Learn how to Better Operate a Plant Production Nursery
What this Course Covers
This subject involves eight lessons as follows:
- Nursery Site Organisation: Buying an established nursery or
establishing a new site, site planning, estimating space requirements.
- Management: Government and commercial nurseries, partnerships,
companies, sole proprietorships, developing a management structure,
labour relations and seasonal staff, work programs and production
timing.
- Nutrition and Pest Management: Field crops, container plants, principles of fertiliser use and plant nutrition.
- Growing Media: Soils and soil-free mixes, rockwool, sterilisation, techniques.
- Irrigation: Methods and equipment, estimation of water requirements and use of liquid fertilisers through irrigation.
- Modifying Plant Growth: Modification techniques, flower forcing and quality control.
- Marketing Strategies: Exploiting existing markets, developing
new markets, advertising, product presentation, pricing, plant
recycling.
- Selection of Nursery Crops: Developing a stock list, operational flow charts, market surveys.
Workload
Study when, where and however much you want. For most students, the course can be completed with a total of around 100 hours of study; and a commitment close to that may be needed to achieve desired learning outcomes.
Extra Reading
The following books, available through this web site may be relevant supplementary reading for this course:
- Plant Pests and Diseases
- Starting a Nursery or Herb Farm
Assessment
Self Assessment Tests are presented throughout the course. These are essentially an automated quiz. When you undertake a "SAT" or "Self Assessment Test", you will be able to see what you got correct, and what was incorrect; and in that way, you can identify your weaknesses.
Assignments are given at the end of each lesson. You should complete this assignment, paying careful attention to follow what is asked of you. It can be just as important to learn to work to specification, as it is to learn about the topic you are studying. Graduates who develop a habit of working to specification with vegetable growing, will impress others, and will be more efficient when self employed.
A Final Exam is offered upon satisfactory completion of all assignments. This is optional. If you choose to apply for and do this exam, you will have the possibility of obtaining a "formal credit" or "Pass Certification" for this course. A fee applies. The exam may be sat under prearranged conditions anywhere in the world. This college will award you a formal transcript, upon successful completion of the exam, as proof of your results.
Recognition and Ethics
This college is a member of the ACS Affiliates Network; a group of colleges from several countries, affiliated with each other through ACS Distance Education.. Courses are developed with input from all of these colleges, aspiring to reflect internationally accepted standards and needs.
A strict "No Plagiarism" and "No fraud" policy exists. Assignments are checked for plagiarism, and assignments will not be deemed to have been completed, if work is not your own original creation, and is found to have been copied from elsewhere. If the person doing the course is discovered to be different to the name enrolled, the enrolment and any results will be recorded as invalid and any fees paid will be forfeited.
Refund Policy
A full refund less expenses (up to 15% of fees applied) is provided to anyone wishing to withdraw from a course, within 2 weeks of enrolment. This does not apply after the first assignment has been submitted and marked; or after the two weeks has expired.