PORT ANGELES — Master Gardener Bob Cain will kick off the 2019 Green Thumb Garden Tips education series with a free lecture on controlling pests in home orchards at noon Thursday.
He will discuss the application, timing, dosages and limitations of dormant and summer oils to control fungi, bacteria and insect pests and eggs in home orchards during the hour-long presentation in the county commissioners meeting room (Room 160) at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E Fourth St., Port Angeles.
Research into oils
Recent research from Washington State University relating to the use of botanically derived oils also will be covered, including recommendations on specific brands and application to pest and disease control. This will include the use of natural insecticides and organic fungicidal oils.
Cain, a Master Gardener since 2009, has 40 years of experience growing vegetables in Scotland, Ireland, Colorado and Washington state.
Plant disease monthly article
He writes a monthly article on plant disease for the Clallam County Master Gardener Newsletter and has contributed to area newspaper gardening columns.
He is the 2009 Master Gardener Intern of the Year and 2011 Master Gardener of the Year. He served as the garden manager of the Woodcock Demonstration Garden for five years and is a past president and board member of the Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County.
Two monthly meetings
The “Green Thumb Garden Tips” education series, sponsored by the WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners on the second and fourth Thursday of every month in Port Angeles, consists of educational programs designed to help home gardeners establish or improve their gardening practices.
Speakers are local and regional individuals with expertise and experience in sustainable horticultural practices.
Attendees may bring a lunch.
The other presentations that will be offered this year include Seed Starting, Feb. 14; Gardening for Newcomers to the Area, Feb. 28; Growing Culinary Herbs, March 14; Things You Never Knew About Slugs, March 28; Bamboo and Other Ornamental Grasses, April 11; Integrated Pest Management, April 25; Rain Gardens, May 9; Composting, May 23; Weed Show and Tell, June 13; Growing Rhubarb, June 27; Hardy Succulents, July 11; Water Features for the Garden, July 25; Permaculture, Aug. 8; Storing the Harvest, Aug. 22; Cover Crops, Sept. 12; Seed Saving and Exchange, Sept. 26; Table Grapes, Oct. 10; Greens: Tame and Wild, Oct. 24; Beat the Winter Blues with Houseplants, Nov. 14; and Art in the Garden, Dec. 12.
For more information, call 360-565-2679.
