General Horticulture Courses

Advance your job opportunities in the arboriculture industry by gaining a qualification in both management and arboriculture. This  900 hour course is aimed at those that would like to work as supervisors or managers in this growing field.  There are 7 modules plus a 200 hr workplace project in this course. These are the 4 core units common to all streams of this Advanced Certificate, and three specialist units of study relating to the selection and culture of plants, with an emphasis on trees. The core studies cover office practices, business operations, management and marketing.

• Accredited by International Accreditation and Recognition Council
• Articulates into our diplomas and degrees (start here and build)
• Expert tutors in both UK and Australia to provide a broader, international education

It is written and taught by leading international experts including John Mason, author of Commercial Hydroponics (now in it's 8th printing) and Dr Lyn Morgan, author and commercial hydroponic consultant.

An accredited 700 hr management oriented course; to train managers of horticultural operations which utilise an advanced level of technology. There are eight units plus a 200 hr workplace project in this course. These are the five core units common to all streams of this Advanced Certificate C12CN001 (ie. Communications, Management, Office Practices, Marketing and Business Operations. Three stream units (as shown below) involve another 250 hours of study. A workplace project relating to some aspect of horticultural technology involves the final 200 hrs of study.

This course provides training for people to work in the care and development of gardens, parks, or other areas of amenity horticulture (eg. Tree management, Turf management, interior plantscaping), at a technician or management level, in positions such as: managers, technical officers, or consultants.

This course provides training for people to work in the management and development of recreation and park facilities and services. It is relevant to all types of situations including municipal parks, national parks, tourist parks, resorts, etc.
This is a substantial and unique course, requiring a 5 year part time or 2 to 3 year full time committment.

Explain the nature and scope of providing, establishing and managing amenity horticulture sites.

• This course has been developed by professionals in both Australia and the UK, with the aim of being relevant throughout the world.
• This is a module in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture

Explain planning for amenity horticulture, including appropriate measures to ensure all relevant concerns are identified and appropriately considered.

An Amenity Site is primarily used for recreation, pleasure, visual enhancement or environmental improvement rather than for the production of economic crops.

Prerequisite : You must complete Amenity Horticulture I before atempting thias course.

Trees are the longest living organisms on earth, they benefit the community and improve our quality of life in almost immeasurable ways. They create the oxygen we breathe, reduce air and water pollution and uptake water to help reduce storm water run-off. They also provide shade, beauty, sound barriers, windbreaks and reduce summer urban heat.

If a tree is growing in a favourable environment and its genetic make-up also favours that environment it will be healthy and grow to optimum size and shape. A knowledgeable arborist understands that this is not always the case and sometimes, through environmental or other factors, trees will need help. They will also know that working with trees is about more then felling them; once a tree is removed it cannot be put back! Arborists are there to encourage and maintain healthy, growing trees where at all possible; their work therefore has an important role in the community. 

Visit the ACS online bookshop - click here for titles related to this subject

This is an excellent start to a career in horticulture. It provides specialised training for employment in the horticultural industry, and at a level which other certificates unfortunately don’t always attain in today’s world. Graduates of this course have in the past been extremely successful in finding employment or developing businesses in horticulture.

For people working or intending to work in nature parks such as zoos, wildlife parks, national parks, forests and reserves.

A 600 hour course that provides initial training for anyone working, or intending to work in ornamental horticulture. This course is similar to other VHT002 horticulture certificates in its introductory (core) units, but devotes 50% of the course to topics specifically related to ornamental horticulture. The course is designed to teach the basics of how to identify, grow, and maintain ornamental plants and gardens in any climate. Emphasis is placed on the plant varieties which are horticulturally most valuable. Topics covered include garden maintenance, turf care, arboriculture, landscaping, and nursery work. CT

This is a skill which is in high demand the world over. The ability to know what to propagate, and how to achieve a high rate of success, is a major factor in the economic viability of most commercial nurseries. With cutting propagation being the way most varieties of plants are grown, this course is highly desirable for anyone working in a production nursery.

Have a healthy looking garden year round

Proper garden maintenance will cost you both time and money. Fortunately, there are shortcuts to help you have a good-looking garden without spending a huge amount of time or money on your property.

We usually think of garden maintenance as a summer priority when lawns, weeds and plants grow vigorously but even in winter a garden may deteriorate without regular maintenance.

Plants that are fed well are healthier, resist disease and pest problems, and generally require less maintenance. If a plant is unhealthy, it may be because of a lack of good nutrition, but it can just as easily be because of something else. Healthy plants resist pest and disease problems.

Heat, cold, wind, rain, frost, shade, pollution and other environmental problems can have disastrous effects on plants. Plant varieties vary in their tolerance of these conditions, for example the heat which might kill one plant may simply slow the growth of another. Some plants are very adaptable others not.

This is a starter course, designed for people who have no prior experience in propagation.  Starting from the basics, this course covers all aspects of propagating plants and shows you what's involved in starting and running your own propagation nursery, including: seed, cuttings, grafting, division, layering, materials and equipment.

This is a comprehensive well-rounded course that offers the horticultural marketing manager or small business owner what they need to be successful in this essential component of business management.

This subject covers the theoretical and practical importance of marketing in the horticultural industry, including topics such as: marketing processes, methods, strategies and research. Practical components cover topics such as: advertising, promotions, signs, customer relations, pricing strategy, labeling, transport, product presentation, developing customer service policy and customer satisfaction questionnaires.

Develop the skills and knowledge needed to plan, conduct and report on research in social, technological and environmental issues that impact on Horticulture today and which are needed for strategic business planning.

• This course has been developed by professionals in both Australia and the UK, with the aim of being relevant throughout the world.
• This is a module in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture

With more advanced research skills, you will be able to contribute new insights into the field of horticulture, and our understanding of issues that affect it. This course will further develop your ability to research and present a critical, written and numerical assessment of information related to social, technological, environmental and economic issues that impact on Horticulture today.

Prerequisite: Horticultural Research I

Skilled horticultural managers are in demand to manage strategies appropriate to specific enterprises in the horticultural industry, both private business or public enterprises. This course has been developed to provide horticulture businesses with resource management skills that help to ensure a successful horticultural enterprise.

The ideal course for the beginner, this is a basic, yet thoroughly practical course. A section of each lesson involves plant identification.

This subject has been written to teach horticulture in a way that is relevant to all parts of the world. It puts aside regional techniques, and tries to teach you principles and concepts which can be applied to anywhere.

• To identify, propagate and care for 80 different types of plants.
  
  
• The systematic way plants are classified.
  
  
• Structure and parts of a flower.
  
  
• To identify different leaf shapes.
  
  
• Different ways to control weeds.
  
  
• Simple soil tests.
  
  
• Making propagating and potting mixes.
  
  
• Identifying pest and disease problems.
  
  
• How and why to prune different plants.
  
  
• Drawing a simple garden sketch plan.
  
  
• To plant or repair a lawn; and lots more.

A sick plant may have one or several causes at the same time.

There are thousands of possible causes which can contribute to a plant's problems. More often than not, there are several factors involved. Minor diseases or environmental problems may weaken the plant, making it susceptible to some more major (obvious) disorder. When you inspect a plant for problems, you should systematically consider all of the things which might possibly be going wrong. This course provides the foundation for inspecting diagnosing and treating all types of problems.

Efficiently design and manage irrigation systems

The following topic areas are covered:

• Ways to optimise water efficiency
• Scheduling irrigation for nurseries, gardens, turf and horticultural crops.
• Drainage system design
• Operating irrigation controllers
• Managing system maintenance
• Managing fertigation
• Evaluating irrigation designs
• Design of different systems

This course builds on skills achieved in Irrigation Bht210 or Bht204, Bag213 - modules to develop students’ skills to manage the design and operation of large scale irrigation systems for horticultural applications. S3

Water is essential to healthy plant growth. It is often the major limitation to a plant's productivity. Irrigation may enable plants or turf to be grown in a dry climate where it would not otherwise be possible.  It may  also supplement the existing rainfall and improve growth rates by extending the growth period of the plant.  It may ensure that there is adequate moisture during critical periods when  a plant is growing most rapidly. Irrigation at appropriate times may also improve the quality of turf or the general health of garden plants. The value of irrigation can vary greatly from year to year depending on the distribution of rainfall during the growth season.

This course covers the design, installation, maintenance, operation and evaluation of simple irrigation systems. This course is similar to Bht 204, Bht 210 or Bag213 but focuses on irrigation for parks, home gardens, and other ornamental horticulture areas.

Develop your ability to manage the design and operation of large scale irrigation systems.

• Ways to optimise water efficiency
• Scheduling irrigation for nurseries, gardens, turf and horticultural crops.
• Drainage system design
• Operating irrigation controllers
• Managing system maintenance
• Managing fertigation
• Evaluating irrigation designs
• Design of different systems

This course builds on skills achieved in Irrigation (Bht 204, Bht 210 or Bag213) modules to develop the student's skills to manage the design and operation of large scale irrigation systems for horticultural applications.

The student will develop a sound understanding of the natural environment and basic ecological principles and learn a variety of skills ranging from basic gardening and nature park design to erosion control, weed control and tree surgery.

This course is a natural progression from Nature Park Management I, but can be taken in its own right. It concentrates more on native plants and using them to create natural balanced ecosystems. You also learn to create nature trails,build rockeries and pathways, construct ponds and watercourses, design picnic grounds and animal enclosures and market a nature park.

A study focussing on managing Economics, Planning and Marketing of operations in horticulture. Your ability to manage a business can make a huge difference to your success in horticulture. In this course, you will learn to the business side of horticulture, including how to plan and implement effective strategies for your business and/or services. This is a module in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture

Develop a capacity to apply legal, contractual and staff management considerations to demonstrate informed interpretation and analysis, critical thought processes and an understanding of complex issues in relation to the management of a range of different sectors of the horticulture industry.  Prerequisite: Operational Business Management I

Plant breeding is a bigger industry than most people realize. In some places, earnings from plant breeding rights can equal or exceed earnings from actually producing plants. Today's nurseryman needs to understand plant breeding and selection; and to this end, this course is a very valuable and unique course for anyone working in the modern industry.

This course is a natural progression from Horticulture 1, but can be taken as a subject in its own. It concentrates on the identification, care and use of plants in a systematic way.

It develops your capacity to identify more plants; and understand not just the differences in appearance, but also in cultural requiorements.

Grow healthy plants.

Plant pathology (also known as phytopathology) is the study of plant disease and other plant problems - it is a combination of science knowledge and science application.

This course develops your understanding of all types of plant diseases (fungal, viral, bacterial, non-infectious); their life cycles, and ways they can be controlled both with and without chemicals.

It is a must for horticulturalists who want to boost plant health and prevent damage by pests and diseases.

Understanding the life cycles of insects and weeds and learning how to identify them is important in the protect of plants from disease and insect and the spread of weed species.

A course that focuses on the practical side of horticulture read more below:

How do you learn the practical side of horticulture by distance education? Although all ACS courses are practically and well as theoretically focussed - this course was developed for those people who feel that they will gain more from a course that places MOST of the learning experience on learning theory - through practice. There are lots of practical horticultural tasks to develop your skills and knowledge covered in this course. So if you are a student that prefers practical learning, then this course is the ANSWER, and it really does work! Best taken online, or on CD, where you can make full use of interactive learning tasks and coloured photography on the computer. This course has been written to satisfy curriculum developed by the Royal Horticultural Society in the UK (Advanced Certificate and Diploma level).

Would you like to become the boss or be your own boss? Acquire the practical skills required by the horticultural supervisor or project manager in a variety of horticultural situations normally learned working under the supervision of a horticultural expert. A step on from Practical Horticulture 1 but a course that can be taken in its own right by those with fundamental horticultural knowledge.

Following is an excerpt from lesson 1.

Work planning and project management is an important aspect of the type of work that would be generally carried out by the professional horticulturist. It may be in diverse areas within the horticulture industry i.e. a planting program, plant sales program, landscape project, re-vegetation project, sports or turf management, irrigation and drainage systems implementation, production planning (crops and nursery), conservation of natural resource areas, conserve a heritage area and so on. Project management may be under the broad direction of superiors in certain situations however self directed application of knowledge that has substantial depth is expected at this level.

Some supervision is required for this course by an independent horticultural expert such as your work manager or other expert. The course contains all the tips to develop excellent practical skills in the management of a variety of horticultural situations. It covers subject areas such as: horticultural calculations, propagation management, hard and soft landscape management, planning - identifying needs for management of horticultural sites, identifying plant tissue and much more.

A comprehensive course to develop your broad skills in plant propagation.
(formerly Advanced Propagation). This subject assumes a very general knowledge of basic plant propagation and botany. If you parts of this subject difficult, we recommend you review a book on plant propagation before proceeding.
The subject is aimed primarily at people who work in the nursery industry, but will be of value to anyone with a broad interest in propagating plants. The student will be required to visit and telephone various sites, including relevant workplaces, to observe, inspect or interview employees or management. Through these visits the student will develop an awareness of workplaces and practical applications of the subject.   Click here to view detailed course outline

This vocationally-oriented course comprises core studies in general horticulture plus specialised elective studies. The course is designed to lay a foundation for a long-term career in horticulture by developing the ability to identify a large range of plants, knowledge of essential horticultural principles and practices and practical skills in plant propagation, growth and care. This course provides certification from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) UK and a UK accredited qualification.

Student Comments (K.Eastwell): "I am very impressed by the standard of the core materials, by the professional and ever helpful and supportive admin ......" ..."I also like the green, environmentally sensitive approach to the course"

Prerequisites

Anyone enrolling in this diploma is assumed to have first completed either:

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is known and respected worldwide, and their qualifications are considered the most internationally credible qualifications in horticulture.

These studies prepare you to sit the RHS Advanced Certificate in Horticulture examinations, including the practical examination which must be undertaken in the UK.  This course gives you greater depth of knowledge and horticultural skill, and if you want to go even further, it forms the first stage of the RHS Diploma in Horticulture.  This advanced certificate is an accredited award through the Qualifications Curriculum Authority (Accreditation No 100/5844/8) in the UK.

Successful completion of this course and RHS theory exams, plus 100 hrs of industry contact, will also allow you to gain an ACS Advanced Certificate in Horticulture. This course is run by several other schools as members of the ACS Global Education Network of Colleges.

• Most assessments can be undertaken from anywhere in the world; however, someof the assessments may require you to visit and undertake them in the UK before completing the qualification.
• Enrolment cannot be finalised until it is approved by the RHS, as well as ACS.

This course assumes general foundation knowledge of plant propagation. For those with industry or significant amateur experience, the course may contain some sections that are little more than revision, but for anyone with minimal or no knowledge of seed propagation, some additional reading may be required in parts in order to gain optimum benefit from the course.

Healthy soils for a healthy future

The Soil is a living biological ecosystem that must be managed to the benefit of the crop and to the broader ecosystem of the region. The reason we investigate soil and its characteristics it to understand it in relation to plant growth, how to manage and manipulate it without causing damage, how to improve it generally or how to modify it for the growing of specific crops. Good soil conditions are critical to the healthy growth of most plants.

Nutrient levels, pH, salinity, depth, texture (properties of sand and clay), structure (form and arrangement), porosity (air space), consistence (the ability of soil to withstand rupture) and even colour can affect plant growth independently or interdependently.

Over eight lessons this course will develop an understanding of physical and chemical properties of soils, the ability to carry out simple tests and determine soil characteristics, and to decide ways of treating a soil to improve its ability to grow plants.

The course is specifically designed for ornamental gardens, landscaping, container g