Gardening Hotline
Ask a Master Gardener!
Master Gardeners answer questions on a variety of topics including growing vegetables, fruits, ornamentals and turfgrass, plant identification, pruning, and insect and disease problems. Advice encourages the use of integrated pest management and environmentally sound practices.
To help with identification and diagnosis, plant and insect specimens can be brought to the extension office, but it is best to call first to make sure a Master Gardener will be on duty. Select fresh plant samples with intact parts including flowers, if present. For diagnosis, bring a live sample that shows both healthy and unhealthy growth.
Enclose live insect specimens and infested plants in an airtight container. If you cannot keep the insect alive, place it in a jar with alcohol or freeze it for several days to preserve the specimen. Digital photos for plant or insect identification can also be e-mailed to the office: chestermg@psu.edu.
Hours
The Hotline is staffed from April to November. We encourage you to ask questions via email (chestermg@psu.edu), attaching a digital photo, if available.
You may also call 610-696-3500. If a Master Gardener is not on duty, please leave a message on the answering machine and someone will get back to you. During the winter months when the Hotline is not staffed, Master Gardeners return both e-mails and phone messages less frequently.
Phone: (610) 696-3500
Email: chestermg@psu.edu
Chester County Cooperative Extension
Government Services Center
601 Westtown Road, Suite 370
West Chester, PA 19380
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Parking
Free visitor parking is available at our office.
