FERNS BHT314

Distance Learning Ferns Course

"Learn about the identification, growth and application of ferns"

In this course you learn to propagate (spores, division, tissue culture), different groupings (e.g. epiphytes, ground ferns, tree ferns) of both common & uncommon species. Learn about the growing techniques (baskets, indoor/outdoor containers, terrariums) and cultural methods (soils, watering, pest & disease control) of various fern species. Learn about the foundation of good Fern culture, how to maintain them, and the environmental conditions that affect them. This course is suitable for the curious and the results will leave you wanting to grow more and more of them.

CONTENT

Emphasis is placed on the horticulturally valuable species. The content of each of the eight lessons is as outlined below:

1. Introduction
   Review of the system of plant identification, general characteristics of the ferns (especially the fronds), main groups of ferns (filmy, tree, terrestrial, epiphytic and water ferns), information contacts (ie: nurseries, seed, clubs, etc.), pronunciation of plant names.
   
2. Culture
   How best to grow ferns and what conditions do they need. Planting, mulching, watering, pest & disease and their control, feeding, pruning, protection from wind, salt air, etc., compost making.
   
3. Propagation
   Methods of propagating ferns - spores, division, tissue culture. Propagation of selected varieties.
   
4. The Most Commonly Grown Varieties.
   Maidenhairs, tree ferns, stags, elks, common ground ferns. How to grow and propagate these ferns.
   
5. Other Important Groups.
   Asplenium, Blechnum, Nephrolepis, Pteris and other groups. Group characteristics, cultural details, propagation methods.
   
6. Other Varieties
   Hares foot fern, Bracken, Fans, Corals and Combs.
   
7. Making the best use of these Plants.
   In containers, hanging baskets, terrariums, in the ground, as indoor plants, growing and showing, growing for profit (to sell the plants or what they produce).
   
8. Special Assignment - Detailed culture and identification of one genera.

Learning Outcomes

• Distinguish between different types of ferns in cultivation, including twenty different genera and fifty different varieties.
  
• Determine critical cultural practices required to successfully grow ferns in different specified situations.
  
• Determine the cultural requirements of specific fern varieties.
  
• Apply various specialised techniques to the culture of ferns.
  
• Prepare a planting plan for an area using ferns.

WHAT WILL YOU COVER?

During this course, you will do the following:

• Label the morphological parts of a typical fern, including:
  • pinnae
  • rachis
  • bipinnatifid fronds
  • lobe
  • midrib
  • crozier
  • roots
  • rhizome.
• Distinguish species of each type, between aquatic, epiphytic and terrestrial ferns.
  
• Distinguish, using illustrations, between different fern families, including;
  • Polypodiaceae
  • Marattiaceae
  • Nephrolepidaceae
  • Cyatheaceae
    
  • Dicksoniaceae
  • Gleicheniaceae
  • Hymenophyllaceae
• Compile a resource information guide on ferns, including scope of operation and contact information (ie: address, phone, fax), for:
  
  • ten nurseries
  • five clubs/societies
  • ten product suppliers
  • other organisations
• Prepare a collection of fifty ferns, not collected elsewhere, including:
  • a photo, drawing or pressed specimen *plant names (scientific and common)
    
  • cultural details
  • uses/applications
• Develop guidelines for growing ferns either indoors, in containers under shade, or in the ground.
  
• Label a sequence of four drawings which illustrate the propagation of ferns by spore.
  
• List five different fern genera that can be propagated by division.
  
• Propagate four fern species, using two different methods, including spores and division.
  
• Explain the planting requirements of ferns.
  
• List the preferred characteristics of a soil which is to grow ferns in the your locality.
  
• Prepare a potting media mix suitable for growing ferns in.
  
• Develop guidelines for watering a typical fernery in your locality for a twelve month period.
  
• Write a summary of nutrition requirements of ferns, including fertiliser recommendations.
  
• Explain five different common health problems of ferns.
  
• List guidelines for pruning ferns in your locality.
  
• Write a set of guidelines for the culture of a selected fern genus, including details on:
  • distinguishing between different species
  • cultural requirements
  • uses/applications
• Prepare a table which compares twenty-five different commonly grown fern genera, and includes:
  • plant description
  • preferred habitat
  • growing requirements
  • uses
• List methods used to propagate fifteen different ferns, including four different propagation methods.
  
• Write an essay comparing four species of ferns in the one genera, with reference to physical appearance, growth habit and cultural requirements.
  
• Describe endemic growing conditions of five different native ferns sited in natural areas.
  
• Prepare a schedule of cultural tasks to be undertaken over a twelve month period which are highly specific to one nominated species of fern.
  
• Summarise, a procedure for maintenance over a twelve month period, of a Nephrolepis grown in hanging baskets, including comments on:
  • feeding
  • watering
  • pest control
  • pruning
  • potting up
• List ten fern species, from at least five different genera, which are particularly suited to growing in hanging baskets in your locality.
  
• Compare the suitability of different types of hanging baskets for growing ferns, including:
  • water wells
  • lined wire baskets
  • plastics
  • ceramics
• Explain how to make a terrarium for growing five different types of ferns.
  
• List twenty fern species which grow in very wet conditions, including aquatic plants and bog plants.
  
• Distinguish between the cultural requirements of ferns grown indoors and outdoors.
  
• Explain the cultural techniques which are unique to growing ferns as an epiphyte. Gow a fern using a specialised technique (eg. in a terrarium or hanging basket), monitoring it over 3 months (ie. recording cultural practices, changes in health, and performance).
  
• Write guidelines for preparation of a potted fern for competition in a garden show.
  
• Evaluate the use of ferns in a garden, which incorporates both ferns and flowering plants, using a supplied checklist of design criteria.
  
• Evaluate the use of ferns in a garden or interior plantscape, which is either all or predominantly ferns, using a supplied checklist of design criteria.
  
• Design a fern garden bed of 30 square meters, which incorporates at least ten different fern varieties, and satisfies both aesthetic and cultural requirements of a specified site, which you survey.

   What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?

  This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.

  If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.

  If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.

  If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.

  There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.

  Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.

  You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.

  You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.

   More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses

  Who are our tutors?

  Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.

  Sample Course Notes

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  We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”

  How Long will it take to complete the course?

  This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.

  Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”

  What Do Our Students think of us?

  If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.

  I don’t think this is the right course for me.

  If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.

  You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.

  If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk

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  Who is ACS Distance Education?

  If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”

Home Study Ferns Course

"Learn about the identification, growth and application of ferns"

In this 100 hour course we take a detailed look at the identification and culture of ferns. There is so much more than meets the eye with these wonderful prehistoric plants.

This is a course for amateurs and professionals; plant collectors and breeders, nurserymen, botanists, landscapers, gardeners and horticulturists.