Jefferson County Master Gardeners in Service: Call Center for Your Horticulture Questions by Amy Norwood

 Master Gardener Amy Norwood staffing the Call Center

If you are a Colorado gardener, chances are you’ve asked yourself questions like these:

• What is the best time of year to prune my apple tree?
• When I mow my lawn, what should I do with the clippings?
• What type of light does my indoor fern plant require?

You aren’t alone: questions about outdoor landscapes and indoor plantscapes arise 52 weeks a year.  Jefferson County Master Gardeners answer these questions year-round via the Master Gardener Call Center.

You can reach the Call Center at 303-271-6632. Leave your contact information and a detailed message clearing describing your gardening question, and a Master Gardener will return your call.  In that first conversation, you may be asked to provide additional information about your issue.  With that information, we will utilize science-based research from Colorado State University and other sources to give you an accurate and informed answer to your question. This helpful service is offered to Jefferson County residents at no charge. 

In addition, you can send questions directly via email to mastergardener@gmail.com.  Include photographs illustrating your plant or landscape issues along with your question, and a Master Gardener will research and respond to your question within a day or so. 

In case you are wondering, here are the answers to the questions posed in the beginning of the article:

• Early March is the best time to prune an apple tree. Plantalk Colorado 1201, Apples.
• Leave clippings on the lawn.  They decompose quickly and provide organic material for the lawn.  Clippings from lawns that have not been treated with herbicides may also be used to mulch vegetable or flower beds. CSU Extension Lawn Care Fact Sheet.
• Indoor ferns prefer bright, indirect sunlight and temperatures ranging from 68 to 78 degrees.  Plantalk Colorado 1307, Ferns.