Horticulture

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• evaluate the economic significance of plant pest problems in horticulture.
• identify conventional pest control options and explain why they are no longer desirable.
• diagnose plant pest signs and symptoms.
• identify plant pests and beneficial organisms as evident from existing signs and symptoms.
• formulate a pest management plan using the principles of integrated pest management.
• calculate the accurate quantity of pest control substance to be used on a given area.
• outline basic laws, regulations, and public agencies governing the use of pesticides.
• explain the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment for pesticide application.
• understand safety and how pesticide application equipment works.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• recognize the basic principles of pest control and the requirements for licensing and/or certification.
• identify horticultural pests.
• safely use pest management equipment, materials, and supplies.
• demonstrate the skills required to pass California Department of Pesticide Regulation licensing exams.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• analyze and explain California's water storage and delivery system.
• design landscape irrigation piping and heads to effectively distribute irrigation water.
• employ the basic principles of irrigation design.
• demonstrate skills in the design and preparation of irrigation plans.
• assess the correct identification and application of irrigation system components.
• diagnose and correct issues affecting irrigation system efficiency.
• understand California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance and how it affects irrigation design.
• perform an irrigation water audit.
• demonstrate skills in hydrozoning.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• apply horticulture practices to an advanced project.
• demonstrate the techniques of project selection and development through research and planning.
• employ skills in record keeping during the project.
• demonstrate skills in project planning, execution, and presentation through pre-project and post project presentations.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate proper watering of plants.
• identify plant pest problems and select proper methods of control.
• demonstrate proper pruning of a plant.
• demonstrate proper techniques of planting and transplanting.
• outline and apply basic principles of container plant design.
• select a proper plant for the situation.
• formulate a fertilizer application plan for a given planting area.
• research and apply the propagation technique correct for the plant and season.
• evaluate irrigation system needs and problems and recommend a solution.
• calculate the cost of plants, media, and containers used in production.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify floral specimens used in commercial floristry by scientific names and availability.
• process and display cut flowers.
• assess floral wholesale sources and procure floral materials for flower shop use.
• assess and select appropriate mechanics for the type of vase and container arrangement.
• assess and utilize floral materials to create a visually appealing and salable arrangement.
• apply the principles of color theory to floral design.
• demonstrate methods in merchandising floral materials.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• produce floral arrangements using line, shape, and form
• discuss color theory and its use in floral design
• create symmetrical and asymmetrical floral designs
• incorporate negative space into floral arrangements to enhance designs
• effectively integrate textures into floral designs

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• produce wedding pricing calculations
• describe the history of American wedding and body flowers
• demonstrate the proper handling of flowers and greens to preserve freshness and visual appeal
• identify the elements involved in performing a wedding consultation
• apply techniques for creating a variety of types of wedding bouquets and body flowers
• create displays for use in weddings, ceremonies, and receptions
• source and purchase flowers and accessory items for wedding designs

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• relate the history of sympathy floral design to a specific design.
• apply design theory to the design and creation of casket covers, standing sprays, flat sprays, and set pieces.
• properly prepare arrangements for their delivery.
• develop marketing skills for working with mortuaries and cemeteries while meeting the needs of the family.
• identify distinctions between mass and retail markets in the floral industry.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate basic knowledge of the history of interior plants and careers in the interiorscape industry.
• assess the impact of plants in the interiorscape on human quality of life.
• understand the environmental requirements of common interior plants.
• identify the major interiorscape plants used in retail floral and the interior plant industry.
• demonstrate how to market interior plants for sale by selecting appropriate plant materials and accessories for use in interior landscaping and for retail purposes.
• demonstrate positive customer service skills through role play of customer contact.
• find and interpret the usefulness of interior plantscaping resources including research articles and websites.
• identify and diagnose common pest problems with interior plants.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate mastery of specific job skills in the horticulture field related to an associate degree or certificate occupational program level career as written in the minimum three (3) learning objectives created by the student and their employer or work site supervisor at the start of the course.
• make effective decisions, use workforce information, and manage their personal career plans.
• behave professionally, ethically, and legally during work, consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and organizational norms.
• behave responsibly during work, exhibiting initiative and self-management in situations where it is needed.
• apply effective leadership styles during work, with consideration to group dynamics, team and individual decision making, and workforce diversity.
• communicate in oral, written, and other formats, as needed, in a variety of contexts during work.
• locate, organize, evaluate, and reference information during work.
• demonstrate originality and inventiveness during work by combining ideas or information in new ways, making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, and reshaping goals in ways that reveal new possibilities using critical and creative thinking skills such as logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and problem-solving.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• research horticultural occupations and associated employment requirements and opportunities.
• explain how plants are classified and given their scientific names.
• label plant parts and explain the function of each part.
• identify the cultural requirements of plants.
• list and define environmental conditions required for successful plant growth.
• diagnose growing conditions that lead to plant pest problems.
• distinguish between monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants and explain differences in their growth.
• research and choose a plant that satisfies a given set of environmental and usability criteria.
• differentiate between sexual and asexual propagation.
• choose and sow seed that are appropriate for the current season.
• describe differences between field soil and container medium and explain reasons for these differences.
• predict how water will move from container soil to field soil and vice-versa.
• formulate container medium appropriate for good plant growth, identify components in the medium, and explain the purpose of each component.
• chart the observed growth of a plant.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify the basic principles of soil management including structure, water, organic matter, pH, and salinity.
• evaluate the techniques needed to evaluate soil productivity and fertility including soil sampling and testing.
• demonstrate skills in problem solving in relationship to irrigation practices and erosion prevention.
• maintain or return soils to a healthy structure capable of supporting plants and microorganisms.
• identify the soil organisms that support soil health and plant life.
• describe the complex relationships between soils physical components, soil life and a soil's ability to support plant growth.
• promote and employ soil and water conservation methods.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• recognize and utilize the binomial method of plant nomenclature and plant identification terminology.
• utilize a taxonomic plant key by identifying by leaf, flower, fruit, seed, bark and growth habit, those plants best observed during California's fall season.
• recognize and sight-identify 150 plant species and/or varieties utilizing taxonomic plant key techniques.
• identify the culturally sustainable requirements, including soils, sun exposures, water requirements, nutrients and temperature requirements of plants best studied during California's fall season.
• assemble a herbarium.
• recognize, evaluate, and utilize plant materials online databases and web sites.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• recognize and utilize the binomial method of plant nomenclature and plant identification terminology.
• utilize a taxonomic plant key by identifying by leaf, flower, fruit, seed bark and growth habit, those plants best observed during California's spring and/or summer seasons.
• recognize and sight-identify 150 plant species and/or varieties utilizing taxonomic plant key techniques.
• identify the culturally sustainable requirements, including soils, sun exposures, water requirements, nutrients and temperature requirements of plants best studied during California's spring and/or summer seasons.
• identify and select plants for specific landscape design uses for plants best observed and studied during California's spring and/or summer seasons.
• assemble a herbarium.
• recognize, evaluate, and utilize plant materials software and web sites.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• describe the importance and potential of the grape growing industry in the Sacramento and Placer county area and its relationship to the landscape industry
• evaluate how climate, soils, and vineyard practices affect vine selection, vine growth, and grape quality
• create a vineyard design that is based on a site evaluation and that meets a client's vineyard needs
• identify the botanical structures of a grapevine and their function, and relate them to the yearly growth cycle of grapevines
• design and implement appropriate irrigation and trellis systems for grape varieties
• analyze, recommend, and implement appropriate sustainable techniques for grape crops

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• describe the growth of a grapevine, including where fruit is formed
• apply knowledge of vine growth to successfully prune vines to sustain fruit development and vine spread
• evaluate the nutritional needs of the vines, and create a plan to sustainably maintain nutrition to the plants
• analyze symptoms seen on a vine, determine the presence of pests and beneficials on the vine, and suggest sustainable pest control methods
• design a system to efficiently manage soil beneath the vines to control weeds, sustain the soil, and benefit the vines
• list laws and ordinances, including those that apply to vineyard sustainability, applicable to local growth of grapevines, production of grapes, and the organizations that disseminate this information

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• examine the basic principles of plant production distinguishing between sexual and asexual methods.
• demonstrate how to clean and sharpen pruning tools.
• make propagation and container media and explain why each component is used or not used in each mix.
• describe the physical environment needed to successfully propagate plants, including temperature, light, humidity, and root zone moisture.
• label a plant properly, with a tag that correctly identifies the plant, date of propagation, and person doing the propagation.
• assess the need to transplant previously rooted plants, and successfully do so.
• test the germination rate of old seeds and describe how to use that information when planting those seeds.
• enumerate steps of and reasons for scarifying plant seed.
• employ correct techniques and processes to stratify plant seed and explain why it is done.
• produce plants from seed.
• prepare plant material as cuttings and use cuttings to make more plants.
• define the different plant parts and plant tissue types used as clones to make more plants.
• employ techniques of plant grafting.
• propagate plants using layering techniques.
• transplant plant plugs.
• compare a plant that will benefit from division to one that will not and explain the differences.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify horticultural occupations and evaluate how they function within the general horticultural market.
• outline a basic business plan for a horticultural business.
• analyze customers and suggest products and services they are most likely to purchase given client scenarios.
• demonstrate proper care of plants in a retail and wholesale nursery using digital and explanatory presentation.
• create and maintain inventory of products for sales using project scenarios.
• demonstrate customer service examples likely to lead to increased sales.
• enumerate characteristics of employers likely to offer long-term, satisfying employment in the horticultural industry.
• evaluate characteristics of a desirable product supplier.
• demonstrate marketing and merchandising techniques likely to increase sales.
• identify components of a plant production facility and explain what they are used for.
• design and construct an effective space for sales of horticultural services and products.
• formulate realistic prices for horticultural products and services.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• employ the basic principles of landscape construction and watershed preservation.
• assess and understand the skills of construction operations, such as carpentry, pavers, irrigation, and sustainable soil preparation and grading.
• correctly interpret landscape plans and translate plans into the bidding and estimating process.
• determine the correct tool or tools and equipment for various landscape operations.
• understand the safe handling of tools and operation of equipment.
• interpret and comply with the state water regulations that affect landscaping.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• compare and contrast conventional and sustainable landscape methods
• evaluate existing landscapes to enable maintenance with ecologically sustainable practices
• apply ecologically sustainable principles and methods to the design and construction of landscapes
• evaluate sustainable products and methods for use in the landscape
• interface with other green building disciplines in an effort to create integrated buildings and landscapes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• assess and apply the use of drafting equipment and techniques as they relate to landscape design and landscape architecture.
• develop the components included in a set of landscape plans and construction drawings.
• create an elevation view of a landscape design.
• discuss plant data software, plant materials websites, and landscape CADD products.
• employ the basic principles of irrigation design.
• identify and correctly apply sprinkler components for a landscape irrigation design.
• comply with water conservation regulations for our industry.
• create a full set of landscape drawings and present them to a client.
• create a portfolio of design work.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• discuss the basic skills and principles of sustainable landscape maintenance.
• observe and assess the hands-on skills and techniques of sustainable landscape management.
• observe and discuss the methods of safe and proper use and maintenance of related tools and equipment.
• recognize and evaluate exterior and interior plant maintenance needs.
• evaluate software and websites available for the commercial landscape maintenance industry.
• utilize irrigation water auditing techniques and select equipment to correctly irrigate, schedule, and conserve water in the landscape.
• recognize and comply with the state water regulations that affect landscaping.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• assess, evaluate, and implement the principles of landscape design.
• employ the hands-on skills utilized for the development of a residential landscape plan/design.
• assess, evaluate, and utilize supportive design techniques such as plant materials, space management, energy conservation, and elevation change and grading.
• demonstrate the various formats for design presentations.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Assess, evaluate and implement the principles of custom residential landscape design
• Prepare a design proposal using landscape principles of proposal writing
• Utilize the hands-on approach to successfully create a residential landscape design
• Employ the skills to take a project from site analysis through design development and into construction documentation
• Assess and utilize the materials available to the designer

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• create a new landscape design project using CADD.
• employ the basic principles of CADD.
• survey and draft a base plan using CADD.
• draft a demolition plan, layout plan, irrigation plan, planting plan, plant schedule, and construction details using CADD.
• create conceptual and detailed designs using 3D modeling.
• develop renderings from a 3D model.
• create a digital portfolio of design work and construction documents.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate accepted safety and work procedures and proper hazardous materials disposal.
• identify the external and internal parts of 2-cycle and 4-cycle small engines.
• determine the proper lubrication and fuel requirements for 2-cycle and 4-cycle small engines using service information.
• perform basic troubleshooting of compression, fuel and ignition systems used on single cylinder small engines.
• diagnose basic electrical problems on both gas and battery powered outdoor equipment.