AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
- To provide a sound basis of knowledge in horticultural principles as they apply to the culture, use and management of plants in various production situations.
- To provide new and existing employees who are unable to undertake on campus training with the opportunity to gain appropriate knowledge in the field of plant culture, use and management.
- To prepare employees for supervisory and managerial positions in the field of plant culture, use and management.
- To provide horticultural business owner/operators (or those contemplating ownership) with appropriate training to apply technical skills to the management of the physical, financial and human resources in which they have made, or will make, a substantial investment.
- To provide an understanding of modern technology and its application to growing plants, with emphasis being placed on hydroponics production of commercially valuable plants.
COURSE STRUCTURE
This subject has 30 lessons, each requiring about 12-15 hours of study:
- Introduction to Hydroponic Technology
- Plant Growth Requirements – Light , artificial light, light balancers
- Plant Growth Requirements – Nutrition- nutrient requirements, deficiencies, toxicities, pH, conductivity, salinity, growth regulators
- Plant Growth Requirements – Temperature
- Hydroponic Growing Systems- basic concepts and designs, site considerations.
- Growing Media – types, properties, uses.
- Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions – nutrient formulae, preparing solutions.
- Hydroponic Equipment – componentry, nutrient delivery, pumping, testing
- Growing Structures – Design and Construction – types
- Environmental Control A – Heating, Cooling
- Environmental Control B – Lighting, Shading.
- Environmental Control C – Carbon Dioxide Enrichment
- Plant Culture In Hydroponics A – trellising, pruning, pollination, transplanting.
- Plant Culture In Hydroponics B
- Aggregate Culture
- Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) Culture
- Rockwool Culture
- Other Techniques – wick systems, flood & drain, bag culture, aeroponics, etc.
- Irrigation – Soil Requirements
- Irrigation Systems
- Plant Propagation – seed & cutting propagation & tissue culture
- Market Gardening – Cut Flowers
- Market Gardening – Vegetables
- Other Plants In Hydroponics – herbs, grasses, indoor plants
- Pest and Diseases – dentifying the problem, pests and diseases in hydroponics
- Weeds – identification and control
- Managing A Commercial Hydroponics Farm – crop scheduling & selection standards
- Management – Organisation and Supervision
- Marketing – Promotion and Selling
- Special Project -Prepare a detailed report of at least 2,000 words, plus photos or diagrams, on a particular aspect of technology which you have studied that significantly assists growing.
