken over much of the care of the public rose gardens in both Salem and Roanoke, and have assisted with the 4-H Garden Project, among other things.

In Virginia, to earn the Master Gardener title, applicants receive at least 48 hours of training on all aspects of horticulture from the local Extension Office.

This program is geared toward gardeners who already have some basic knowledge of plants plus an interest in volunteering. The Master Gardener applicant agrees to volunteer at least the same number of hours in various horticulture roles for extension as the number of hours they trained.

This is the time of year when Extension Offices are looking for volunteers who want to become Master Gardeners in 1994.

Times for training are as follows:

Roanoke: classes on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, 1-4 p.m., Jan. 18 through March 10 (except noon-3 p.m. on Feb. 10 and March 10), in the Safety Council training room, 2728 Colonial Ave. S.W., Roanoke. Applications will be taken and information will be available the third week of November; applications are accepted until classroom space is full. Call the Roanoke Extension Office at (703) 857-7915.

New River Valley: classes Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Jan. 18-March 17, on the Virginia Tech campus. Contact the Montgomery County Extension Office at (703) 382-5790.

Lynchburg: First meeting is orientation on Feb. 8 with classes in evening from 6:30-9:30 p.m., Feb. 15 through mid-April. Training will include a six-hour class/demonstration on pruning. Jan. 15 deadline for applications; call the Lynchburg Extension Office at (804) 847-1585.

These Master Gardener training programs will charge a registration fee to cover the Virginia Master Gardener Handbook (textbook) and other necessary training expenses.

Q: I have a cactus with a bloom on it that looks like a balloon. It comes out in a peak before it blooms. I would like to know what it is. It has a lot of spikes on the plant. The blooms are light brown. E.P.L., Bedford

A: The cactus family of plants is quite extensive, as I learned in trying to answer your question. Also, most cacti do have spines (spikes) or scales. So, even though you gave me a nice description of your cactus, I am unable to tell you its name. I would suggest that you visit a well-established indoor-plant shop or look in a reference book on cactus to find the name of your plant.

Q: Please tell me how I would go about sending a soil sample to Virginia Tech to be tested. I set out about 40 tomato plants each year, but they do not produce large enough tomatoes to suit me. However, the number from each vine is fairly good. J.B., Roanoke

A:Taking a soil test in the fall is an excellent way for home gardeners to see if there is a soil pH or nutrient problem that might have caused garden crops not to have done as well as hoped, if pests and diseases were not a problem and all the other garden site and care practices were optimum.

So, here's the procedure to have a soil test done by Virginia Tech:

Pick up soil sample box(es) and sheet(s) from your local Cooperative Extension office. In Roanoke and Roanoke County, those boxes and sheets can also be picked up at any of the public libraries.

Follow instructions provided.

Collect and package sample(s).

Mail or ship directly to the Soil Testing Laboratory at Virginia Tech (address given on form) accompanied by check or money order, made payable to the treasurer, Virginia Tech. Extension offices no longer can mail soil samples. The in- state soil sample fee is $6 for the routine test and covers the direct costs of analysis and mailing the results with recommendations back to you.

Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P. O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010-2491. We need your mail, but this column can't reply to all letters. Those of wide appeal will be answered each week. Personal replies cannot be given. Please don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples or pictures.

Gardeners' checklist

Jobs to be done in mid November.

Remove grass, weeds and mulch from around the trunk of fruit trees and grapes to discourage damage by mice and rodents feeding on the bark this winter. Tree trunk guards may be needed.

Clean, dry and put away sprayers and chemical mixing equipment. Anything that has been used with a weed-killer should be labeled for future use only with herbicides.

John Arbogast is the agricultural extension agent for Roanoke.