Growing Annuals

Become an Annuals Expert!

• Annuals are easy to grow, produce flowers quickly and bloom longer
• Provides gardeners with seasonal variation in planting themes
• Adds pop of colour to any landscape or flower bouquet  
• Fills homes or garden with pleasing fragrance

They are equally as useful to the home gardener and to the professional gardener as to those intending to grow annuals commercially.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • Review of the system of plant identification, physiology, information sources
2. Culture
   • This is a larger than average lesson; providing a fundamental understanding of what is needed to make annuals grow well.
   • Learn about Soils, pH, nutrition and fertilizers.; then move on to preparing a garden for planting, planting techniques, and caring for plants as they grow (eg. watering etc).
   • These things all underpin good growth.
3. Propagation
   • Methods of propagating annuals,both sexual and asexual.
   • Emphasis on seed propagation, given this is the main way of growing annuals.
   • Propagation media, sowing seeds, potting up.
   • Collecting and storing seed.
   • Hybrid seed production.
   • Propagation of selected varieties of annuals.
4. Growing Annuals in Hydroponics.
   • Hydroponics is used commercially and by hobbyists to grow certain annuals, mostly as cut flowers.
   • Learn how to grow hydroponically, different systems and techniques.
   • Growing Snapdragons, Carnations, Asters, Chrysanthemums, Gerberas and more in hydroponics.
5. Pest and Disease
   • Distinguishing between diseases, pests, nutritional and environmental problems
   • Understanding significant problems and their control
   • Review a range of annuals not covered in other lessons.
6. Irrigation
   • When, why and How to Irrigate
   • Symptoms of water deficiency or excess
   • Estimating water requirements
   • Types of irrigation and timing Irrigation
   • Distances between Sprinklers
   • Review a range of annuals not covered in other lessons.
7. Greenhouses and Flower Beds
   • Annuals are grown both inside greenhouses and outside in flower beds.
   • See how to use a greenhouse to raise seedlings (for later transplanting outdoors); or growing either cut flower crops; or potted colour (for nursery sales), inside the greenhouse
   • Shade houses, benches
   • Environmental control
   • Managing plants and plant health
   • Flower Bed Design
   • Judging Flower Quality
   • Review a range of annuals not covered in other lessons.
8. Harvest, Post Harvest & Quality.
   • Harvesting flowers
   • Post harvest physiology
   • Managing the Shelf life of flowers after harvest
   • Packaging cut flowers
   • Harvesting requirements for a range of different annual flower species
   • Review a range of annuals not covered in other lessons.

Aims

• Discuss the classification of annual flowering plants through the plant naming system.
• Discuss culture requirements of annuals.
• Propagate annuals.
• Explain methods of hydroponic culture in relation to annuals
• Identify pest and diseases of annuals
• Describe various types of irrigation systems and the water requirements of annuals.
• Describe various greenhouses and related equipment available.
• Determine procedures for the handling of annuals during and after harvest.
• Design annual flower beds.