794-101 Horticulture I

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

The objective of this subject is to extend participants' ability to:

• perform basic landscape maintenance techniques using appropriate equipment;

• describe contemporary techniques of establishing and maintaining ornamental plants in the landscape;

• identify appropriate manipulation and management techniques employed in environmental horticulture;

• understand basic safety requirements when using equipment and chemicals in environmental horticulture;

• describe critical climatic environments and their effect on plant growth.

The content includes: The theories and practice of plant manipulation, including those for plant propagation, plant transplantation, and landscape maintenance; types of landscape plants used in environmental horticulture; sites, growing media and an introduction to soils; the use of horticultural chemicals and necessary safety factors; the range of equipment/machinery used in environmental horticulture; new plant development in Victoria; the concept of plant quality; current trends in environmental horticultural research; systems theory and its application to environmental horticulture; the influence of key climatic phenomena on the growth of horticultural plants.

Assessment

Two hour examination (40%); 2500 word assignment (30%); practical participation and report (30%).

Prescribed Texts

• Handreck K A and Black N D (1994), Growing Media for Ornamental Plants and Turf. (rev. ed.) New South Wales University Press.
• Hartman H T, Kester D E and Davies F T, Plant Propagation Principles and Practices. (5th ed) Prentice Hall International Inc. (1990).