Most people know what a beetle looks like. But can they tell a viburnum beetle from an Asian longhorn?
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Debbie Smith prepares to apply some of her master gardener skills in her backyard.
Debbie Smith prepares to apply some of her master gardener skills in her backyard.
Debbie Smith can. For 10 years she has offered her time on the other end of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County's Master Gardener's Hotline, where she has advised fellow gardeners in all areas of planting and growing.
But her realm of expertise extends far beyond the ground. The hotline welcomes all types of questions about the other organisms at home, from house pests to overgrown trees to unwelcome animal guests.
“You don't need to know everything, you just need to know where everything is,” Smith said.
Smith's work station at the Extension is often covered with soil samples, branches and bugs brought there in jars by suspicious homeowners and gardeners. In every two-hour shift she spends at the hotline, Smith clears a heavy queue of questions sent by phone, e-mail or in person.
Renee Jensen, community educator of environmental issues with the Extension, said master gardeners answered 265 phone and walk-in questions and more than 100 e-mails during last year's April-to-October season.
“Debbie's been extremely useful; I can't say how much she's given to the program and the community in 10 years,” Jensen said.
If someone wants to know why their tomato plants wilt, Smith asks them if a walnut tree grows within 100 feet of it. The tree's wide-reaching roots often interfere with those of the plant, which stretch deeply below ground.
If someone wants to know how to rid their house of Asian ladybugs, Smith encourages them to vacuum or trap - but not kill - the pests because they are valuable to the environment.
“We've invaded the animal and insect world. So when they get into our house, it's not the end of the world,” Smith said.
And if someone wants to know about pesticides, Smith stresses caution and conservative use. At the Extension, she was once approached by a man clutching white-powdered weeds with the same powder caking his legs. Once he told Smith the substance was the pesticide Sevin, she and a fellow master gardener rushed to the bathroom to wash their hands before urging the man to take a shower.
“It was like baby powder on him,” Smith said. “Pesticides are really dangerous, and you don't need to use a lot.”
Smith encourages hotline users to apply pesticides in proper amounts with extra care and consideration for their warning labels.
In her own garden, Smith practices a form of gardening known as integrated pest management, which combines the proper conditions for growing specific plants with natural methods for controlling pests. The result is a garden that, ideally, does not require pesticides.
Tending the hotline is a naturally educational activity for Smith, and she treasures every new tidbit she's learned. Through her time at the extension, she has familiarized herself with local pests such as the viburnum beetle, which migrated to New York state from Canada a few years ago to feast on shrubs.
When a hotline caller told Smith that their white pine trees were dying, the Extension staff eventually determined that the destruction was due to the sirex wood wasp.
“We refer to (Smith) as the bug lady,” Jensen said. “She's very good at identifying house pests.”
Smith's thumb started to green as she picked her grandfather's potato plants when she was 4 years old. She acquired the master gardener title through a 12-week Extension workshop in Geneva, where she spent one long day each week learning from Cornell's experts about the science of the ground.
Smith puts her master gardening skills into practice both in her backyard and the greater community. At Owasco Elementary School, she led the school's fourth and fifth graders through the process of planting a butterfly garden designed by one of the students. Smith has also literally had a hand in many other community and nursing home gardens around Auburn.
With her grandchildren, Smith can also share her knowledge of all things green on her own time. Her young pupils enjoy scouring Smith's compost pile for bugs and planting beds with her in Hoopes Park.
“It's good for them to get outdoors,” she said. “Gardens are a great thing for people to share.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
Hotline open
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County's Master Gardener's Hotline begins taking calls today at 255-1183; the hotline is open from
10 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Gardeners with questions may also e-mail Cayuga@cornell.edu.
But her realm of expertise extends far beyond the ground. The hotline welcomes all types of questions about the other organisms at home, from house pests to overgrown trees to unwelcome animal guests.
“You don't need to know everything, you just need to know where everything is,” Smith said.
Smith's work station at the Extension is often covered with soil samples, branches and bugs brought there in jars by suspicious homeowners and gardeners. In every two-hour shift she spends at the hotline, Smith clears a heavy queue of questions sent by phone, e-mail or in person.
Renee Jensen, community educator of environmental issues with the Extension, said master gardeners answered 265 phone and walk-in questions and more than 100 e-mails during last year's April-to-October season.
“Debbie's been extremely useful; I can't say how much she's given to the program and the community in 10 years,” Jensen said.
If someone wants to know why their tomato plants wilt, Smith asks them if a walnut tree grows within 100 feet of it. The tree's wide-reaching roots often interfere with those of the plant, which stretch deeply below ground.
If someone wants to know how to rid their house of Asian ladybugs, Smith encourages them to vacuum or trap - but not kill - the pests because they are valuable to the environment.
“We've invaded the animal and insect world. So when they get into our house, it's not the end of the world,” Smith said.
And if someone wants to know about pesticides, Smith stresses caution and conservative use. At the Extension, she was once approached by a man clutching white-powdered weeds with the same powder caking his legs. Once he told Smith the substance was the pesticide Sevin, she and a fellow master gardener rushed to the bathroom to wash their hands before urging the man to take a shower.
“It was like baby powder on him,” Smith said. “Pesticides are really dangerous, and you don't need to use a lot.”
Smith encourages hotline users to apply pesticides in proper amounts with extra care and consideration for their warning labels.
In her own garden, Smith practices a form of gardening known as integrated pest management, which combines the proper conditions for growing specific plants with natural methods for controlling pests. The result is a garden that, ideally, does not require pesticides.
Tending the hotline is a naturally educational activity for Smith, and she treasures every new tidbit she's learned. Through her time at the extension, she has familiarized herself with local pests such as the viburnum beetle, which migrated to New York state from Canada a few years ago to feast on shrubs.
When a hotline caller told Smith that their white pine trees were dying, the Extension staff eventually determined that the destruction was due to the sirex wood wasp.
“We refer to (Smith) as the bug lady,” Jensen said. “She's very good at identifying house pests.”
Smith's thumb started to green as she picked her grandfather's potato plants when she was 4 years old. She acquired the master gardener title through a 12-week Extension workshop in Geneva, where she spent one long day each week learning from Cornell's experts about the science of the ground.
Smith puts her master gardening skills into practice both in her backyard and the greater community. At Owasco Elementary School, she led the school's fourth and fifth graders through the process of planting a butterfly garden designed by one of the students. Smith has also literally had a hand in many other community and nursing home gardens around Auburn.
With her grandchildren, Smith can also share her knowledge of all things green on her own time. Her young pupils enjoy scouring Smith's compost pile for bugs and planting beds with her in Hoopes Park.
“It's good for them to get outdoors,” she said. “Gardens are a great thing for people to share.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
Hotline open
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County's Master Gardener's Hotline begins taking calls today at 255-1183; the hotline is open from
10 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Gardeners with questions may also e-mail Cayuga@cornell.edu.
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