Members of the public can get help with plant, tree and lawn problems from BU experts. You can submit questions via email, online, or during the weekly horticultural hotline radio program broadcast on 880 CKLQ each Tuesday from 9-10 am. Digital photos are also welcomed, and have become an important diagnostic tool.

“This is the only horticultural extension service still available to Manitoba residents,” says Dr. Bill Paton, professor of Biology and director of the program since it started in 1976. “We look forward to another season of serving people in this province and Saskatchewan, too.”

Through the years, the BU Horticultural Hotline has been on the leading edge of discovery. Paton says new varieties of weeds, diseases and insects have been brought to their attention, which sparked further scientific study and, in some cases, immediate action. “Our program discovered that Dutch Elm Disease had moved into Manitoba in the mid-1970s,” he says.

Email questions and photos to the BU Horticultural Hotline at hortline@brandonu.ca. Or, talk with the experts during the open-line radio program on 880 CKLQ Tuesdays from 9-10 am by calling 204-725-2525 or toll free at 1-888-221-0880. You can also listen online and submit questions at www.cklq-com

Brandon University, founded in 1899, promotes excellence in teaching, research, creation and scholarship; educating students so that they can make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders.

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