Ten educators from across Indiana gathered at the John S. Wright Center on September 10 for the Purdue Extension Master Gardener Coordinator Train-the-Trainer program. Organized by John Orick, Karen Mitchell, and Pam Fisher, the day-long workshop focused on plant disease diagnosis and hands-on educational activities designed to support local Extension Master Gardener programming.
The morning featured a presentation on plant disease diagnosis led by Tom Creswell, director of the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab, and John Bonkowski, senior diagnostician with the lab. Participants explored disease diagnosis principles, reviewed educational resources, and shared ideas for interactive learning activities.
During the afternoon, attendees rotated through a variety of hands-on demonstrations and learning labs covering topics such as turf diseases, soil health, soil pH testing, soil ribboning, weed identification and control, integrated pest management, plant propagation, ornamental landscaping, and plant problem diagnosis. The session concluded with a discussion on best practices, program development, adaptation of activities for local audiences, and resource sharing.
Special thanks to Tom Creswell and John Bonkowski of the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab, and Lee Miller from the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, for sharing their expertise and helping make the training a success.