COLUMBIA, Mo. – Gardening is an activity with many rewards, said David Trinklein, state horticulture specialist for University of Missouri Extension.

“One of them is the satisfaction of sharing your plant knowledge with others,” Trinklein said. The MU Extension Master Gardener program was designed to do just that. “Its motto, ‘helping others learn to grow,’ emphasizes service to others as the program’s main objective,” said Trinklein.

A new session of online Master Gardener training begins Aug. 11.

Trinklein and MU Extension horticulture specialist Sarah Denkler teach the 14 online sessions. “These classes represent a viable option for people who can’t take the weekly classes in person,” Trinklein said.

Classes are delivered through the Canvas learning management system as a series of scripted and narrated video presentations. Students work at their own pace. A composite score of 70% on chapter quizzes is needed to pass the course.

Topics include basic botany, soils and plant nutrition, vegetable gardening, fruit production, landscape design, woody ornamental plants, herbaceous landscape plants, turf management, insect and disease management and pesticide safety.

Core training is the first step toward certification as an MU Extension Master Gardener. Trainees must also complete at least 30 hours of volunteer service, Trinklein said. Local Master Gardener coordinators can help online trainees find volunteer opportunities to meet the service hour requirements.

“There are Extension Master Gardener programs in every state of the union and in most provinces of Canada,” Trinklein said. Since its inception in 2013, more than 2,000 individuals have gone through MU Extension online Master Gardener training.

Register at http://muext.us/MGfall2024. Learn more about the Missouri Master Gardener program at http://mg.missouri.edu.