John Buntsma – Master Gardener Coordinator
I recently attended the 2025 International Master Gardener Conference, organized online this year by the AgriLife Extension staff at Texas A&M. I am still digesting all that I heard. The conference theme was “There is No Planet B.”
Let me share a few bits from over 40 hours of sessions I attended.
Jake Mowrer is a soil scientist who said up front, “as gardeners we disturb the soil.” He talks about how our soil system is physical, biological and chemical.
Since we have had some flooding issues, I was especially attentive to his discussion of that. He encourages caution after flooding because we don’t know what might be in the floodwaters. “When in doubt, throw it out,” he says.
Whether fire, flooding, compaction or other issue, his first action is a soil test. His suggestion is if the test comes back ok after a flood, you should wait at least 90 days to harvest. Flooded ground should not be replanted with vegetables for 30-60 days. In the interim, he suggests putting in a cover crop that won’t be harvested.
He is also a big proponent of adding organic matter to soil. He says fertilizer is a temporary solution.
Cathy Cavassalis is an Ontario Master Gardener who has taken her battle against invasive plants far and wide.
Invasive species are non-natives that are aggressive and have damaging impacts. She mentions that a pretty groundcover, such as evening primrose, has a chemical in its pollen that is fatal to some native bees. She mentioned that a single spotted knapweed plant can destroy an entire Montana pasture, and the spread of lantanas in Australia is threatening the koala bear population.
Often, the native homes of the invasive plants have controls that keep them within bounds. They may like conditions when brought to new homes, but the former controls are missing. Each state’s list of noxious weeds and controls differs, so stopping the spread can be difficult. More information is available from invasive.org.
Doug Tallamy, a University of Delaware professor, is someone I had heard before. He always brings an inspiring message about creating diverse native environments. He is one of the founders of the Homegrown National Park movement.
He often talks about the synergy between plants, insects, and other creatures around us. He pushes plant diversity with native plants and other practical steps. Among his suggestions is to use yellow lights outdoors because the light pollution from white lights kills insects.
He spoke highly of prairie strips in farm fields, something that has evolved from research done by Iowa State.
“Native plants do not reduce property values,” Tallamy says.
In the same vein, Noel Kingsbury, a British horticulture writer and teacher, talked about the difference between naturalistic and ecological native plantings. Naturalistic plantings take a lot of maintenance to control within a design. Ecological plantings take a lot of tolerance for what the plants want to do.
Another of his many interesting comments was that for perennials, anything above ground is temporary. It is what is happening below ground that is important.
Anna Caroline Ball, CEO of the Ball Horticultural Company, a preeminent developer of new annual and perennial flowers, talked about some of the advanced technologies that are speeding new plant development and the many benefits of plants.
She said one study indicated plants in a hospital reduced patient stay by half a day. She talked about how landscaping and architecture are merging. She mentioned how plants communicate with each other, a growing area of study.
“Plants make people happy,” was among her comments.
We agree.