Help with your plant problems is only a click or a call away. There are many resources available through our office or online to assist you with plant or pest problems.

Horticulture Help Line

The help line is staffed by Master Gardener volunteers to answer consumer questions.  The help line is available by calling 440-326-5862 on Monday & Tuesday from 10:00am - 1:00pm during the months of May-October.

Soil Testing

Many problems in the yard or garden can be related to poor nutrition.  Nutrients in the soil must be determined by a soil test.  Soil test is not done in our office.  To obtain a Soil Testing Form and information on submitting soil test, download the form directly from University of Massachusetts Soil Testing Lab.  This form contains instructions for collections soil, fees for tests, and how and where to mail the sample.

Diagnostic Clinic

Samples of insects and plants can be submitted to our office for identification.  Forms and instructions can be found on the Diagnostic Clinic page.

Tracking Local Weather

Growing Degree Days (GDD) is a measure of the daily maximum and minimum temperature and directly relates to growth and development of plants and insects.  The GDD of any zip code location in Ohio is estimated using the GDD of ten OARDC weather stations and available on the web at the site below. Go to the web site and enter your zipcode. The resulting page will provide a list of plant development and insect emergence information to help you plan activities on your farm or in your garden.
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/gdd/

OARDC Weather stations provide current and historical information on minimum and maximum air temperature, rainfall and soil temperature.  With this site you can track rainfall, compare it to last year and review how temperatures fluctuated for the season.  Use the Avon station for Lorain county and North Central or Wooster stations for surrounding areas.
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/newweather/