Palms And Cycads 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 8 lessons:

1. Introduction
   • Scope and Nature of Palm Culture
   • Plant Naming
   • Species, Cultivars, Varieties
   • Characteristcs of Palm and Cycad Families
   • Botanical Characteristics
   • Review of Australian Cycad Genera
   • Australian Palm Genera
   • Review of Palms
   • Sub families, tribes and genera of palms\
   • Resources
2. Culture
   • Cultivating Cycads
   • Understanding Soils, Nutrition, pH, etc
   • Soil Mixes for Palms and Cycads
   • Mulches
   • Fertilisers
   • Drainage
   • Planting
   • Water Management
   • Pruning Palms and Cycads
3. Propagation
   • Overview
   • Propagating Palms from Seed
   • Propagating Media
   • Other Propagation Methods (for some palms); eg. Offshoots, layering)
   • Transplanting Seedlings
   • Cycad Propagation; seed, offsets, suckers
   • Transplanting cycads
   • Managing pest and disease
   • Propagating Equipment
4. Selecting Suitable Palms and Cycads
   • Growth Habits; solitary, clumping, aerial branching, subterranean branching, climbing
   • Leaf Types; palmate, pinnate, bipinnate, fan
   • Review of palm genera
   • Cycad genera
   • Cold tolerant palms and cycads
5. Pests & Diseases of Palms and Cycads
   • Scope and Nature of Pest Management
   • Use of Chemical Legislation
   • Common palm and cycad pests
   • Common palm and cycad diseases
6. Using Palms and Cycads
   • Growing palms in a greenhouse
   • What palms can be grown in a greenhouse or conservatory
   • Environmental management and plant needs
   • Temperature, Ventilation, Light Management
   • Landscaping with Palms
   • How palms can be used for different affects
   • Planting Design
   • Preparing a Plan
7. Commercial Applications For Palms & Cycads
   • Scope and Nature of Uses for Palms
   • Rattan
   • Palm Oil
   • Dates
   • Coconut
   • Coir Fibre
   • Palms as Indoor Plants
   • Species Suited to Indoor Plant Culture
8. Special Assignment
   • A PBL assignment where you deepen your knowledge by planning the establishment of a collection of different cultivars of palms or cycads (your choice) that are suited to growing in a particular situation or locality.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.