Nursery Growers Course

Want to start a small business growing and selling plants from home?

This course is designed to help you do just that!  

• Develop your knowledge and skill in horticulture. 
• Learn how to grow nursey plants.
• Understand the basic nursery management principles

Lesson Structure

There are 6 lessons in this course:

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

• 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 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.

Who Will Benefit From This Course?

• A beginner to get started in the nursery business
• Those working in the industry wanting to extend their knowledge
• Wholesale nursery workers