Advanced Diploma in Horticulture - Ornamental Horticulture

This diploma covers the planning, layout and construction of ornamental gardens, alongside arboriculture, irrigation and amenity horticulture. You'll study flowering shrubs and plant taxonomy, along with the business and machinery skills needed to run a horticultural operation, finishing with an Industry Project. Electives let you go deeper into areas such as turf care, weed control or growing annuals. Suitable for those planning to design, build or manage ornamental horticulture operations.

A must for anyone working within the ornamental horticulture industry! TRAINING FOR: This course is designed to assist the graduate to gain employment in the following fields: Garden Company Manager, Technical Officer, Marketing Manager, Consultant, Vocational Trainer. RECOGNITION: This course is written to satisfy all relevant competencies for accreditation through the International Accreditation and Recognition Council. DURATION: 2,500 hours minimum nominal duration, including: Being a self paced learning program, the student can study at a rate according to their ability and capabilities. This course may be studied over 3 years or less on a full time basis, or up to 8 years on a part time basis. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: There are no strict academic pre-requisites for this course but it is expected that successful applicants have achieved an educational level that will enable the completion of the course objectives. Entry to this course is based on: a person with 5 years industry experience; year 12 standard of education; mature age student. Modules CORE MODULES BIOCHEMISTRY I (PLANTS) BOTANY I HORTICULTURE I MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT (ENGINEERING) 1 HORTICULTURE II SOIL MANAGEMENT (HORTICULTURE) HORTICULTURAL RESEARCH II HORTICULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANT PROTECTION AMENITY HORTICULTURE I BUSH TUCKER PLANTS HORTICULTURAL MARKETING ELECTIVE MODULES – You are required to study 13 of the modules listed below – ARBORICULTURE I COTTAGE GARDEN DESIGN HERB CULTURE LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION NATURE PARK MANAGEMENT I TURF CARE ARBORICULTURE II BOTANY II CUT FLOWER PRODUCTION CUTTING PROPAGATION GARDEN CENTRE MANAGEMENT IRRIGATION (GARDENS) PERMACULTURE SYSTEMS PLANNING, LAYOUT AND CONSTRUCTION OF ORNAMENTAL GARDENS PLAYGROUND DESIGN PROJECT MANAGEMENT ROSES SPORTS TURF MANAGEMENT TROPICAL PLANTS ADVANCED PERMACULTURE AMENITY HORTICULTURE II BERRY PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MANAGING NOTABLE GARDENS AND LANDSCAPES OPERATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT FOR HORTICULTURE I OPERATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT FOR HORTICULTURE II ORGANIC PLANT CULTURE TURF REPAIR AND RENOVATIN WATER GARDENING Note that each module in the Qualification -Advanced Diploma Horticulture - Ornamental Horticulture is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately. Students are required to attain a current Senior First Aid Certificate during the period of study. WORKPLACE ORIENTED RESEARCH Three Research projects must be undertaken to satisfy the 200 hour nominal duration. Well organised study guides have been developed for Research Project I, II & III to work through in order to satisfy this part of the course. Find out more by clicking the links - Research Project I, Research Project II and Research Project III Each project will deal with a distinct aspect of workplace activity, and culminate in a written formal report of a length appropriate to the nature of the project. COURSE STRUCTURE SUMMARY COURSE COMPONENT NUMBER OF MODULES NOMINAL HOURS Compulsory Core Modules 4 400 Stream Core Units 8 800 Stream Elective Subjects/Modules 6 600 Optional Electives 2 200 Workplace Research 2 200 Industry Assoc. Conference/Seminars/Meetings 1 100 Workshops 2 200 Reducing Costs Ornamental gardens can be costly to establish and even more costly to maintain; however, there are many options available today, for reducing costs. These include: Design (or redesign), to make maintenance easier. Using plant cultivars that require less maintenance (or replacing high maintenance plants with low) Using machanised tools instead of manual (eg. power tools for hedge trimming) Mulching to reduce weed problems, and/or watering needs Automated watering systems Don't Neglect Plants It may appear to be a money saving strategy to water, fertilize or prune plants less often; but neglected plants tend to become bigger problems if neglected too much. Consider: a large dead tree is dangerous, can cause a lot of damage if limbs drop, and can be far more difficult and dangerous to remove than a live or dying tree. Understanding Watering A watering system can mean the difference between a garden thriving and struggling. It can also reduce the time you spend bucketing or hosing water onto your plants. There are two main types of irrigation systems which are available to the home gardener - sprinkler systems which spray water over plants; and trickle systems which drip water directly onto the ground. Sprinkler systems are particularly appropriate for applying water to lawn areas, shrubs and flower beds, while trickle irrigation systems can be used in garden beds, under treed areas, in pots and containers, and hanging baskets. Trickle systems use less water and are particularly valuable in areas with limited water supply. Planning for an Irrigation System The first step towards a properly watered garden is to draw up a plan. This plan can be drawn on graph paper at a scale of 1cm to 1 metre. Include in your plan garden beds, lawn areas, ferneries, and position of all taps in relation to your house. It is important to make your plan as accurate as possible. Next you must measure the output from your existing taps. This is done most accurately by using a flow metre and pressure gauge, but an approximate flow rate can be gathered by simply placing a standard bucket under your tap and turning the water fully on. By timing how long it takes for the bucket to fill, you can calculate the flow in litres per minute. A standard bucket holds around 10 litres to the rim. If the bucket takes 15 seconds to fill, then you have 40 litres per minute. Remember this should be done from all taps, because the flow rate can often vary, particularly from front to back. Most manufacturers produce leaflets on the different types of sprinkler heads they make, on how much water they use, and what patterns and distances they throw. Use these pamphlets and the advice of your local irrigation specialist to help you decide on the different types of sprinklers and their positions. Sprinkler systems Sprinkler systems operate by applying water under pressure which flows through a nozzle, breaking the flow of water into droplets. Although there are many types of sprinklers available on the market today, one of the most important design aspects to consider is the droplet size which the nozzle creates ... large water droplets hitting the exposed soil surface may cause erosion problems; fine droplets may be blown away by wind. Sprinklers may be either permanently fixed systems or moveable systems. The cheapest moveable sprinklers are simply those which are shifted at regular intervals by hand. Self-propelled sprinklers, whilst more expensive, relieve you from constant supervision of the watering regime. Fixed sprinklers also offer a permanent watering system which needs minimal supervision. Initial installation costs are higher than other systems; this cost is offset however, by subsequent savings in time and labour. Pop-up sprinklers, controlled by automatic controllers provide top-of-the range irrigation control. Alternatively, fixed sprinklers which remain permanently at the same height are also available. Benefits of Studying This Course This is an extremely comprehensive course. Those who complete it will be aiming for higher level positions in the horticulture industry. The core studies alone give you an in-depth foundation in horticulture principles and practices coupled with managerial insights. The elective studies enable you to specialise and build on the core foundation. Graduates will be well versed in all important areas of horticulture. The course is ideally suited to those aiming to work in: Horticulture management Supervisory and foreman roles General horticulture Horticulture consultant Horticulture technician WHAT NEXT? Register to Study - Go to “It’s Easy to Enrol” box at the top of the page and you can enrol now. or Get Advice – Email us at info@acsedu.co.uk OR Use our FREE COUNSELLING SERVICE to contact a tutor CLICK TO CONTACT US