An Exceptional Learning Experience to Begin a Career in Horticulture

• Knowledgeable and skilled horticulturists are, and always will be, in high demand. 
• At 700 hours of study, this certificate is much more detailed than typical horticulture certificates at many colleges.
• It is broad based - and that makes you more able to adapt to changes in demand that occur across the industry throughout your career. e.g. When opportunities and rewards are better, you can move from crop production, to landscaping, or nursery to turf industries, far easier (even if you have specialised in a particular area; you will have studied enough of everything, to be prepared to adapt to new opportunities). 

This certificate provides a solid introduction to those looking to a career in horticulture. There are two parts to this certificate:

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.

STUDENT COMMENT: " I really appreciate Gavin's (tutor) comments and look forward to receiving the feedback from him."  - Nadine

A. CORE UNITS - to develop broad general skills in horticultural practices, and plant knowledge. All students undertaking this certificate will complete these units. The core units comprise approximately 50% of the course content. The core units consist of the following lessons:

1. Introduction To Plants
2. Parts of the Plant
3. Plant Culture - Planting
4. Plant Culture - Pruning
5. Plant Culture - Irrigation and Machinery I
6. Soils and Media
7. Soils and Nutrition
8. Seeds and Cuttings
9. Other Techniques
10. ID and Use of Plants - Landscape Application
11. ID and Use of Plants - Problems
12. ID and Use of Plants - Indoor/tropical plants
13. Pests
14. Diseases
15. Weeds

B. STREAM UNITS - to develop specific skills in one specialised area of horticulture. This comprises the  remainder (approximately 50%) of the course. Stream units are currently available in the following areas.

Choose one from the following list.

Organic Plant Growing

Ornamental Horticulture

Landscaping and Garden Design

Crops

Cut Flowers

Grounds Management

Herbs

Horticultural Technology

Nature Park Management

Permaculture

Plant Protection

Propagation

Turf

Viticulture

Arboriculture

Exams:   There are two exams for the core. There are a further 2, or 3 exams for the stream, depending upon which stream you choose to do.

Fee Payment Options

You can pay either

• Full Fees
• As a two part payment plan
• As a four part payment plan

If you pay in full on enrolment, the fees are discounted.

If you pay in 2 parts, the first half of the course is supplied initially; and the second part payment is not made until you have completed the first half (at which time the second half of the course is supplied).

If you pay in 4 parts, the first half is still supplied; you are then billed a second payment (due 2 months later). The third payment becomes due when you commence the second half of the certificate.The fourth part is due 2 months after that.

SCOPE OF HORTICULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES
The opportunities available to work in horticulture are immense; from developing and caring for gardens and sports grounds, to producing crops or propagating young plants. Some who take this course may find work in self employment and others will work for others. Some will work in a very hands on capacity, in gardens or on farms; but others may grow their knowledge to become managers, educators, writers, consultants or even horticultural scientists.

NEW GARDENS
When you are in charge of starting a new garden from scratch, it's easier to develop the garden for low maintenance. The main rule to follow is "think things over carefully" before doing anything.
Plan the garden out on paper before starting any construction, then make up a list of what maintenance tasks might need to be done on a routine basis. Once this list is completed study it carefully to see if there are any ways you can reduce the amount of maintenance work required. Often the best remedy is to modify your proposed design. Even small changes to your design can have a major effect on how much maintenance you will have to do.

Good preparation of your site prior to planting out the garden is also worthwhile. A little work at this stage will save a lot of work in the long term, in particular providing for good drainage, improving your soil structure and fertility, installing irrigation systems, and good base preparation for paving and other constructed designed surfaces.

OLD GARDENS
Established gardens are sometimes quite difficult to maintain, particularly if they have been developed bit by bit with no set plan. Those who have purchased a house with an already established garden are often confronted with a legacy of poor design, or a style of garden that isn't quite what you want. The existing layout and features may be a maintenance headache, and the cost of changing or removing them may be very expensive, for example, a large old tree which drops lots of leaves, suffers from wood rot, and creates shade which makes growing other plants difficult. It can sometimes cost thousands of dollars to remove such trees if they are in difficult places.

If you are working on an old garden, before attempting to change anything, look carefully at which aspects of the garden require the majority of the maintenance work, and then consider the changes which you might be able to make to reduce that maintenance requirement. For the best long term result you might need to be ruthless. Just remember, it is better to have a garden which has a little less of what you like but is well maintained than a garden which has everything you like, but is rapidly deteriorating, or is hard to maintain in good condition.

HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTION
Horticulture produces a lot of the things we use in our day to day living; from fruit, vegetables and other foods we eat, to oils, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals that go into making everything from soaps to cosmetics and medicines.Production horticulture also grows plants in plant nurseries, to supply farmers, foresters, land managers and home owners.

HOW THIS COURSE CAN HELP YOU

This course is the perfect starting point for anyone wishing to work in horticulture. The core studies provide a solid foundation in horticulture principles and practices, and the stream studies give you a chance to specialise in your preferred field. It is the ideal learning experience between higher level studies and introductory modules. Students will develop sufficient knowledge and skills to make them desirable to employers. The course is suited to a wide range of careers including those wishing to work in the following areas:

• General horticulture
• Parks & gardens
• Garden maintenance
• Soft landscaping
• Garden centres
• Nursery & propagation
• Cut flower industry
• Crops
• Green keeping & lawn care

START AT ANY TIME

All ACS Distance Education courses are studied by distance learning and are available to start at any time.

Practical and Problem Based Learning exercises feature in many of our courses. All students receive personal assignment feedback and support where required from our excellent tutors.

If you have any questions or would like to know more, get in touch with our specialist Horticulture tutors today. They will be pleased to answer your questions and discuss the different study options available to meet your goals.