PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 1

Learn Hands on Practical Skills for Horticulture

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Managing Soils
   • Soil Analysis
   • Testing Your Soil
   • Good Soil Structure
   • Simple Soil Test
   • Naming The Soil
   • Percolation Rates
   • Drainage Problems
   • Soil Temperature
   • How to Improve Soils
   • Soil pH
   • Methods Of Measuring Ph
   • Probe Meters
   • Colorimetric Methods
   • pH meters
   • Another Way to Measure Organic Matter in Soil
   • Terminology
2. Seed Propagation (including seed identification)
   • Growing Plants from Seed
   • Hygiene
   • How to Sow Seeds in Containers
   • Germination
   • Preparation of Seed Beds in the Field
   • Selected Plant Species
   • Seed Propagating Media
   • General Characteristics
   • Cation Exchange Capacity
   • Seed Compost
   • Commonly Used Mixes
   • Terminology
3. Vegetative Propagation
   • The Techniques
   • Classification Of Cutting Types
   • Equipment
   • Procedures For Taking Cuttings
   • Types Of Cuttings
   • Stem Cuttings
   • Herbaceous Cutting
   • Tip Cutting
   • Heel Cutting
   • Nodal Cutting
   • Basal Cutting
   • Cane Cutting
   • Leaf Cutting Techniques
   • Root Cutting
   • Bulb Cuttings
   • Improving Strike Rate
   • Terminology
4. Potting up and After Care of young plants
   • Transplanting Between Pots
   • Stop Roots Growing into The Soil
   • What is a Perched Water Table?
   • Drainage Holes
   • Potting Up a Plant
   • Potting Up Cuttings
   • Pricking Out or Tubing Seedlings
   • Setting out Cuttings
   • Potting up a hanging basket
   • Porous pots need different treatment
   • Plant Modification to Achieve Uniformity
   • Modification Techniques
   • Spacing
   • Staking
   • Growing-On Areas for Container Plants
   • Chemical Growth Modification
5. Planting
   • General Planting Considerations
   • Problems With Containers
   • How To Maintain Plants in Pots
   • Types Of Pots
   • Bare Rooted Plants
   • Planting
   • Hints For Planting
   • Drainage
   • Improving Infiltration of Water into The Soil
   • Improving Surface Drainage After Construction
   • Provision Of Sub Surface Drains
   • Layout Of Drains
   • Outlet
   • Gradients
   • Distance Between Drainage Pipes
   • Depth Of Drains
   • Types Of Drains
   • Laying The Drain
   • Surface Drainage
   • Some Points to Remember When Designing a Drainage System
   • Terminology
6. Maintenance of Established Plants
   • Pruning In the Home Garden
   • The Basic Rules of Pruning
   • Getting Pruned
   • Selecting Your Secateurs
   • Winter Pruning
   • General Principles
   • How To Do It
   • Pruning Tools
   • Some Examples of Winter Pruning
   • Pollarding
   • Plants That Respond Well to Pruning Include:
   • How To Prune a Rose
   • Clean Out Your Dead Wood
   • Wood Rots
   • Dead Heading
   • Is Annual Pruning Enough?
   • What Is Compartmentalisation?
   • What About Wound Treatments?
   • What About Compost – Doesn’t It Spread Disease?
   • Pruning In the Home Orchard
   • Terminology
   • How To Use Trimmers
   • Pruning Tomatoes
   • Root Pruning
   • How To Trim a Hedge
   • Training
   • Terminology
7. Practical Plant Identification – Woody Plants
   • Plant Names
   • Common Names
   • Scientific Names
   • What Is the Difference Between Families
   • Common Names
   • Scientific Names
   • What Is the Difference Between Families
8. Pest, Disease and Weed Identification
   • Pests
   • Diseases
   • Diagnosis of Problems
   • Finding Out What the Problem Is
   • Conducting An Inspection
   • Tell Tale Symptoms
   • Is There More Than One Problem?
   • Develop A Systematic and Logical Approach to Inspecting the Plant
   • Conducting An Inspection
   • Diagnosis Of Plant Disorders
   • Shortcuts To Problem Identification
   • Difficult To Diagnose Problems
   • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
   • Weeds
   • Common Terms
9. Practical Plant Identification – Non-Woody Plants Including Grasses and Indoor Plants
   • Choosing The Right Lawn
   • Turf Varieties
   • Lawn Mixes
   • What To Grow Where
   • Cool Winters/Dry Summers
   • Mild Summers/Cold Winters
   • Fescues, Kentucky Blue Grass, Rye Grass, Couch.
   • Tropical
   • Bulbs
   • What Spring Bulbs Need
   • How To Grow Bulbs
   • Bulbs In Subtropical and Tropical Areas
   • Indoor Plants
   • Potting
10. Risk Assessment
    • Identifying Risk in The Workplace
    • Chainsaw Use & Safety
    • Save The Back, Use the Head! Hard Work Solutions
    • Cleaning & Sharpening Tools
    • Secateurs And Branch Pruning Tools
    • Shovels And Spades
    • Saws And Chainsaws
    • Protecting Tools from Rust
    • Maintaining Timber Handles
    • Maintaining Plastic Handles
    • Storage

Aims

• Test soils to determine characteristics which would be valuable to management of any given soil in a horticultural situation
• Identify sandy loam, silty loam, and clay loam soils by feel; and pH testing by soil indicator; and relate to plant selection
• Identify and sow a range of different types of seeds, in different situations, in a way that will optimise successful propagation.
• Propagate a range of plants using different vegetative propagation techniques
• Pot up and provide after care for a range of propagated seedlings and cuttings.
• Plant a range of (different types) plant material.
• Maintain the desired growth type and habit for a range of plants.
• Identify significant woody plants including: Trees; Shrubs; Ground cover; and Conifers
• Identify a range of significant plant problems including pests, diseases and others.
• Identify a range of non woody and indoor plants of horticultural significance.
• Conduct a risk assessment of a horticultural workplace to determine safe working practices and select appropriate personal safety clothing and equipment.

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EXAMPLES OF PRACTICAL WORK IN THIS COURSE

EXAMPLE 1.
Make a water percolating measuring device from an empty can to determine how quickly water moves through your soil.
1. Cut the top and bottom out of the can.
2. To measure the water absorbed, tape a plastic rule two inches (5cm) down on the INSIDE of the can.
3. Locate an area where the soil is not compacted place a board over the top of the can and pound the can several inches into the ground.
4. Fill the above ground part of the can with water.
5. After an hour, read on the plastic ruler the amount of water that the soil has absorbed. And write down your answer.
6. Determine what type of soil you think it is by using the information on ‘percolation rates’ provided earlier in this lesson.



EXAMPLE 2.

1. Testing the soil drainage:

Dig 50 cm deep holes in several different parts of the garden. Fill them water and then allow them to drain completely. Refill the holes with water and observe how long it takes the water to drain away. If the holes are still holding water after 24 hours, you have a drainage problem that needs to be addressed.

2. Using both a pH meter (if possible) and a colorimetric pH test kit, test soil samples (at least 6) collected from various locations on your own or a friend’s property. A tablespoon of soil for each sample is sufficient. Label the samples noting the location. Note the differences. Samples taken close to concrete may have higher pH than those collected underneath deciduous trees where soils can be more acidic.
The results of the test will enable you to choose the correct pl


EXAMPLE 3.

Sow Seeds in Containers

1. Fill the container with propagation media and level off to approximately 5 -10mm below the rim. Level the surface and firm the mix lightly, but not too hard over firming will reduce the air filled porosity and will result in over wetting.

2. The seeds are sown evenly over the surface of the tray. A pepper pot is useful for sowing smaller seeds – simply mix the seed with fine white sand (so you can see the seeds and where you have sown the mixture). Small plastic seed sowers are also available through various outlets these are used for smaller quantities of seeds.

*Note: avoid sowing too densely as lack of air movement encourages disease, and seedlings don’t have sufficient room to grow strongly.
*However in a nursery situation you will also be trying to maximise available propagation space so you will need to strike a balance. This will come with experience and practice.
*Vacuum sower and Hydro-seeders are most often used in larger nurseries. Pre-filled punnets are fed into a machine that automatically sows seed at a specific rate and pattern.

3. Cover the seed with fine sand or propagation mix. Only cover to a depth equivalent to the thickness of the seed. This depends on the species as some seeds need light to germinate. Make sure the container is labelled, showing the date and name of the seed. In a nursery situation you would also keep computerised or written records of when and what you have sown.

*Note if seeds are sown too deeply the plant will be weakened due to the extra energy required to get to the surface, some may not emerge at all.
If planted too shallow the roots won’t take hold into the medium and will most likely die.

4. Water the tray with a fine spray from above, or place the tray in shallow water until you can see water rising to the top of the propagation mix. Carefully lift the tray out and place it on a bench so that excess water quickly drains away.  

5. Label the trays with the species name and date and determine the appropriate location to assist germination


EXAMPLE 4

Tubing Seedlings
Fill in the Check List below as you undertake the work

Scientific Name of Plant:………………………………………

Type of media used……………………………………………..

Size of pots used………………………………………………..

Average length of root system………………………………..


Amount of plants tubed…………………………………………


Growing–on position 1.……………………… length of time in this position………………………                                                
                     
               Position..2……………………… length of time in this position………………………
               
                      Position 3………………………. length of time in this position………………………

Assessment……………………………………………………..

Assessor’s comments…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
This activity should be supervised, assessed and signed by a qualified horticulturist (The school can help you find someone if need be)
The results should be recorded by the student on the above sheet and marked as C or NYC by the assessor.
The student should demonstrate the ability to:
1. Choose appropriate size pots
2. Choose appropriate media
1. Tube seedlings by holding correctly and without causing damage to either the root system or the vegetative parts
3. Plant to correct depth and firm around plants and give an appropriate amount of water.
4. Place in an appropriate position for growing on
The student should demonstrate knowledge of growing-on procedures by filling in the answers at the appropriate position above.
 
Ask student to fill in the growing on procedures
C = Student has performed task to a competent level
NYC= Student had as yet not demonstrated competency

Name and phone number of supervising horticulturist

Name………………………………………….

Qualification…………………………………..

Phone Number………………………………..