CERTIFICATE IN HORTICULTURE (PROPAGATION) VHT002

Become a skilled plant propagator

Advance your career or start your own propagation business.

The Certificate in Horticulture (Plant Propagation) is a vocationally orientated course incorporates a core of broad horticultural studies combined with specialised studies in plant propagation.

• develop skills and knowledge about propagating different types of plants by seed, cuttings, budding and grafting, separation, division and layering in a commercially viable way.
• develop skills and knowledge about tools, equipment & growing structures used in a nursery for plant production.
• develop general skills in horticultural practices and plant identification.

Students in this course are able to join various industry bodies as student members for free  e.g. Australian Institute of Horticulture, Chartered Institute of Horticulture - ask for details

The course has been developed by, and you will be tutored by a team of horticulture and propagation experts, led by John Mason - former nurseryman, author of Nursery Management (Landlinks Press/CSIRO), Cutting Propagation (Kangaroo Press/Simon & Schuster) and Starting a Nursery or Herb Farm (Grass Roots)

Lesson Structure

There are 30 lessons in this course:

1. Plant Identification
   • Introduction
   • Botanical/Horticultural Nomenclature
   • The Binomial (Taxonomic) System
   • Botanical Classification
   • Plant Families and Species
   • Hybrids, Varieties, Cultivars
   • Plant Family Names
   • Pronunciation of Plant Names
   • Significant Genera and Families they belong to
   • Meanings and origins of Plant Names
   • Pressing Plants (to create a herbaria collection for reference)
   • Introduction to Amenity Plants
   • Flowering Plants
   • Lower Plants – Conifers, Ferns
   • Rhododendrons and Azaleas
   • Roses
   • Bulbs
   • Practical – Plant Review Worksheets
2. Parts of the Plant
   • Plant Identification Skills
   • How to increase your Plant I.D. Skills
   • Terminology
   • Lead Types
   • Structure and Arrangement of Leaves and Leaflets
   • Common Leaf Shapes
   • Flower Structure
   • Parts of a Flower
   • The Inflorescence
   • Types of Flowers – bisexual, unisexual, monoecious, dioeceous
   • How a Seed Forms
   • Plant Structure
   • Stems and Stem Modifications
   • Leaves and Leaf Modifications
   • Roots and Root Function
   • Root Modifications
   • Morphological Changes as a Plant Matures
   • Cell Structure and Histology
   • Cell Components
   • Plant Cell Types
   • Plant Tissue Comparisons
   • Photosynthesis
   • Factors Affecting Photosynthesis
   • Respiration
   • Rate of Respiration
   • Transpiration
   • Environmental Factors Affecting Transpiration and Water Uptake
   • The Nitrogen Cycle
   • Terminology
3. Plant Culture – Planting
   • Planting
   • Environmental Influences on Plants
   • Potting Up Plants
   • Potting Shrubs and Trees
   • Introduction to Gardening Basics
   • Terminology
   • Common Mistakes when Planting
   • Plant Selection Criteria
   • Economics of Planting
   • Ongoing Costs
   • Longevity
   • General Hardiness
   • Aesthetic Criteria
   • Basic Planting Procedure
   • Fertiliser
   • Staking
   • Bare Rooted Plants
   • Timing of Planting
   • Considerations, Variety, Time, Locality, Mulching
   • Laying a New Lawn – Soil Prep, Levels, Sowing, Raking in, Watering
   • Turf Grass Varieties – Couch, Fescue, Rye, Bent, Kentucky Blue
4. Plant Culture – Pruning
   • Fruit or Vegetative Buds
   • Reasons for Pruning
   • Removing Dead or Diseased Wood
   • Controlling Growth Type
   • Controlling Shape and Size
   • Rejuvenation
   • Basic Pruning Rules
   • Home Orchard Pruning
   • Fruit Tree Pruning Styles
   • Before Pruning
   • Considerations while Pruning
   • Pruning Terminology
5. Plant Culture – Irrigation and Machinery
   • Water and Irrigation
   • Infiltration and Drainage
   • Types of Irrigation
   • Flood Irrigation
   • Sprinkler Irrigation
   • Trickle Irrigation
   • Power Tools
   • Types of Power Tools
   • Power Tool Maintenance
   • Oil
   • Buying Power Tools
   • Chainsaws – Use, Starting, Chain Sharpening
   • Mowers – types. Guidelines for use, Care
   • Brush Cutters/ Strimmers
   • Mulchers
   • Rotary Hoes
   • Hedge Trimmers
   • Irrigation Objectives and Feasibility
   • Understanding Soil, Water and Plants
   • Gravitational, Capillary and Hygroscopic Water
   • Measuring Water Available to Plants
   • Calculations – Field Capacity, Wilting Point
   • Available Moisture Range
   • Root Depths for Different Plants
   • Estimating Plant Water Requirement
   • When to Irrigate
   • Symptoms of Water Deficiency and Excess
   • Types of Sprinkler Systems and Sprinkler Heads
   • Design and Operation of Irrigation Systems
   • Cyclic Watering
   • Pulse Watering
   • Irrigation Scheduling
   • Selecting Surface Irrigation Methods
6. Soils and Media
   • Potting Mixes
   • Factors Affecting Fertiliser Application
   • Soils
   • Sampling Soils
   • Soil Composition
   • Colloids and Peds
   • Soil Texture and Structure
   • Soil Chemical Properties
   • Improving Soils – texture, structure, fertility
   • Soil Terminology
7. Soils and Nutrition
   • Introduction
   • Nutrient Elements
   • Macronutrients
   • Nitrogen
   • Phosphorus
   • Potassium
   • Magnesium
   • Calcium
   • Sulphur
   • Micronutrients
   • Soil pH and Nutrient Availability
   • Soil Ameliorants
   • Total Salts
   • Salinity
   • Sources of Salt
   • Control Methods for Salinity
   • Soil Sodicity
   • Water, Air and Nutrients
   • Soil Temperature
   • Key to Diagnosis of Nutritional Problems
   • Fertilisers
   • Composting
   • Compost Ingredients
8. Propagation – Seed and Cuttings
   • Introduction
   • Seed Propagation
   • Hygiene
   • How to Sow Seeds in Containers
   • Seed Germination
   • Seed Sources
   • Seed Storage
   • Factors Affecting Seed Storage
   • Germinating Difficult Seeds
   • Seed Dormancy
   • Treatments to Break Dormancy
   • Cutting Propagation
   • Cutting Types – Softwood, Hardwood, Semi Hardwood, Herbaceous, Stem, Tip, Heal. Leaf, etc
   • Factors affecting Rooting of Cuttings
   • Plant Breeding
   • Hybrid Seed Production
   • Maintaining Genetic Identity in Seed
   • Hand Pollination
9. Propagation – Other Techniques
   • Division
   • Aseptic Micro Propagation
   • Grafting
   • Budding
   • Layering
   • Tip Layering
   • Mound Layering
   • Simple Layering
   • Compound Layering
   • Aerial Layering
   • Natural Layering – Suckers, Runners, Offsets, Crowns
   • Propagation with Specialised Stems and Roots – Bulbs, Corms, Tubers, Rhizomes, Pseudobulbs
   • Propagating Bulbs – Bulblets on Scales, Stem Cuttings, Bulbils, Basal Cutting etc
10. Identification and Use of Plants – Landscape Application
    • Plants in the Landscape
    • Choosing Plants – criteria
    • Inspecting Plants Pre Purchase
    • Trees for Landscaping
    • Factors for Tree Selection
    • Potential Tree Problems
    • Choosing Shrubs for Different Purposes
    • Groundcovers
    • Building Plant Knowledge of Many Tree and Shrub Genera
    • Trees for Different Conditions
    • Planting Techniques
    • Soil Restrictions on Planting
11. Identification and Use of Plants-Problem Situations
    • Establishing Trees
    • Tree Size & Age at Planting
    • Root Containment at Planting - Container Type, Bare Rooted or Balled
    • What to look for when Buying a Tree
    • Plant Protection at Planting – Staking, Frost Protection, Sun Protection, Cages
    • Controlling Birds
    • Props
    • Cabling & Bolting
    • Quick Reference Plant Directory
    • Container Growing Outside
    • Street Tree Reporting
12. Identification and Use of Plants – Indoor
    • Introduction to Indoor Plants
    • Why Indoor Plants Die
    • Potting Mixes
    • Drainage holes in Pots
    • How to Pot a small Plant to a Larger Pot
    • Potting up Hanging Baskets
    • Plantscaping with Ferns
    • Fern Families and Genera
13. Pests
    • Chemical Pest Control
    • Law
    • Chemical Labelling
    • Non Chemical Pest Control
    • Care when Using Chemicals
    • Entomology & Insect Control Methods
    • Types of Insect Poisons – contact, intermediate, stomach, translocated or not
    • Integrated Pest Management
    • Insecticide Use with IPM
    • Preventative Actions in the Garden
    • Understanding Pesticides – Reading the Label
    • Toxicity, Activity Spectrum, LD50. Persistence, Volatility, etc.
    • Chemical Types -Inorganic, Biological, Organophosphates, Organochlorines, Carbamates, etc.
    • Review of Specific Chemical Products
    • Diatomaceous earth, Soaps
    • Fungicides
    • Ways of Applying Chemicals – Spraying, Dusting, Granules, Irrigation injection
    • Safety Procedures when Using Agricultural Chemicals
    • Differentiation of Pests, Diseases and Viruses
    • Review of most Common Pests
14. Diseases
    • Fungicides
    • Plant Pathology
    • Identifying a Problem – Parasitic, Non Parasitic
    • Treating a Problem
    • Diagnosis of Plant Disorders – Visual Appearance, Possible Cause, Appropriate Treatment
    • Common Diseases
    • Anthracnose
    • Blight
    • Canker
    • Damping Off
    • Galls
    • Leaf Spot
    • Mildew
    • Rots
    • Rust
    • Smut
    • Mould
    • Wilt
    • Other Common Diseases
    • Turf Fungal Diseases
    • Plant Virus Detection and Diagnosis
    • Arboriculture and Tree Health
15. Weeds
    • What is a Weed
    • Steps to Controlling Weeds
    • Weed Control with Suffocation
    • Weed Control with Burning
    • Cultivation to Control Weeds
    • Other Non Chemical Weed Control Methods – Grazing, Mowing, Flooding, pH change, Biological Controls
    • Weed Control with Herbicides
    • Modes of Action
    • Regulations and Laws - Restricted Use & Supply
    • Avoiding Spray Drift
    • Types of Herbicide Chemicals – Aliphatics, Amides, Ureas, Carbamates etc.
    • Herbicide Resistance and Tolerance
    • Safe Use of Weed killers
    • Safety Guidelines and First Aid in relation to Chemical Use
    • Cleaning Up a Chemical Spill
    • Identifying Weeds
    • Controlling Weeds in Different Places – fence lines, base of trees, garden Beds, Hard Surfaces
    • Types of Weeds
    • Noxious Weeds
    • Environmental Weeds
    • Common Weeds
    • Terminology
16. Methods of Propagation
    • Sexual Propagation Introduction & Seed Treatments
    • Asexual Propagation Introduction
    • Scope of Commercial Seed Production
    • Seed Growing Methods
    • Choosing a Method
    • General Soil Preparation
    • Open Ground Production
17. Seed Propagation A.
    • Seed Germination
    • Maintaining Genetic Purity
    • Methods to Breed Self Pollinated Crops
    • Importance of Genetic Purity in Agriculture & Horticulture
    • Seed Certification
    • Preventing Cross Pollination
    • Hand Pollination
    • Hybrid Seed Production
    • Hybridising Techniques
    • Collecting Wild Seed
    • Selecting Plants to Collect From
    • Timing Collection
    • Collection Methods
    • Removing Seed
    • Choosing Seed for Vegetable Crops
    • Collecting Vegetable Seed
    • Seed Storage Behaviour
    • Factors Affecting Seed Storage
    • Types of Seed Storage
    • Disease Control in Seeds
    • Germination Testing
18. Seed Physiology and Germination
    • Flower Parts
    • Pollination
    • Seed Formation
    • Parts of a Seed - Embryo, Endosperm, Hilum
    • Germination - Epigeal, Hypogeal
    • Phases of Plant Reproduction
    • Fruits
    • Fruit Types
19. Seed Propagation B
    • Difficult to Germinate Seeds
    • Endospermic and Non endospermic
    • Germinating Seeds
    • Failure to Germinate
    • Dormancy Factors Affecting Germination
    • Types of Dormancy
    • Germination Treatments
20. Propagation by Cuttings A
    • Importance of Cuttings
    • Other Reasons to Use Cuttings
    • Where to Source Cutting Material
    • Genotype versus Phenotype
    • How to Grow a Cutting
    • Level of Difficulty Striking Cuttings
    • Classifying Cutting Types
    • Softwood Cuttings
    • Semi Hardwood Cuttings
    • Hardwood Cuttings
    • Other Cuttings: Herbaceous, Tip, Heel, Nodal, Basal, Cane
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Improving Strike Rates
    • Rooting
21. Propagation by Cuttings B
    • Leaf Cuttings
    • Leaf Bud Cuttings
    • Root Cuttings
    • Stock Plants for Root Cuttings
    • Bulb Cuttings
    • Scaling
    • Sectioning
    • Basal Cuttage
    • Propagating Succulents
22. Efficiencies in Cutting Propagation
    • Success with Cuttings - Work Quality, Technique Selection, Aftercare etc.
    • Why do Cuttings Form Roots
    • Juvenility
    • Cutting Treatments - Hormones
    • Other Chemical Treatments - Fungacides, Anti Transpirants, Disinfectants, Acid/Base Treatments
    • Non Chemical Treatments = Wounding, Callusing
    • Other Treatments - Mycorrhizae, VAM, Carbon Dioxide Enrichment
23. Miscellaneous Propagating Techniques
    • Division
    • Division of Herbs
    • Separation
    • Lifting and Storing Bulbs
24. Budding & Grafting
    • Reasons for Budding & Grafting
    • How a Graft Forms
    • Factors Influencing Graft Healing
    • Carpentry of Grafting
    • What Can be Grafted on What
    • Types of Grafts & Budding
    • Grafting Tapes
    • Bench Grafting
    • Root Grafting
    • Soft Tissue Grafting
    • Grafting Fruit Trees
    • Establishing Rootstocks
    • Double Working
25. Tissue Culture
    • Uses of Tissue CultureDifferent Environments
    • Nutrient Medium
    • Cleanliness
    • Growing Conditions
    • Procedures - Explants, Sterilisation, Nutrient Media
    • Methods of Shoot INduction & Proliferation
    • Multiplication by Adventitious Roots
    • Rooting & Planting Out
    • Laboratory Requirements
    • Terminology
    • Biotechnology in Horticulture
    • Cell Fusions
    • Overcoming Pollination Incompatibility
    • Pollination Biology use in Plant Breeding
26. Layering
    • Why Use Layering
    • Types of Layers
    • Tip Layering
    • Mound Layering
    • Simple Layering
    • Compound Layering
    • Trench Layering
    • Aerial Layering
    • Natural Layers - Suckers, Runners, Offsets, Crowns
27. Propagating Structures and Equipment
    • What can be Grtown in a Protected Environment
    • Greenhouse Systems
    • Components of a Greenhouse
    • Types of Greenhouses
28. Propagating Materials
    • Growing in Containers
    • Care of Containers
    • Preventing Moss and Algae Growth
    • Pots
    • Comparing Materials - Plastic, Terracotta, Glazed, etc
    • Potting Up Plants
    • Potting Media
    • History of Potting Mixes
    • Testing for Toxins in Media
    • Mixes/Substrates for Seed or Cuttings
    • Rockwool
    • Problems with Organic Components
    • Qualities of Potting Soils
    • Components of Potting Mixes
    • Cleanliness with Soils
    • Maintaining Sanitation
    • Potting up Different Types of Plants
29. Nursery Management A
    • The Nursery Site
    • Size
    • Planning Restrictions
    • Site Characteristics
    • Location
    • Designing Facilities for the Site
    • Production Areas
    • Production Systems
    • Flow Charts
    • The U.C. System
    • U.C. Mixes
    • Sanitation Rules
30. Nursery Management B
    • Plant Modification to Achieve Uniformity
    • Developing a Thicker, Sturdier Stem or Trunk
    • Making a Plant Taller Developing a Compact Root System
    • Encouraging Compact Growth
    • Improving Foliage Colour & Vigour
    • Promoting Flower Development
    • Getting Plants to Flower Out of Season
    • Other Factors - Spacing, Staking, Chemical Growth modification
    • Management Policies

Aims

• Explain the binomial system of plant classification and demonstrate identification of plant species by using botanical descriptions for leaf shapes and flowers.
• Describe parts of the plant.
• Determine the correct planting procedure of a range of different plants.
• Explain the reasons for pruning and how to prune plants successfully.
• Describe a range of machinery and irrigation equipment commonly used in horticulture.
• Determine appropriate soil and media management for the purposes of preparing growth media for common horticultural activities.
• Explain the relationship between soils, plants, and nutrient availability.
• Describe plant propagation by seeds and cuttings.
• Describe a range of common propagation techniques beyond seeds and cuttings.
• Describe the optimal use of plants in landscaping applications.
• Describe a range of problems that can occur when establishing and maintaining plants in landscaping situations.
• Discuss the basic requirements for growing plants indoors.
• Describe range of methods used for pest identification and control in a horticultural setting.
• Describe a range of methods used for disease identification and control in a horticultural setting.
• Discuss what constitutes a weed and how weeds can be controlled.
• Describe the scope, nature and application of plant propagation.
• Explain how seed is obtained and used by a nursery propagator to produce new plants.
• Explain the science of seeds and relate this to plant propagation.
• Discuss different scenarios where seeds can be difficult to germinate and recommend solutions in such situations.
• Determine appropriate approaches to propagating a range of different plants using stem cutting propagation methods.
• Explain how to propagate a range of plants using cutting techniques other than stem cuttings.
• Determine a range of plants that might be viable to commercially propagate from cuttings in your locality; and techniques that would be appropriate to use.
• Add to knowledge of alternative propagation techniques.
• Explain and demonstrate a variety of different grafting or budding techniques.
• Explain micro-propagation and its applications in commercial plant production.
• Explain and demonstrate a variety of different layering techniques.
• Select and determine appropriate ways of using different structures and equipment for propagating a range of different plants.
• Determine different materials for propagating and growing on a range of different plant cultivars.
• Plan to provide an appropriate physical setting for plant nursery production.
• Manage the growing of plants in a nursery from propagation through to point of despatch or sale.

PROPAGATION CAN ALWAYS BE IMPROVED

Despite all the good advice in this and other books on cutting propagation; there are always conditions that vary from site to site.
Examples:

• The stock plant you use might be the same cultivar as what another propagator uses; but it will be growing in a different place, and have been treated differently; so the health, vigor, juvenility and other characteristics of cuttings taken from one will vary a little from those from the other.
• The propagation area (eg. greenhouse, hotbed, etc) in one location will have slightly different characteristics to another. Even if they are both identical equipment, the aspect (orientation to the sun) may vary, the site may be more or less prone to cold or heat, one facility may be sealed to the outside better than the other (so humidity and ventilation may be more variable in one), etc.
• The hygiene of one site might be better than another. Through no fault of the propagator even, neighbouring properties to one might be harbouring disease that does not exist at the other.
• Both might propagate using perlite or peat; but the type of perlite or peat might be different. Even the same brand of a product might vary a little from one production batch to the next.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT SUCH VARIABLES
The answer is simple:

• Monitor everything you do, and learn from experience.
• Keep a daily diary, and label everything.

Over time you will get to know your property, and the best way to propagate the plants you want to grow, on your property, with your equipment.

You might discover that a hot bed needs to be turned slightly higher or lower than what the norm is in the text books; or you might decide that a vent needs to be left open at certain times to reduce carbon dioxide build up. Some propagators will learn to take a particular type of wood from a particular time to get optimum results from cuttings. I have known nurserymen to grow their stock plants at sites away from the propagation site, because the conditions at a different site will produce a better quality cutting.

FACTORS AFFECTING ROOTING
Generally the ability to form roots easily or not so easily, appears to be cultivar specific (ie. this can vary significantly between two varieties of the same species), although there are usually general similarities that apply to most cultivars within a genus or species (always be aware that exceptions exist).

Often (not always) some characteristics, which alone only have a minor affect upon rooting, can act together and have a much more significant affect. For example, if you provide the ideal conditions for rooting but select cutting material at the wrong stage, rooting may be as good as if you selected material at the right stage. If you select material at the right stage, and get hormone treatment, propagating media, and cutting preparation correct, but don’t have the temperature right, rooting may still occur…but slower….but when you get temperature AND type of cutting material wrong, the results might be very poor. 

In hardwood winter cuttings, the level of dormancy may affect success. If taken late in winter, the cuttings will have been chilled already and the arrival of spring will encourage new foliage and root formation. Cuttings taken too early and not given the chance of dormancy may fail to initiate roots.

JUVENILITY

Juvenility refers to the age of material used for propagation. 

Juvenile wood or tissues, are those plant materials which have grown recently. Material that is perhaps 6 months old, is usually considered juvenile; material that is 1 year old is less juvenile, and material 2 years old is even less juvenile. Juvenility is a relative thing, and what is juvenile for one species might be considered older wood for another.

As a general rule, juvenile cutting material is more likely to be healthier, more vigorous, and provide a higher strike rate. For some plants, excessively juvenile tissue is also very tender tissue, and highly subject to dehydration. As such, that material might not strike well because it will dehydrate and weaken extremely fast.

Eg: Cuttings taken from 3 year old Picea aibes trees can strike at more than double the rate of cuttings taken from a 12 year old tree.

Strike rates for many plants can be improved by pruning the stock plant to encourage sprouting of clean, vigorous and juvenile shoots that can be taken for cuttings.

Rejuvenation and stimulation of juvenile cutting material may be achieved by:

• Hedging…keeping the distance between the plant root & growth tip short, juvenility is able to be maintained, and routine tip pruning promotes greater numbers of growth tips (for tip cuttings)
• Adventitious shoots (eg. suckers can be Adventitious or Axillary), are usually more juvenile (eg. a stool bed)
• Shoots or sprouts from stumps, suckers etc.

WILL THIS COURSE GET ME A JOB?

No course will guarantee you a job - but choosing the right one will certainly help!

Not all courses are equal - some tend to focus on just getting you to the end, rather than helping you to learn.

The fundamental aim of a 'good education' depends very much on three processes:

1. Gathering knowledge - what you learn.
2. Retaining knowledge - how you learn and store it.
3. Recalling knowledge – recollecting what you have learned, even years later.

Choosing what you learn: Education should be broad as this develops your knowledge and skills. When choosing an industry such as horticulture it is always best to learn the basic fundamentals first i.e. the core skills needed to work in the industry in general, that way you can move across inter-industry sectors if needed. The core units for a Certificate in Horticulture (for example) will give you good basic industry skills that can equally apply to nursery work such as propagation, crop growing, gardening or other inter-industry sectors. Once you have these skills, your future prospects for employment are far brighter as you are a value to the industry in general, rather than to just a single industry sector but if you want to specialise, it will add to your opportunities rather than take away from them. You always have that core knowledge to fall back on should you need to move sectors in the future.

Retaining knowledge: There are keys to retaining knowledge – most of us will only store knowledge in short term memory the ‘if you don’t use it you will lose it scenario’. As educators we have found at ACS that the best system for storing knowledge is to really know your subject. This may sound obvious but many courses just teach the facts. When students are set problems to solve and practical set tasks, like we do at ACS, rather than just reading and regurgitating facts and figures from text books, they are much more likely to gather pertinent knowledge and retain that knowledge.

Recalling what you have learned: there is a difference between retaining what you have learned to short term memory and recalling what you have learned years later. Undertaking problem solving tasks and projects are much more likely way to commit information to long term memory. We consider that, along with a passion for what they are studying, to be the key reason our students do so well in their courses, our courses are based on a Problem Based Learning system. Problem based assignments and practical set tasks mean that students have to work at finding solutions and developing skills. These may come from various sources - in the process they gather knowledge through experiential learning, which is more likely to be retained in long term memory.

So, choosing the right course and learning the right things will certainly help you find a suitable job.

Who Is This Course For?

 This course is suitable for different people including:

• Nursery growers
• Plant propagators
• Horticulturists
• Market gardeners
• Conservationists
• Plant breeders
• Entrepreneurs
• Urban farmers
• People working in reafforestation

Enrol with us and learn to propagate a wide range of plants for a wide range of purposes.