NURSERY GROWERS COURSE VHT101

Distance Education Course

• Learn to set up a small backyard nursery
• Start a small business at home
• Learn to propagate and grow plants for sale

This course was developed with an Adelaide based nursery in the 1980's. Since then, hundreds of people have completed it, setting up small part time businesses, selling plants through markets, to landscapers, or retailers. Some have been content to stay small, others have used this as the first step to developing something much bigger.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course is divided into six lessons as follows:

1. Plant Identification and Culture. How plants are named, scientific and common names, watering, weed control, when and how to use a glasshouse/shadehouse.

2. Plant Propagation. Overview of propagation techniques, propagating mixes, pots, hormones, propagating structures and aids.

3. Soils and Nutrition. Soil structure, soil additives, major nutrients, minor nutrients, nutrient deficiencies, salt toxicity, soil mixes, fertilisers.

4. Seed Propagation and Nursery Business. Handling seed, pre-germination treatments, handling seedlings, propagating selected species.

5. Cutting Propagation. Stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, leaf bud cuttings, propagating selected species by cuttings.

6. Pest and Disease. Identifying a problem, insects, fungal diseases, nursery hygiene.

AIMS

• Understand plant identification and culture.
• Describe a range of growing structures including a greenhouse, glasshouse and shadehouse.
• Understand the differences between sexual and asexual plant propagation.
• Have and understanding of basic nursery management principles.
• Understand the uses of a range of different materials used in plant propagation.
• Explain the main components of common potting mixes and how they contribute to the final product.
• Describe seed sources and how to store a range of different seeds for maximum viability.
• Explain how to overcome dormancy in seeds.
• Understand a range of cutting techniques including hardwood cuttings, softwood cuttings, semi hardwood cuttings, tip cuttings, heel cuttings, nodal cuttings, can cuttings and basal cuttings.

WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE

• Develop a budget for a hypothetical nursery operation
• Name a soil based on criteria given in the course
• Create a potting mix using a given recipe
• Assess a number of plants for growing profitability
• Prepare a pot of cuttings and estimate the cost of production for each cutting produced
• Prepare a range of different types of cuttings
• Find two plants with insect damage and determine the problem and possible remedies.
• Collect information on various chemicals used in the nursery industry.
• Assess plant ill health caused by agents other than insects.

Why Do People Work in Nurseries?

Nurseries are wonderful places which we all love to visit, and we often think "wouldn't it be idylic to work in one". Those of us who have worked in nurseries, have experienced these pleasures, but also seen the problems which can make running a nursery not as enjoyable or profitable as it could be.
As with anything though in this modern and rapidly changing world, the chances of a nursery being both pleasant to work in and successful, are increased significantly when they are managed well.

This course will educate you in the most important things you need to know, and show you how you can take the first step toward establishing your own nursery, while minimizing the risks involved in what for most people, would be a brave move to take.

REFERENCE BOOKS
ACS operates a student bookshop that supplies a range of horticulture texts to supplement our courses.
Many are written by the principal (well known gardening author John Mason), or other staff. All have been reviewed and approved by our academic experts (to be accurate and relevant to students studying our horticulture courses).

• Student discounts are available to anyone studying with ACS Distance Education.
• Both printed books and ebooks (as downloads) available

• Click on above link for info
• Sample pages available to download for all ebook
• E Books can be purchased online for immediate download (Can be read on a computer, ipad, iphone, lap top, most book readers or similar devices).
• GO TO www.acsbookshop.com for more titles