SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Program teaches participants about how to control spread of unwanted plants
Seats are filling up fast for University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s (UNCE) 2010 Weed Warriors class. The program offers introductory-level training in both invasive and common-nuisance weed management.
The class will be held over two days – from 1-5 p.m. May 13 and concluding 8 a.m.-noon May 14 at the UNCE Reno office at 5305 Mill Street. The classes will be simultaneously delivered via interactive video to the UNCE Gardnerville office at 1329 Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville.
Extension Water Quality and Weed Specialist Sue Donaldson, who will head up the classes, said effective weed management starts with knowing just what type of pest you are dealing with.
“If you can’t identify a weed, you don’t know how to control it effectively,” Donaldson said. “We start by identifying the weed, and then we learn how to control it.
“We do a hands-on session on how to identify weeds in general,” Donaldson said. “Participants learn the overall strategy of integrated weed management – identifying the pest; learning its biology and how it reproduces; then picking from a box of tools to determine the best method to control the weed whether it be mechanical, cultural, biological or chemical.”
Mechanical and chemical weed-control methods like hand pulling and pesticides can be effective, but Donaldson said gardeners can control some weeds with cultural methods like adjusting the amount of water being delivered to each part of your garden to favor the species you want and discourage the weeds you do not.
Students must attend both days in order to complete the training and become certified Weed Warriors. Registration for the program is $30 and covers program supplies, a binder of weed management information and refreshments for the two days. Applicants must register before April 30 by filling out this form (http://www.unce.unr.edu/calendar/files/pdf/WeedWarriors2010.pdf ). For more information, call Donaldson at 784-4848.
Cooperative Extension encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Ashley Vollmar at 775-784-4848 in advance of your participation.
