Sneak Peek
Plant Health Short Course - Understanding plant pests and diseases
Managing plant health is a three step process: recognising a pest or disease challenge, identifying the cause, and taking the right actions to tackle the challenge. always seems that the more work you do in a garden, the more pest
and disease problems seem to appear. For this reason, the keen home
gardener and the professional landscaper need to be aware about what
pests and diseases they may come in contact with, and how to control
them.
This Study Guide will help the keen home gardener or graduate landscaper to identify the most common pest and disease problems, and take action.
This course has a particular emphasis on caring for our environment through sustainable land
management, farming, and horticultural practices. That includes reducing
the use of chemicals, and makes it even more important that the cause of a problem is correctly identified first time.
This course covers 6 lessons:
Lesson 1 Identifying problems
Understanding what can go wrong with your plants
More than one problem
Finding out what the problem is
Conducting an inspection
Alternative approach
Still unsure?
Telltale symptoms
The main types of problems
Pests
Diseases
Shortcuts to problem identification
What insect is it?
Diagnosis of plant disorders
Difficult to diagnose problems
Lesson 2 Treating problems
Different ways to control pests and diseases
1) Cultural control
2) Biological control
3) Physical controls
4) Chemical
5) Legal control
Lesson 3 Problems and the plants they affect
Flowers & bulbs
Fruit & vegetables
Indoor, shade & greenhouse plants
Shrubs & climbers
Trees
Lawns
Australian natives
Lesson 4 Pests
The major types of pests
Common garden pests
Millipedes
Wasps
Lesson 5 Diseases
Disease considerations
Types of pathogens
Symptoms
Understanding diseases
Stages in the development of a disease
Common diseases
Lesson 6 Environmental problems
Common environmental problems
Foliage burn
Pollution
Lack of water
Drainage problems
Frost
Hail
Shade
Temperature
Wind
Plant tolerance levels
Ways to protect plants
Protective structures
Staking
Tree guards
Wind breaks
Mulching
Environmental problems in lawns
Appendices
Spray programmes
Stages of growth
Simple conversions
Further information
Publications/bibliography
Diagnosis services
Glossary
How does this course work?
You can enrol at any time.
Once you have paid for the course, you will be able to start straight away.
Study when and where you like. Work through at your own pace.
You can download your study-guide to your smart phone, tablet or laptop to read offline.
There are automated self-assessment tests you can complete at the end
of each lesson. You can attempt these as many times as you wish and
each time, upon completion, you can see your results. You will need
internet access to complete the self assessment tests.
At the end of the course, you are presented with a large assessment
which can be attempted online, anywhere, anytime. If you achieve a 60%
pass in the exam; you immediately receive a downloadable certificate of
completion with your name on it.