Sneak Peek

To produce high-quality plants, proper care is essential.. Cross-contamination and pest breeding situations can be reduced by managing appropriate maintenance techniques.

This course will provide the knowledge and skills required to produce and maintain healthy plants.

Course Content

LESSON 1 PROPAGATION

• Sexual propagation
• Asexual propagation
• Propagation efficiency
• Practical exercise
• Review what you have been learning

LESSON 2 POTTING AND TRANSPLANTING

• Transplanting
• Potting up plants
• Growing on
• In-ground production
• Review what you have been learning

LESSON 3 SELECTING AND MANAGING NURSERY STOCK

• Considering your stock options
• Criteria for selecting plants
• Developing a nursery stock list – an example
• Nursery stocklist worksheet
• Stock plants for production/propagation nurseries
• Propagation material
• Quarantine issues when selecting stock
• Environmental weeds and plant selection
• Managing plants in retail nurseries
• Exercise: nursery inspection sheet
• Holding stock
• Plant modification
• Making flowers out of season
• Using light to modify plant growth
• Examples of flowering control
• Review what you have been learning

LESSON 4 PLANT BREEDING AND OWNERSHIP

• Genetic improvement of plants
• Plant reproduction
• Genetic variations
• Male sterility
• Genetics versus environment
• Monohybrid and dihybrid crosses
• Quantitative traits
• Plant breeding programs
• Hybrid seed production – an outline
• Hybridising techniques
• Micropropagation
• Plant breeders’ rights/plants varieties rights and trademarks
• Review what you have been learning
  
  

LESSON 5 PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT

• Integrated pest management
• Identifying the problem
• Resistant plants
• Hygiene
• Cultural controls
• Quarantine
• Physical controls
• Biological controls
• Chemical controls
• Minimising chemical use
• Types of chemicals
• A review of chemicals
• Ways of applying chemicals
• Weed control
• Some chemicals and their modes of action
• Noxious weeds
• Using chemicals
• Safe use of weed killers
• Review what you have been learning
• LESSON 6 GROWING MEDIA
• Understanding soils
• Soil testing and sampling
• Improving soils
• Potting mixes
• Propagation media
• The nutrient elements
• Nutrition management
• Review what you have been learning
• Final assessment

Who is this course for?

The course will appeal to people working in, or planning to work in, the following areas:

• Garden centre
  
• Retail nursery
  
• Garden shop
  
• Parks & gardens
  
• Wholesale nursery
  
• Horticulturists
  
• Wholesale Nursery (Nursery Staff or Nursery Owners)
  
• Students