Clik here to view.
Chapter 1: Botany
Chapter Contents: Plant Cell Structure and Function Anatomy: Plant Parts and Functions Physiology: Plant Growth and Development Environmental Factors Affecting Plant Growth Taxonomy: Biological...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 2: Soils and Nutrient Management
Chapter Contents: Components of Soil Soil Horizons Physical Properties of Soils Soil Testing Soil pH Building Healthy Soil Understanding Fertilizers Applying Fertilizer Soil and Nutrient Problems...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 3: Entomology
Chapter Contents: Benefits and Value of Insects Insect Form & Structure – Morphology Insect Development – Metamorphosis Identifying Insects Types of Insect Injury Insects of Importance to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 4: Plant Pathology
Chapter Contents Plant Diseases in History Diseases Defined: Cause of Disease Steps to Disease Diagnosis Symptoms (change in plant appearance) of plant disease Signs (visible structures produced by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 5: Abiotic Stress Effects on Plant Growth and Development
Chapter Contents Definition of Plant Stress Abiotic Stress Chemical Stress Plant Nutrient Stress Salinity Stress Herbicide Injury Physical Stress Chilling and Freezing Stress Light Stress Mechanical...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 6: Diagnosing Plant Damage
Chapter Contents A Systematic Approach to Diagnosing Plant Damage Define the Problem Look for Patterns Determine Causes Diagnostic Keys Additional Resources Diagnosis of plant problems is often a very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 7: Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Chapter Contents: What Is a Pest? Integrated Pest Management Pesticide Safety Additional Resources What Is a Pest? Most organisms are not considered pests. However, certain situations may occur that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 8: Plant Propagation
Chapter Contents: Sexual Propagation Asexual Propagation Additional Resources Plant propagation is the process of multiplying the numbers of or perpetuating a species or a specific individual plant....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 12: Indoor Plants
Chapter Contents: Purchasing an Indoor Plant Factors Affecting Plant Growth Indoors Growing Media Containers Repotting Training and Grooming Common Indoor Plant Pests Care of Specific Plants...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 14: Pruning
Chapter Contents: Reasons for Pruning Pruning Tools Pruning Techniques Controlling Size Maintaining or Improving Plant Health Reducing the Risk of Personal Injury or Property Damage Training the Plant...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 9: The Vegetable Garden
Chapter Contents Planning the Vegetable Garden Soil Preparation Selecting Gardening Equipment Seed for the Garden Transplants for the Garden Irrigating the Home Garden Fertilizing the Garden Weed...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 10: Fruits in the Home Garden
Chapter Contents: Planning a Tree Fruit Planting Buying Trees Planting Fruit Trees Fruit Tree Management Pest Management for Fruit Trees Planning the Small Fruit Garden Blueberries Caneberries Grapes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 11: Lawns
Chapter Contents: Establishing a Lawn Renovating an Old Lawn Recommended Turfgrass Varieties for Virginia Purchasing Quality Seed Purchasing Quality Sod Annual Lawn Maintenance Additional Resources...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 13: Woody Landscape Plants
Chapter Contents: What is a Woody Plant? Species Diversity and Monoculture Hardiness Growth Rate Functions of Woody Plants Choice of Nursery Stock Right Plant for the Right Place and Right Function...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 15: Herbaceous Landscape Plants
Chapter Contents: Annuals Perennials Biennials Tropicals Geophytes Pond and Bog Plants Ornamental Grasses Ferns (Pterophytes) Succulents Planning the Herbaceous Border Containers and Hanging Baskets...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 16: Landscape Design
Chapter Contents: Plans and Maps Site Analysis User Analysis Elements and Principles of Design Sustainability Planting Design (Plan) Energy Conservation through Landscaping Maintenance Themes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 17: Water Quality and Conservation
Chapter Contents: Watersheds Surface, Ground, and Storm Waters Water Pollution Water Quality Standards State Regulatory Information Water-Wise Landscaping Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs)...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 18: Habitat Gardening for Wildlife
Chapter Contents: Habitat Loss and Declining Wildlife Populations Habitat Principles Conservation Landscaping and Habitat Gardening Selected Habitat Gardens that Sustain Wildlife Diversity...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chapter 19: Virginia Native Plants
Chapter Contents 8 Reasons to Plant Native Plants Virginia’s History of Native Plants What is a Native Plant? Native Plants Outside of Academia Natives: Why Now? The Flora of Virginia Choosing Native...
View ArticleAcknowledgments
Thank you to contributors and editors of this handbook including: Kathleen Reed (2022 project advisor, editor, and contributor) Devon Johnson (2022 project manager and image author) Kindred Grey (2022...
View ArticleGlossary
Abiotic factors Nonliving factors such as nutrient deficiencies and water or temperature stress Absorption Process by which substances, particularly water and minerals, are moved into the plant. This...
View ArticleVersion Notes
This book replaces the 2015 version of the Virginia Master Gardener Handbook. It includes significant changes to organization, factual corrections, content additions, and deletions. Overall or Major...
View ArticleAccessibility (HTML Version)
Accessibility (HTML Version) Area of Focus Requirements Pass? Organizing Content Content is organized under headings and subheadings Yes Organizing Content Headings and subheadings are used...
View ArticleCopyright
© Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2023. The original edition of the Virginia Master Gardener Handbook was printed January 1985. The handbook was revised in January 1986, January...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Introduction
The Virginia Extension Gardener Handbook is the training manual for Extension Master Gardener volunteers (EMG) in Virginia. This manual will provide the basics of horticulture and gardening in...
View ArticleAbout This Resource
What is an Open Textbook? This is an open textbook with a Creative Commons NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0). That means that...
View Article