Learn to identify and grow a wide range of plants and understand the science that underpins horticulture. This advanced horticultural course is ideal for gardeners, landscapers, horticulturalists or those who work in garden centres or retail nurseries.
The Advanced Certificate of Horticulture is an online professional development program that follows on from the Certificate of Horticulture and shows you how to identify a wide range of plants systematically and scientifically to maximise their care and prolong their growth cycle.
In this online horticulture course, you will study groups of plants, herbs, vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts, and indigenous, ornamental, tropical, indoor and bedding plants.
On completion of this course, you’ll have a strong foundation in horticulture to pursue a lifelong career.
Course Structure
Plant Knowledge
Unit 1 – The Groups of Plants
- Plant names
- Plant taxonomy
- Botanical keys
- How to use a botanical key
- An easy key to plant groups
- History of organised nomenclature
- International code of botanical nomenclature
- Ranks of taxa
- Principle of priority
- Plant and animal nomenclature
- Choice, construction and spelling of names
- Changes in names
- Colour charts
- Plant breeders rights
- Plant classification
- The lower plants
- Amenity horticulture
- Bulbs
- Classification according to the way plants dispose of excess leaves
- Classification of plants according to the type of leaf
Unit 2 – Use of Plants
- Plants in the landscape
- Choosing your plants
- Planting techniques
- Plant selection
- Conservation planting
- Vandalism and planting
- Soil restrictions on plant selection
- Soil is the environment of the plant’s roots
Unit 3 – Indigenous Plants
- What conditions does a particular plant species
- Native Australian plants
- Native plants for
- British Isles (to include great Britain & Ireland)
- Europe
- North America (including Canada & USA)
- China, Japan, Korea
- Algeria, Morocco
- Near/middle east
- City of Essendon Street tree report 1977
- Quick reference plant directory
- List of Australian plants
Unit 4 – Ornamental Plants – Non-Australian
- Rhododendrons and azaleas
- Roses and conifers
- Popular ornamental trees
- Guide to shrubs in the landscape
- Environmental influences on plant selection
- Shrubs which withstand wet soils
- Shrubs which withstand very wet soils
- Shrubs which grow in shaded areas
- Shrubs suited to coastal areas
- Suited to cold areas (resisting frost and cold winters)
- Shrubs suited to warm climates (does well in sub tropics to tropics)
- List of ornamental plants
Unit 5 – Indoor and Tropical Plants
- Tropical indoor plants and ferns
- Indoor plants
- Potting
- Ferns
- Landscaping with ferns
- Recommended ferns
Unit 6 – Bedding Plants
- Bulbs
- Chrysanthemums
- Cut flowers
Unit 7 – Vegetables
- What can be grown?
- How do you decide what to grow?
- Where to get helpful information
- Crop rotation
- Varieties and seed
- Soils / plant foods
- Tomatoes
- Mushrooms
Unit 8 – Fruit, Berries and Nuts
- Fruits
- Berry fruits
- Nuts
Unit 9 – Herbs
- Insect controls and companion plants
- Plants which improve the soil
- Quick guide to companion planting
- Herb teas
- Quick guide to controlling pests with herbs
- Herb cultivation
- Understanding fertile soil
- Plant protection
- Pruning herbs
- Harvesting herbs
- Poisonous plants
- Herbs for use in pot pourris
- Mixing herbs
- Quick reference herb chart
- The mints (genus: mentha)
- Propagating herbs
- Landscape design with herbs
Unit 10 – Alternative Growing Techniques
- Containers
- What’s in a pot?
- Comparing materials
- Aesthetics
- When you go away
- Preventing moss and algae in pots
- Potting up plants
- Potting mixes
- Hydroponics
- Classification of hydroponic systems
- Variables of a system
- Why practice hydroponics
- Bonsai
- Greenhouses
- Shade houses
- Other growing techniques
Plant Health
Unit 1 – Introduction
- Plant pathology
- Pests
- Diseases
- Common terms
- Diagnosis of problems
- Tell-tale symptoms
- Yellow leaves
- Is there more than one problem?
- Systematic logical approach to inspecting the plant
- Conducting an inspection
- Pest & disease review worksheet
- Example pest & disease review worksheet
Unit 2 – Overview of Preventative Controls
- Preventative control of pests and diseases
- Chemical use
- Methods of pest management
- Integrated pest management
- Cultural control
- Using disease resistant varieties
- Avoid plants that encourage pests and disease
- Crop rotation
- Timed planting
- Mulching
- Cleanliness and hygiene
- Biological control
- Advantages of biological control
- Disadvantages of biological control
- Types of biological controls
- Pheromone traps
- Physical controls
- Traps
- Repellent devices
- Mulching and pruning
- Wounds
- Chemical controls
- Understanding pesticides
- Safely storing chemicals
- Safely mixing chemicals
- Legal control
- Plant breeding for resistance
- What is pest resistance?
- Sources and causes of resistance
- Testing for resistance
- Adaptability, resistance and pest variability
Unit 3 – Insecticides
- Chemical pesticides: insecticides
- Types of insecticides
- Characteristics of insecticides
- Toxicity
- Spectrum of activity
- LD50 (toxicity measure)
- Persistence
- Volatility
- Repellency
- Flushing action
- Knockdown action
- Phytotoxicity
- Golden rules for handling pesticides
- Terminology
Unit 4 – Other Pesticides
- Chemical pesticides: fungicides/nematodes
- Benlate and captan
- Bordeaux mixture
- Lime sulphur
- Zineb, thiram and ziram
- Nemagon
- Ethylene dibromide
- Soil treatment to control plant diseases
- Soil Pests and diseases
- Weeds
- Types of fumigants
- Systemic fungicides
- Comparative toxicities
Unit 5 – Spray Equipment
- Types of sprayers
- Uses for sprayers
- Spray terminology
- Sprayer maintenance and cleaning
- Using chemicals
- Agitation
- Cleaning up and disposing of chemicals
- Basic first aid in relation to chemicals
- In the event of a pesticide liquid spill
- In the event of a powder spill
- Keeping records
- What information needs to be recorded?
- Legal requirements
- Mister/duster blowers
- Pesticides and the environment
- Soil, water, air, vegetation, wildlife and humans
Unit 6 – Insect Biology
- Insect classification
- The orders of insects
- Subclass Apterygota
- Subclass Pterygota
- Insect biology
- Insect anatomy
- Lifecycle
- Feeding habits
- Insect collection
- Pinning
- Staging
- Carding
- Setting
- Bristling
- Labels
- Larvae and pupae
- Dry preserving
- Carnoy’s fluid
- Pinning
- Staging
- Carding
- Setting
- Winged insect wing setting
- Common garden pests
- Ants
- Aphids
- Beetles
- Chafer Grub (Cockchafer)
- Christmas Beetle Anoplognathus species
- Weevils
- Longicorn Beetle: Family Cerambycidae
- Soldier Beetles or Leatherwings: Family Cantharidae
- Wireworms: (Click Beetle) Family: Elateridae
- Borers, bugs, caterpillars
- Cockroach, crickets and earwigs
- Fleas and flies and house flies
- Sciarid Flies (fungus gnats)
- Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster and other species)
- Galls and grasshoppers
- Ladybirds, Leafhoppers and leaf Miners
- Lerps (also called Psyllids)
- Mealy Bug, mosquitos
- Scale and termites (White Ants)
- Thrips and wasps
- Whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum)
Unit 7 – Fungal Biology
- What causes disease?
- Major causes of pathological problems in plants
- Symptoms of disease
- The lifecycle of a disease
- Stages in disease development
- Fungal biology
- Expanded concept of tree decay
- Common types of fungal diseases
- Bitter pit
- Blights (quick death of plant parts)
- Botrytis
- Canker (dead tissue in one place only)
- Cinnamon fungus (phytophthora)
- Club root
- Damping off (rotting of young plants at soil level)
- Galls (abnormal lumps and bumps on plant tissue)
- Gummosis/bleeding
- Leaf curl (taphrina )
- Leaf spot (dead or off colour spots on leaves)
- Rust and spot and smut
- Silver leaf (chondrostereum purpureum)
- Sooty mould
- Wilt (drooping foliage)
- Verticillum wilts
- Dutch elm disease (ceratocystis ulmi)
- Wilt of roses
Unit 8 – Environmental Problems
- Common environmental problems
- Foliage burn
- Pollution
- Lack of water
- Drainage problems
- Frost, hail, shade, temperature and wind
- Key to symptoms of nutrient deficiency
- Air pollution and plants
- Injury due to ozone
- Injury due to sulphur dioxide
- The plant and water
- Water excess
- Water deficiency
- Non parasitic problems with turf
- Dry patch
- Heat scald
- Algae
- Mosses
- Chemicals
- General ways of providing environmental protection to plants
- Protective structures
- Staking
- Tree guards
- Windbreaks
- Mulching
Unit 9 – Viruses
- The main symptoms of viruses
- Plant viruses: their detection and diagnosis
- Examples of viral diseases
Unit 10 – Molluscs, Nematodes, Crustaceans
- Millipedes
- Plant nematodes
- Plant-parasitic nematodes
- Nematodes and citrus production
- Red spider mites
- Red spider mite
- Spiders
- Slaters or wood lice
- Snails and slugs
Study Hours
Estimated duration 100 hours
Course Delivery and Start
Start anytime, self-paced and 100% online
Assessment
Assessment will be comprised of written exercises, including short-answer questions, reflective tasks, short reports and/or projects. There are no examinations or due dates for assessment. As a result, you can complete training in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.
Approval and Recognition
Australian Online Courses Pty Ltd is an approved and recognised member of IARC. The IARC is an International association that recognises quality and excellence in tertiary education providers.
Testimonials
Studying with Australian online courses allowed me to improve my knowledge of the horticulture industry and study when it was convenient for me.
Brodie | Rosewood, NSW | Advanced Certificate of Horticulture
Graduation
A Certificate of Attainment and Statement of Results will be issued upon successful completion of this course.
How to Enrol
Enrolment Form – Employment Services and Rehabilitation Providers
Enrol via Live Chat (Business Hours)
Enrol via Telephone 1300 76 2221 (Business Hours)
Payment Options
Visa, Mastercard, BPAY and EFT/Direct Deposit. Please allow 1-2 Business days for processing for EFT and BPAY.
Course FAQs
Why Choose Australian Online Courses?
- Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
- Improve your employment opportunities;
- Study online, anywhere via our elearning system;
- High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
- All course materials provided online – no textbooks to buy;
- Unlimited tutor support via email;
- We offer twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
- Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.
Are there any entry requirements or pre-requisites?
There are no course or subject pre-requisites for entry into our programs. However, our professional development programs are generally intended for people over the age of 18. In some circumstances, enrolments from younger people may be considered. Please complete the AOC Parent Guardian Consent Form prior to enrolling and submit here.
Are there any computer requirements?
To study online with Australian Online Courses you will need a computer (desktop PC/laptop) running a current/updated operating system with reliable high-speed internet access. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser to access your course.
When can I start this course?
You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!
Credit card: Within 60 mins during business hours.
BPAY: Within 1-2 working days.
Internet Banking: Within 1-2 working days.
Cheque/Money Order: Upon receipt of mailed cheque.
How is this course delivered?
This course is delivered online via our easy-to-navigate Learning Management System (LMS), where you will discover interactive online learning/written content, resources and assessment.
Do I need to attend classes or undertake any work placements?
No. All courses are delivered online via our LMS and there are no work placement requirements in this course.
What support can I expect from Australian Online Courses?
Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email only during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.
I am an international student. Can I enrol into this course?
Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.
Career Pathways
Future growth
Strong
Unemployment
Low
Professional Development For:-
- Horticulturists
- Garden Centres
- Retail Nurseries
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