Improve Your Capacity to Make the Right Choices.
Plants need to fit with their environment, and match the needs of the person growing them.
Whether a farm or home garden, park or indoor plantscape; the greatest success with plants all starts with selecting the most appropriate variety for the situation at hand. If you get your plant selection right; the establishment will become far easier. You still need to understand how to get the plant established though; and there are lots of different techniques that can be applied to make that process easier.
What this Course Covers
There are ten lessons in this course as follows:
1. Introduction
What to plant where, Plant selection, Plant varieties, Colourful year round foliage, Establishment (timing, soil preparation, plant size, planting technique), Maintenance programs, etc
2. Woody plants
Selecting woody plants, trees, shrubs, deciduous/semi deciduous/evergreen; flowering shrubs, Establishing woody plants, Planting procedure, Dealing with shade, etc
3. Windbreaks, hedges and screens
Plant selection, establishing windbreaks & screens, Trimming a hedge, etc
4. Alpine and water plants
Selecting & establishing alpines, Selecting water plants, Establishment & maintenance of water plants
5. Annual and herbaceous plants
Selecting annuals, Types of annuals (by height, flower, edge plants, dot plants, groundwork plants), types of bedding schemes, Planting seed or seedlings, Container culture, Selection & Establishment of herbaceous plants (Bulbs & Perennials), Maximizing flowering effect, etc
6. Turf
Varieties, Lawn mixes, What to grow where, Wildflower Meadows, Turf establishment, Soil Preparation, Seeding, Sodding, Stolonizing, Sprigging, Plugging, Mowing, Fertilising, etc
7. Maintenance
Fertilizing, Managing pH, Replacing plants, Pruning, Irrigation, Humidity, Mulch, Developing a maintenance Program,
8. Pest and disease control
Problem prevention, Non chemical control, Chemical control,
9. Weed control
Non chemical control, Chemical control, Safety, Alternative strategies.
10. Risk assessment
Identifying risk, Duty of care, Workplace safety, Protective clothing, Safety with tools, Significance of illness, etc
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.