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Homeowner Help-lines

Our help-lines serve residents in Rockingham and Augusta counties, offering assistance with horticultural questions related to home garden, lawn, landscaping, and pest-related questions. This service is provided through the Central Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners.  To contact either of the help-lines, call 540-564-3080 (Rockingham) or 540-245-5750 (Augusta) during normal business hours to leave a message.  A Master Gardener will try to return your call during their scheduled days (Rockingham- Tuesdays and Fridays; Augusta-Mondays and Wednesdays).

In addition to the county help-lines, CSVMG volunteers regularly have plant clinic booths set up at the Harrisonburg and Staunton-Augusta Farmers Markets, where you may seek assistance.

In helping diagnose different plant problems, Master Gardener volunteers access Virginia Tech’s resources, such as the Home Grounds and Animals Pest Management Guide, the Plant Disease Clinic, Insect Identification Lab, Weed Identification Lab, and the Soil Testing Lab.

Other Links of Interest

Emerald Ash Borer

According to Adam Downing, Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Agent in the Northern District, the Emerald Ash Borer has graphically demonstrated it's ability to move hop-scotch across our Commonwealth, and as of early July 2012, the exotic flat-headed borer has sprung up in nearly every corner of the State.  The larvae of this emerald green adult insect tunnels around inside an ash tree until it turns into an adult and crawls out of the wood to eat some leaves, have a family and do it again.  Unfortunately, this pest has the very likely potential to effectively kill every Ash (Fraxinus Sp.) in the state. If you are not already familiar with this destructive pest, please check out the following sites:

Periodic Cicada

Termites:

Weeds:

Residual Herbicide Damage in Manure, Compost, and Mulch: