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 Changes

• Drawings replaced with photos: Drawings have been selectively replaced with real photos. All drawings related to specific insects and plant damage have been replaced.
• Changes to wording and sentence structure throughout as recommended by the 2022 Handbook Review Team in order to improve comprehensibility.
• Corrections to errors and typos throughout.
• Addition of “call out sections” which highlight EMG projects or special horticultural topics.

Chapter Numbering

• Previous Chapter 1 “Introduction to Extension Master Gardenering” has been removed and will be replaced with separate manual
• Combination of previous Chapter 2 “Soils” and Chapter 3 “Nutrient Management” into new Chapter 2 “Soils and Nutrient Management”
• Previous Chapter 9 “Pesticide Use & Safety” replaced by new Chapter 7 “Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety”
• New chapter order
• Addition of Chapter 19 “Virginia Native Plants”

New Chapter Order

• Chapter 1: Botany (Original CH 2)
• Chapter 2: Soils and Nutrient Management (Original CH 3 and CH 4)
• Chapter 3: Entomology (Original CH 5)
• Chapter 4: Plant Pathology (Original CH 6)
• Chapter 5: Abiotic Stress (Original CH 7)
• Chapter 6: Diagnosing Plant Damage (Original CH 8)
• Chapter 7: Integrated Pest Management (Original CH 9)
• Chapter 8: Plant Propagation (Original CH 10)
• Chapter 9: The Vegetable Garden (Original CH 13)
• Chapter 10: Fruits in the Home Garden (Original CH 14)
• Chapter 11: Lawns (Original CH 15)
• Chapter 12: Indoor Plants (Original CH 12)
• Chapter 13: Woody Landscape Plants (Original CH 16)
• Chapter 14: Pruning (Original CH 11)
• Chapter 15: Herbaceous Landscape Plants (Original CH 17)
• Chapter 16: Landscape Design (Original CH 18)
• Chapter 17: Water Quality and Conservation (Original CH 19)
• Chapter 18: Wildlife habitats (Original CH 20)
• Chapter 19: Native Plants (New)

“Call out Box” Topics and Authors:

• Ch 1: Green Spring Gardens “Planting Seeds of Hope” A Master Gardener approach to Therapeutic Gardening Kathleen Wellington, Extension Master Gardener, Green Spring Gardens
• Ch 2: Northern Neck Shoreline Evaluation Program By Ian Cheyne, Extension Master Gardener, Northern Neck
• Ch 3: Tick populations densest in suburban forests By David Gaines, State Public Health Entomologist Virginia Dept. of Health, Office of Epidemiology
• Ch 4: Importance of disinfecting tools to prevent spread of plant disease By Mary Ann Hansen, Extension Plant Pathologist, Virginia Tech
• Ch 9: Lost Crops of Africa for Virginia Farmers By Harbans Bhardwaj, Professor, Virginia State University
• Ch 11: Healthy Virginia Lawns: Grassroots in Chesterfield By Seth Guy, Environmental Educator, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Chesterfield
• Ch 12: Indoor Plants and Toxicity for Pets By Marion Ehrich and Dennis Blodgett, Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech
• Ch 14: Norfolk Master Gardener Crepe Myrtle Pruning By Paulette Crawford, Extension Master Gardener, Norfolk
• Ch 15: Adapting the Garden for Therapeutic Benefits By Phyllis Turner, Extension Master Gardener, Bedford
• Ch 16: More Than Just a Pretty Space By Scott Douglas, Director Hahn Horticulture Garden, Virginia Tech
• Ch 17: From the Rooftops to the Roots – An Integrated Approach to Harvesting Rain Water By Shawn Jadrnicek, Extension Agent, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Roanoke
• Ch 18: Goochland-Powhatan Extension Master Gardener Habitat Demonstration Garden By Linda Toler, Extension Master Gardener, Goochland-Powhatan

Specific Chapter-Level Changes

Chapter 1: Botany

• Moved discussion of taxonomy to end
• Added section on plant cells to beginning
• Replaced many figures with more clear/demonstrative images
• Moved discussion of cultivar, taxon, etc. from “Woody Plants” to “Botany”

Chapter 2: Soils and Nutrient Management

• Combined duplicate discussions of pH
• Addition of images, including Virginia soils map
• Added paragraph on urban soils
• Added paragraph on soil food web
• Added paragraph on Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)

Chapter 3: Entomology

• Replaced drawings with photos, insect ID lab has reviewed diagrams adapted from the original handbook

Chapter 4: Plant Pathology

• Replaced drawings with photos

Chapter 5: Abiotic Stress

• Addition of discussion of CO₂ and atmospheric CO₂ charts
• Additional diagrams in salinity section

Chapter 6: Diagnosing Plant Damage

• Diagnostic key reviewed and updated

Chapter 7: Integrated Pest Management (New, replaces previous “Pesticide Use and Safety” chapter)

• Chapter rewritten
• Beginning focuses on IPM and second half deals with pesticide safety

Chapter 8: Plant Propagation

• Replaced all diagrams of propagation techniques
• Added coconut coir as an option everywhere sphagnum moss is mentioned

Chapter 9: Vegetables

• Reworded weed section
• Removed pest management in the garden and organic pest control (see new Chapter 7 “Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety” instead)
• Deleted pesticide recommendations and instead refer people to VCE “Pest Management Guide”
• Rewrite of “Plant Health Management” section
• Added paragraph on no-till gardening

Chapter 10: Fruits

• Moved pruning images to pruning chapter

Chapter 11: Turf

• Removed duplicate discussion of turf varieties
• Moved “Grass choices for Virginia beach” from end to the recommended varieties section

Chapter 12: Indoor plants

• Removal of all plant species care sections; replaced with more general descriptions of types of indoor plants
• Corrections to scientific names

Chapter 13: Woody

• Moved discussion of cultivars, variety etc. to Chapter 1 “Botany”
• Moved discussion of buds to botany
• Addition of woody plant botany section

Chapter 14: Pruning

• Rearranged chapter
• Shortened discussion of pruning tools
• Added pruning fruits images from fruits chapter

Chapter 15: Herbaceous Landscape Plants

• Corrections to scientific names

17: Water Quality and Conservation

• Moved and updated section on regulatory agencies
• Corrected statements on cost of irrigation systems/updated irrigation section

Chapter 18: Wildlife habitats

• Update name change from Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
• Updated statements regarding regulatory information

Chapter 19: Native Plants (New)

• New chapter