COURSE DESCRIPTION Keen home gardeners and professional landscapers need to understand the pests and diseases they’re likely to encounter, and, more importantly, how to manage them effectively. The Plant Pest and Disease Short Course will help in the identification of these problems.  This is a course for amateur gardeners or professionals – really anyone who wants to identify and better manage pests and diseases on plants.   WHAT THE COURSE COVERS – 6 LESSONS Lesson 1: Identifying problems

• Understanding what can go wrong with your plants
• More than one problem
• Finding out what the problem is
• Conducting an inspection
• Alternative approach
• Still unsure?
• Tell-tale symptoms
• The main types of problems
• Pests
• Diseases
• Shortcuts to problem identification
• What insect is it?
• Diagnosis of plant disorders
• Difficult to diagnose problems

Lesson 2: Treating problems

• Different ways to control pests and diseases
• Cultural control
• Biological control
• Physical controls
• Chemical
• Legal control

Lesson 3: Problems and the plants they affect

• Flowers and bulbs
• Fruit and vegetables
• Indoor, shade & greenhouse plants
• Shrubs & climbers
• Trees
• Lawns
• Australian natives

Lesson 4: Pests

• Review of all the major types of pests
• Common garden pests
• Millipedes
• Wasps

Lesson 5: Diseases

• Disease considerations
• Types of pathogens
• Symptoms
• Understanding diseases
• Stages in the development of a disease
• Review of most Common diseases

Lesson 6: Environmental problems

• Common environmental problems
• Foliage burn
• Pollution
• Lack of water
• Drainage problems
• Frost
• Hail
• Shade
• Temperature
• Wind
• Plant tolerance levels
• Ways to protect plants
• Protective structures
• Staking
• Tree guards
• Wind breaks
• Mulching
• Environmental problems in lawns
• Appendices
• Spray programs
• Stages of growth

COURSE FEATURES

• 20-hour, self-paced course
• Fully online, flexibly paced
• Optional practical tasks throughout
• Automated self-assessment tests
• “Certificate of Completion” on achieving a 60% pass rate on a final assessment

 WHO SHOULD STUDY THIS COURSE?

• Amateur gardeners or Professionals
• Home Gardening, Public Gardening, Commercial Gardening
• Groundsmen, Nurserymen, Farmers, Arborists, Greenkeepers, etc
• Anyone who wants to identify and better manage pests and diseases on plants