Play - Hit the panic button - With extension master gardener volunteers

[Big band music plays and Applause] >> Walter: Hello and Welcome! Are you ready to play ‘Hit the Panic Button?’ Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are vital to Cooperative Extension’s success in meeting the public's need for gardening and landscaping information. Extension depends on your help to educate homeowners and promote environmental stewardship in schools and neighborhoods. Your work with the public is one of the most challenging aspects of your volunteer efforts and nothing is more challenging than your first day in the office answering telephone calls. So let’s play a game and test your knowledge of county procedures. Today, we will follow Holly Keen, a brand new Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. Ms. Keen is about to serve her first hours at the Extension Master Gardener Help Desk. But don’t worry, she isn’t alone. A panel of three experienced people will help her out. All she needs to do is "Hit the Panic Button," and they will jump in with suggestions and guidance. Our experts today are Paul Pugliese, from the University of Georgia; Kerry Smith from Auburn University; and Lucy Bradley from North Carolina State University. [The camera focuses on the EMG in the office. Holly sits at the desk and adjusts her shirt. The phone rings. She stares at it in terror and hits the panic button.] >> Walter: So what's the problem Holly? >> Holly: I don't know how to answer the phone. >> Lucy: I can help you. Just pick up the phone, and identify the county office name and yourself as an Extension Master Gardener volunteer. Use your first name only. For example, “Clark County Extension office. This is Holly, I am an Extension Master Gardener volunteer. How may I help you?” Don’t be afraid to practice this so you feel comfortable. [Holly mouths the words. The phone rings.] >> Holly: Hello. Clark County Cooperative Extension Office. Master Gardener Volunteer Holly speaking. How may I help you? >> Female on Phone: Oh good, an Extension Master Gardener, you know a lot about trees. My tree is dying, what is wrong with it? [Holly’s face goes blank and she hits the button.] >> Walter: What's wrong Holly? >> Holly: I have no idea what's killing her tree. What should I say? >> Walter to the panel: So who wants this question? >> Paul: I’ll take it. Holly, take a deep breath. There is no way you could know what killed her tree yet. You need more information. Start by asking questions. Your county has a form that is sent in with plant samples for the state diagnostic clinic. Grab the form and fill it out with her answers. When you have finished, you will have collected much of the information you need to solve the problem. If you can’t solve the problem, you will have collected all the information the agents needs to follow-up on the call. [Holly looks relieved, finds the form on her desk, and starts asking questions.] >> Holly: Can you tell me what the tree species is? [Holly writes answer on the form.] Do you know what variety it is? [Holly writes answer on the form.] Can you describe the abnormal plant appearance? [Holly writes answer on the form.] Are the leaves dying back? Is there leaf burn or a spot, or maybe wilting? [Holly writes answer on the form.] When do you think the tree was planted? [Holly continues her conversation while Paul continues in a voice over.] >> Paul: Your Extension Master Gardener desk should have resources addressing common problems. Don’t be afraid to say, “Thank you. I want to double- check this with our references. I’ll call you back with more information.” Then discuss the situation with other Extension Master Gardeners. Refer to your bookshelf or web references, or ask the agent’s advice and call back later. [Holly smiles and hangs up the phone.] >> Walter: See Holly, you don’t have to know all the answers to be helpful. Always begin by asking questions. [The phone rings again. Holly picks up the phone.] >> Holly: Hello, Clark County Cooperative Extension. Master Gardener volunteer Holly speaking. How may I help you? >> Guy on phone: Hi, this is Martin Jones from Illustrious Landscapes calling. We are on a site here and there are large brown spots on the Bermudagrass lawn, can I control this problem with tebuconazole? [Holly looks scared and hits the button.] >> Walter: So who can help Holly out now? >> Kerry: Well, there are many things to discuss concerning this call. The client has clearly identified himself as a professional, working for a landscape company. All phone calls from professional producers, landscape companies and others in urban agriculture should always be passed on to the agent in the office. If the agent isn’t there today, collect contact information and as Paul suggested earlier, ask the questions on the plant clinic form. This will help the agent prepare for that return phone call later. >> Holly: Mr. Jones, the agent isn't in the office right now. Can I collect some information and she will call you back. [Holly writes the client's answers.] What did you say your phone number was? [Holly writes the client's answers.] And you said the grass was Bermuda? [Holly writes the client's answers.] >> Walter: Holly seems to have a good handle on that situation. Let’s see what her next call involves. [The phone rings and Holly picks it up.] >> Holly: Clark County Cooperative Extension, Master Gardener Volunteer Holly speaking. How may I help you? Female on phone: I’ve got a pesticide here “Systemic Happy Tree and Shrub Cure.” Can I use it on my tomatoes? [Holly hits the button.] >> Holly: How do I respond when a homeowner asks if they can apply a pesticide? >> Walter: Ah, the little question that contains many questions! When a homeowner asks that question he or she may be asking, “Will this pesticide fix my plant problem?” They may be asking, “If I use this pesticide, will it damage my plant?” Or they may be inquiring about the safety of the product. Sometimes, it means they have already applied the product and are concerned about consequences. When somebody calls up with this question, there are many valuable things you can tell them. So who wants to answer that first question, "Will this fix my plant problem?" >> Lucy: I’ve got that one. Always encourage the client to read the pesticide label. The label is the law! Ask them to make sure the pesticide is registered for use on both the pest AND the plant. Encourage the homeowner to follow the instructions for safety and use of protective equipment. Always recommend using the lowest dose on the label. The label also explains how to safely dispose of the pesticide. Don't forget, you have an Extension Pest Management Handbook which lists all the horticulture chemicals along with important informaiton about using them. In this particular phone call, Happy Tree and Shrub is not labeled for vegetables and should not be used on tomatoes. >> Paul: Extension Master Gardeners, this is where your training in IPM will help you. Remember the principles of Integrated Pest Management? Identify the host. Identify the pest. Determine the severity of the problem. And decide if it needs to be controlled. Then consider all your control options and chose your control method. Let’s start at the beginning. What is the host plant? This is very important. Sometimes the perceived problem is perfectly normal for that host plant! People have called our office trying to find cures for catkins on pecan trees and spots on naturally spotted plants! >> Kerry: The next step is to identify the pest. Proper identification is the key to control. Once you know what it is, you can find out where it lives, how it lives and what type of damage it creates, what type of control strategies are available. Weeds, diseases, and insects must be identified, and even present, to consider the treatment. Insects, in particular, may do their damage and then just leave. If pests are not present, no pesticide treatment is even warranted. >> Holly: What if the client can’t identify the pest? >> Lucy: Ask them to bring a generous sample into the office. If possible, bring the entire plant. Include healthy tissue and tissue with all stages of symptoms. Include twigs and branches. If the plant is potted, bring in the roots. Tell clients not to let the plant material dry out and don’t include material that has been dead for weeks or months. Place samples in a plastic bag and keep them cool until they can be brought into the office. Don't include a wet paper towel in the bag as this will encourage growth of saprophytic fungi that can be confused with disease causing fungi. >> Paul: Once the pest has been identified, the client needs to decide if pesticide treatment is warranted. Is the problem wide spread or limited? It may not be worth mixing up a pesticide to treat a single isolated plant and it may be easier to plant something else. Help the client decide if the pest is causing unacceptable damage. Some diseases, like powdery mildew on Crepe Myrtles and slime mold on a lawn, don’t need treatment. They will go away when environmental conditions change without any intervention and cause little or no problems to the plant’s health. >> Kerry: Once you have decided that the pest problem does need treatment, consider all your options. Often, pesticide application is just one of many control measures available. Insect pests can be hand removed, disease cycles can be interrupted, and weeds can be pulled. >> Walter: Hey team, what if the client is asking about a specific pesticide on an identified pest and on a specific plant? >> Kerry: That is easy. Just read the label. If the label says you can use it for that pest on that plant, then you can. You can also check the Pest Management Handbook on your shelf. >> Walter: Holly Keen, you have had a busy first day on the phones. >> Holly: It has been challenging and exciting, but with the support of the experts on the panel, I think I can handle telephone basics. I think I can chuck my panic button. [Holly drops the button into the trash can.] The key seems to be asking questions, either of the agents or the clients. [Holly waves to the camera.] >> Walter: Yes Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, you are never alone. When in doubt, ask questions! With time, you too will toss out your panic button. [Walter tosses the button over his shoulder.] © 2012 University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences UGA Center for Urban Agriculture