Is your houseplant soil "alive" with movement? You may have noticed various creatures when watering or repotting plants. The likely culprits are springtails, soil mites, or fungus gnats.

Springtails may be white, brown, or gray and are 1/16 to 1/4 inch long. They move by jumping or "springing" out of the pot. Springtails feed on the peat moss, leaf mold, and other decaying plant material in the soil mix.

Soil mites may be tiny and whitish, or larger and brownish in color. The size of these mites varies from pinpoint size that can barely be seen to large species almost 1/8 inch in diameter. If magnified, you see that they have eight legs instead of the six that springtails and other insects have.

Mites are most common near the surface of the potting soil and can be seen crawling on top of the soil or around the rim of the pot when the plant is watered.

Soil mites feed on decaying plant material in the soil mix. Some of the mites may be predators, feeding on the springtails and other mites that are present. Since these creatures do not feed on the plant, they are only a nuisance and will not affect the health of the plant.

Fungus gnats appear as white larvae about 1/8 inch long in the soil mix. They emerge from the pot as small, black flies about 1/8 inch long that fly around the home.

Fungus gnat larvae feed on decaying plant material in the soil mix, and will also feed on the roots of the plant and may kill seedlings or other young plants. Established plants are usually not harmed.

Springtails, soil mites, and fungus gnats can be controlled by allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. In other words, do not keep the soil moist. Repotting the plants using a sterile soil mix and a clean pot will also help eliminate these creatures.

Chemical control is not warranted in any of these situations.

Remember Chia pets? Those clay animals that you would germinate seeds on, and it looked as if the animals were growing hair? Kids can do the same thing with a nylon sock and grass seed.... resulting in a "Plant Head." Kids create faces on stuffed nylon socks and the 'Plant Heads' sprout grass seed for hair.

Materials: nylon knee high sock or hose, grass seed, damp moss, plastic eyes, glue, waterproof markers or paint, and any other materials to add to the face.

Directions

1.Drop a handful of grass seed in the toe of the sock.

2.Fill the sock with damp peat moss until the sock is approximately the size of a baked potato.

3.Tie an overhand knot in the open end, close to the moss, to form a potato shape.

4.Glue eyes and add features (these can be sewn by older children, or drawn on with waterproof markers). Make sure the form is dry when gluing any parts to the sock.

5.Place the grass head over a container of water so it rests comfortably at the rim. Allow the knotted end to remain in the water to serve as a wick to dampen the moss and grass seed.

6.The seed should germinate in a few days.

Master Gardener Training
You can attend the 2008 Master Gardener training for an update on any topic that interests you. Training runs January 15 through April 17: Tuesdays in the Edwardsville area; Wednesdays in Effingham; and Thursdays in either Marion or Murphysboro. All sessions run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The complete schedule is posted at http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/mg or contact the Extension office.

Tree Fruit School
If you want to learn about commercial fruit production, the Tree Fruit School is offered at two southern Illinois locations–on February 5 in Hardin and again on February 6 in Mt. Vernon. The program runs 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Register by January 30 for the discount rate! For more details, log on to http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/hort/.

Southern Illinois Vegetable School
This popular school for commercial vegetable growers is set for February 13 at the Mt. Vernon Holiday Inn. The program runs 8 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. Register by February 6 for the discount rate! For more details, log on to http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/hort/.

When answering questions about plant selection for the home landscape, encourage clients to consider some of the many underused trees and shrubs that are suitable for Southern Illinois growing conditions.

Visit local nurseries and garden centers to see what's available and to familiarize yourself with the many ornamental characteristics different plants have to offer. As you know, an ornamental characteristic of a tree or shrub refers to features like prolific bloom, flower color, berries that persist throughout the winter, attractive bark, or reliable fall color.

An ornamental characteristic is usually the reason you choose a specific tree or shrub, and it could be something as simple as nice glossy green leaves in the summer or a plant's evergreen nature.

Some of the most common plants are so popular because of their flowers. And although it may seem obvious to you, many homeowners are unaware of the different seasonal characteristics plants have to offer.

We often choose a plant that offers massive amounts of bloom like forsythia, or a long bloom season, like spirea. But also consider the many ornamental features that different plants offer throughout the four seasons. After all, choosing plants based only on bloom doesn't offer much to enjoy during the fall and winter months.

For example, a Redosier Dogwood, Cornus sanguinea, that features slender, upright, bright red to dark blood-red stems can really catch your attention when framed by snow.

A Winterberry Holly, Ilex verticillata, with its tremendous profusion of bright red fruits that persist throughout the winter can really perk up your spirits during the cold months.

What about plants that feature exfoliating bark? The Paperbark Maple, Acer griseum, grows to about 30 feet and as it ages, its rich, dark-brown bark peels back to expose a cinnamon color.

Eastern Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius, with deep purple foliage and new cultivars of boxwood with better resistance to winter burn were introduced several years ago.

There are just so many great plants that are suited to growing conditions in the southern part of Illinois–but they aren't used much in the home landscape.

Get ideas by shopping around, visiting botanical gardens, and looking through garden books–and then pass those ideas along to home horticulture clients. If you can't find that special plant you want, ask your local nursery or garden center if they can order it. A smart business owner wants to keep customers happy, and offering plants that are hard to find is one way to do that.

A good way to beat the winter blahs is to brush up on your gardening knowledge from indoors . . . or more specifically, from your computer. Check out the University of Illinois Extension website, Stepping Stones to Perennial Garden Design at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/gardendesign.

You'll learn about site assessment, garden style, perennial selection and placement, bed preparation, and garden maintenance. A sample plant list will help you think about perennials for each season of the year. And, you'll even find a suggested list of perennials for beginners.

This is an excellent website for improving your own knowledge and to use with clients who want to start a perennial garden.

Grounds Maintenance School, is set for February 19 and 20 at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville. It's the same great program with educational tracks in sports turf, golf, landscape, arborist, bedding plants, parks and recreation, and public facilities.

The conference is designed for those who work in landscaping, lawn care, nursery, garden center, golf course, or any other grounds-related industry. It's also an excellent conference for Master Gardeners.

Registration for the two-day program is $95, or $75 for one day if registration is completed by February 8. Additional fees are required after February 8.

Paul Cappiello, well-known horticulturalist and author, will keynote on Tuesday, Taming the Native Beast: How a Little Knowledge Can Go a Long Way–For Good and Bad. On Wednesday, Chris Beytes from GrowerTalks magazine will address Tracking Today's Big Industry Trends. Breakout sessions highlight a wide range of topics, and the conference also includes a commercial trade show.

To see the complete program and to register online, log on to ttp://web.extension.uiuc.edu/madisonstclair/. Or, pick up a copy of the conference brochure at your local Extension office.