Well, it was a cold winter, but spring is here! And with spring is the April start of the OSU Mahoning County Extension Office’s Plant and Pest Clinic.

The clinic is gardening advice for all — right here in the communities in which you live.

The clinic is here to help you, whether you have questions about your yard, plants or have pest problems. Help is a phone call or visit to the extension office away.

Staffing the clinic are OSU Master Gardener volunteers who have been trained by and work under the guidance of the Extension Office.

Volunteers answer a range of questions regarding flowers, vegetables, lawn care, trees and shrubs. They also identify and recommend controls for pests plaguing gardens and household plants. They’ll work to identify plants and even plant diseases, making recommendations on fertilizers and soil amendments.

There’s no cost for these services, believe it or not. That’s due to the partnership of the extension — a cooperation between federal, state and local communities.

All the answers you will get from the clinic are based on science and come from tests and evaluations conducted by universities and other government organizations.

You will have the full expertise of OSU available to you. Additional university information about your question and recommendations about the options you have to address your situation.

Another service offered by the clinic is laboratory soil testing for your gardens, flower beds and lawns. Laboratory soil tests are much more accurate and provide more information than off the shelf soil test kits found in stores.

Lawns, flower beds and garden soils should be tested every two to three years before applying fertilizer or other costly amendments. A laboratory soil test will tell you what amendments, if any, your soil needs.

This can save you money by only buying what your soil truly needs. A soil test is only $20 per sample. This cost includes an experienced master gardener to go over your test results with you if you have questions.

If you can provide a sample with your question this will help the volunteers find the answer faster.

For plants, a good sample includes stems, leaves, flowers and fruit / berries (if available). If you think your plant has a disease, provide a fresh sample showing diseased and healthy tissue.

For pest identification, collect one or more whole samples in a plastic bag or jar, with your name included on the sample.

For soil tests samples bring in a quart-size plastic bag of your soil. Information on how to take a soil sample can be found at http://go.osu.edu/soiltesting or call for instructions.

The first day for the Mahoning County’s clinic will be Thursday, April 3. Then the clinic is open to the public each week on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon through the end of October.

Also, you can call or come into the extension office any time during the week with your questions and the clinic will get started on your question the next time we are in.

The extension office is open 8 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Located at the OSU Extension Office at 490 S. Broad St., Canfield, the clinic is a service of the OSU Mahoning Extension Office and the Mahoning County Commissioners. Call 330-533-5538 with questions.

Let’s have a great year in our yards and gardens.

Sprague is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.