How to make peace with the bugs in your garden

Santa Rosa

Rebuild Green Expo

Are you in the midst of rebuilding after the fires? Or are you planning a new custom home or have a remodeling project on the horizon?

A free, daylong expo Feb. 22 will offer a wealth of information to help make your home more sustainable.

Educational sessions will be held throughout the day for both homeowners and building professionals, covering topics like passive and zero net energy home design principles, low carbon, healthy and fire-resistant building materials, healthy interiors and nontoxic finishes, water efficiencies, all-electric homes and heating and cooling systems. There will also be tips on meeting building codes.

An exhibition hall will offer a comprehensive array of vendors, from green building products to professional services, including energy and energy storage systems, landscaping and water use and re-use, architects, engineers, builders, roofing and wall systems and more.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Put on by the Rebuild Green Coalition, a project of the Ecological Building Network, it will be held at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa. For more information visit rebuildgreenexpo.com.

SANTA ROSA

Master gardeners on what to do when garden pests play nice

A group of master gardeners will shed light on the ecosystem of insects in the garden at a workshop on Feb. 25.

These garden experts, with advanced training in Integrated Pest Management, will talk about the typical inspects we find in Sonoma County and the evolution of pests. At one stage they're detrimental, at another beneficial.

Guests will hear case studies of particular insects and how they play into a garden's ecosystem. 1 p.m., Luther Burbank Art and Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa, Santa Rosa., gardenclubevents@yahoo.com.

GUERNEVILLE

The best garden tool in the shed? Fertilizer, say these experts

At a workshop on Feb. 23 the Sonoma County Master Gardeners will present a workshop on fertilizer, and the vital role it plays in making a garden thrive.

The class will cover manure, the nitrogen cycle, the Green Revolution, fertilizer pollution and alternative growing methods, as well as tips for using it in the garden. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Guerneville Regional Library, 14107 Armstrong Road, Guerneville, sonomamg.ucanr.edu, 707-565-2608.

PETALUMA

Can an orchid be resuscitated? You'll learn how at this workshop

You'll think twice about tossing out your supermarket orchid after a workshop on Feb. 23. Master gardener Ann Chambers will teach people how to revive their orchids with a myriad of tips. Chambers encourages people to bring in their ailing orchids for a boost. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Petaluma Library, 100 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma, sonomamg.ucanr.edu, 707-565-2608.

FORESTVILLE

Farm advisor to teach in-depth fruit and nut tree-pruning class

Ag consultant and retired Sonoma County Farm Advisor Paul Vossen will teach an in-depth class Feb. 22 covering the basic principles of pruning fruit and nut trees. The community education course at Santa Rosa Junior College's Shone Farm will include four hours of lecture with PowerPoint and two hours of demonstration in the field.

The class will cover the importance of sun and light exposure, vigor management, thinning and heading cuts, different bearing habits of species, tree spacing and planting and the training of young trees.

Specific pruning instructions will be offered for apple, pear, kiwi, nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, table grapes, figs, persimmons, olives, feijoa, citrus, loquat, almond and walnut trees.

Vossen, who has taught professional and backyard fruit tree-pruning courses for 38 years, will also discuss insect, disease and weed control, including diseases reduced by pruning and other commonly occurring problems. $120. To register. visit https://bit.ly/2TQKBCM.

The class is held in Dutton Pavilion at Shone Farm, 7450 Steve Olson Lane, Forestville.

Send Home and Garden news to peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. Send email at least three weeks in advance of an event.