Gardeners to talk phosphorus, propagation at Green Thumbs presentations
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Get those thumbs a little greener with the WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners’ Green Thumbs Garden Tips series, which features two presentations this month via Zoom.
Attendees are asked to login early to make sure the connection is working properly, volume on the speakers is adequate, microphone is muted so that attendees cannot hear background noise and video is off.
All about phosphorus
Muriel Nesbitt, an educator who taught biology for 35 years at the University of California-San Diego, presents “Phosphorus” at the next Green Thumbs event set for noon-1 p.m. on Thursday, July 9, via Zoom.
Nesbitt will address the discovery of phosphorus, its absolute necessity for all living things, some of its uses and soil testing for this element. She will also discuss the probable impending shortage of phosphorus for fertilizer and the implications of that for food security.
Join the presentation at this link: extension.wsu.edu/clallam/event/green-thumb-garden-tip-series-phosphorus.
Nesbitt will make the case that we need to begin now to develop phosphorus recycling strategies and what those strategies might involve.
Nesbitt said she became interested in providing information on phosphorus to gardeners when she became aware of its scarcity and non-renewability and when she realized the negative effect of oversupply of phosphorus on mycorrhizas.
In addition to her tenure at UC-San Diego, Nesbitt earned a PhD in genetics from the University of Washington. She directed the Clallam County Master Gardener program from 2009-2012 and remains a community leader teaching courses, giving lectures, and sharing her knowledge.
Nesbitt is a recipient of Lifetime Achievement status with Clallam County Master Gardeners. Her interests include using science, experience, and experiment in her own garden to grow clean, nutritious food and flowers for bees.
Propagation in spotlight
Rosalie Preble, a 1997 alumna of the WSU Clallam County Master Gardener program, will present an overview of the basics of softwood cutting propagation via Zoom from noon-1 p.m. on Thursday, July 23.
Preble will provide gardeners with a greater understanding of the variables involved in and the process for rooting softwood cuttings and will instruct attendees on the care of newly rooted ones. She will also recommend the best plants for rooting success, how to take cuttings from the parent plant and when to take them.
Join the presentation at this link: extension.wsu.edu/clallam/event/green-thumb-garden-tip-series-new-plants-from-cuttings.
Preble has gardened in the Sequim area for 24 years. She has propagated plants from cuttings and other methods for more than 20 yearsto support the annual Clallam County Master Gardeners’ plant sale and to share with family and friends. She was awarded the Golden Trowel for lifetime achievement for her contributions to the Washington State University Master Gardener program.
About the series
The Green Thumbs Garden Tips education series is sponsored by the WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners and held on the second and fourth Thursday each month through October; in November, December, and January, one lecture is offered. Visit extension.wsu.edu/clallam for the latest information on upcoming presentations.
Call 360-565-2679.
