Home Gardener Information - Landscape Nursery and Urban Forestry

The Turf Program and the Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program of UMass Extension provide informational resources, programs, and research data directly to Green Industry businesses and professionals, who in turn provide the information to the public via their customers. It is our goal to educate the professional, who in turn can better serve their clients and answer home gardening and landscape questions. The following information sources are available to home gardeners and landscapers.


Soil Testing:

University of Massachusetts Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory
	The University of Massachusetts Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory is located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Testing services are available to all. The function of the Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory is to provide test results and recommendations that lead to the wise and economical use of soils and soil amendments. For additional information not outlined on this page, call the UMass Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Lab at (413) 545-2311.


Plant Problem Diagnostics:

UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab
	Accurate diagnosis for a turf or landscape problem can often eliminate or reduce the need for pesticide use. The UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab is available to serve commercial landscape contractors, turf managers, arborists, nurseries and other green industry professionals. It provides woody plant and turf disease analysis, woody plant and turf insect identification, turfgrass identification, weed identification, and offers a report of pest management strategies that are research based, economically sound and environmentally appropriate for the situation.


Master Gardener Garden Hotlines:

Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
	Wistariahurst, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke, MA (413) 533-0414 (for Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin Counties) Tuesdays, 9 am to noon, May 1 through October 1. Monitored answering machine October - March

Massachusetts Horticultural Society
	Dover, MA, (617) 933-4929 Phone consultations from May - September, Mon./Wed./Fri./Sat. 10am - 2pm

	E-mail: hortline@masshort.org

University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Gardening and Environmental Hotline
	(401) 874-2900 (outside Rhode Island) (800) 448-1011(inside Rhode Island) year-round, Mon. - Thur. 9am - 2pm

	E-mail: mggarden@etal.uri.edu

Barnstable County Master Gardener Program (For Barnstable County Residents Only)
	(508) 375-6700 9am - 3pm May - Sept: Mon. - Fri. April & Oct: Mon./Wed./Fri. Feb, March & Nov: Tue./Thur. Dec. & Jan: Closed


Botanic Gardens:

Arnold Arboretum Plant Information Line (Trees and Shrubs Only)
	Jamaica Plain, MA, (617) 524-1718 x 127 year-round, Mon. 1pm - 3pm

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Worcester County Horticultural Society
	Boylston, MA, (508) 869-6111 x 10 year-round, Wed. 2pm - 4pm walk-ins are accepted during hotline hours, garden admission will be charged.


Poisonings:

Massachusetts and Rhode Island Poison Control System
	Boston, MA 1-800-222-1222 (Emergencies) 1-800-682-9211 ( Toxicologist Consultation)


Conservation and Wildlife:

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
	"Wildlife" section of the web site includes information about nuisance wildlife and a listing of licensed control agents. e-mail: mass.wildlife@state.ma.us

Massachusetts Audubon Natural History Help Line
	Lincoln, MA, (781) 259-9506 x 7416 year-round, Mon. - Fri. 9am - 5pm


Additional Resources:

National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) (800) 858-7378
	Sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency; offers impartial information about pesticides (products, poisoning, safety, health and environmental effects, etc.)

Poisonous Plants
	Neither the Arnold Arboretum nor the Poison Control Center are willing to make telephone recommendations regarding poisonous plants any longer for liability reasons. The following references are suggested by the Arnold Arboretum: - Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms of North America - Turner & Szczawinski - Baby Safe Houseplants and Cut Flowers - Alber & Alber See also: Cornell University Poisonous Plants Informational Database

Natural Resources Conservation Service
	Information available from this agency ranges from preventing soil erosion, to keeping water clean and plentiful, to safe handling and disposal of household products.

Consult your Local Garden Center
	Many reputable firms have a trained horticulturist on staff who has received training or has been updated on new planting principles, pesticides, pest management, or locally adopted plants.

Home Lawn Links from Universities:
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Turf Tips Colorado State University Lawn Care Fact Sheets University of Gerogia Turfgrass Management Calendar Iowa State University Yard & Garden Info Kansas State University Lawn Problem Solver North Carolina State University Guide to Maintaining Quality Turf in the Landscape Lousiana State University Ag Center Lawn Information University of Maine Establishing a Home Lawn University of Missouri Lawn Fact Sheets Montana State University Successful Lawns Penn State Turfgrass Management Home Lawn Fact Sheets Purdue University Turfgrass Extension Publications Texas A&M Turf Answers 4 You University of Rhode Island Green Share Fact Sheets - click on 'Turf Care' Washington State University Lawns and Groundcovers Fact Sheets


Home Horticulture Links from Universities:
The Homeowner's Lawn Care Water Quality Almanac - Cornell Cooperative Extension University of Connecticut Home and Garden Education Center University of Vermont Extension Master Gardener Web Site University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Education Center University of New Hampshire Family, Home, and Garden Education Center University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center University of Minneosota Gardening Information

Other Useful Websites:
Ohio State University Fact Sheet Database and University Search Engine The Education Center of the American Phytopathological Society Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Items of Interest :
Massachusetts Tree Wardens' and Foresters' Tree Seedling Program

Please Note: The information presented here is for educational purposes, no endorsement is intended. Contact information is subject to change without notice. University of Massachusetts Extension does not guarantee or warrant the standard of any referenced source of information or imply approval of a reference to the exclusion of other resources. Links followed by the symbol are external links that open in a new window.

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