Gardeners and other consumers frequently look to retail nursery and garden center employees to answer questions about pests and pesticides. To help retailers stay abreast of current pest topics facing California, UC IPM held a workshop for retail employees on January 28, 2016 in Ontario, CA focusing on integrated pest management (IPM) concepts and current issues. Partnering with local UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Advisors and Specialists, the day was filled with information participants could bring back to customers to address their pest and plant problems.

Topics addressed in these workshops include:

• Invasive Pests
• Asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing disease
• Pesitcides
Abiotic Plant Problems

Workshop participants were provided many “goodies” and informational materials at the training, including information from groups such as the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program and PlantRight. Attendees also gained exclusive access to training materials presented during the workshop to assist them in sharing the information with others.

UC IPM plans to offer more retail nursery and garden center trainings the Fall of 2016 and Winter 2017 in other parts of the state. If you are a retail nursery or garden center owner, manager, or employee, subscribe to the Retail Nursery & Garden Center IPM Newsletter to keep informed about upcoming workshops.

Read the full article about the Ontario workshop in the March 2016 issue of the Retail IPM newsletter.