Turf Care 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 11 lessons:

1 Introduction - Turf Varieties

• The Benefits of Turf
• History of Turf
• Turf Varieties: Bentgrass, Bermuda/Couch Grass, Buffalo Grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), Carpet Grass, Chewings Fescue, Kikuyu Grass, Perennial Ryegrass, Soft Brome Grass, Sweet Smoother, Tall Fescue, Kentucky Blue-grass, Phalaris
• Lawn Mixes
• Important Lesson Notes
• Turf Varieties Reports: Illustrating the Turf Variety
• How to Lay Out your Turf Variety Report

2 Turf Grass Physiology

• Introduction
• Grasses: Structure (Morphology) of a Typical Grass, Flowers, Spotting Other Characteristics, Roots, Shoots, Root: Shoot Ratio, Recuperative Potential
• Ways to Identify Grasses: Identification Key to selected Common Turf Grasses
• Identifying Tips: Rye-grass, Fescue, Bent Grass, Bluegrass, Others
• Description of Major Warm Season Lawn Grasses: Couch, Zoysia, Carpet Grasses, Paspalums
• Grasses Diagrams

3 Turf Establishment

• Establishing Turf Grasses: Soil Preparation, Seeding, Sodding/Instant Turf, Stolonizing, Sprigging, Plugging, Drainage, Chitted Seed
• Producing Drawings to Scale
• Work Scheduling
• Costing Guide: Materials, Equipment Costs, Insurance Costs, Wages, Administration etc., Profit

4 Soils

• Understanding Soil: Soil Texture, Soil Blends, Soil Structure, Soil pH
• Buffering Capacity
• Improving Soils: What Sort of Areas Do You Need to Buy in Soil For? What Type of Soil Do You Need? Calculating Soil Quantities
• Cation Exchange Capacity
• Plant Nutrition: The Nutrient Elements, The Macronutrients, The Micronutrients
• Fertilising Turf: Choosing the Right Fertiliser
• Drainage: Techniques Used to Improve Soil Permeability During Garden Construction, Improving Surface Drainage after Construction, Layout of Drains, Types of Drains, Laying the Drain

5 Turf Weed Problems

• Introduction
• How are Weeds Spread?
• Non – Chemical Control Methods
• Chemical Control Methods
• Herbicide Use in Turf Correct Usage
• Importance or Recommended Concentration: Always Read the Label, How Poisonous is it?
• LD50
• Commonly Used Commercial Formulations: Domestic Range

6 Turf Pests & Diseases

• Introduction
• Chemical Control
• Turf Health Problems: Non-Parasitic Problems in Turf, Fungi, Turf Pests, Animals
• A Preview of Commonly Used Chemicals - Pesticides: Pyrethrum, Dipel, Carbaryl, Malathion, Rogor, Derris, Diazanon, Disyston, Nemacur
• Others: Diatomaceous Earth, Soapy Water, Pests
• A Review of Commonly Used Chemicals - Fungicides: Benlate, Fongarid, Mancozeb, Zineb, Maneb, Lime Sulphur or Lime, Copper Sprays
• Spray Equipment: Watch These Points, Sprayer Maintenance and Cleaning
• Domestic Lawn Care Program: Environmental Problems in Turf

7 Turf Maintenance Techniques

• Mowing Turf: Turf Mowers, Mowing Guidelines, Length of Cut, Getting a Clean Cut, To Catch or Not to Catch, Direction of Cut or Pattern of Cutting, What about Cutting Steep Slopes? What to Do With Lawn Clippings? After Mowing
• Mower Safety: What to Wear, Other Safety Considerations
• Other Turf Maintenance Techniques: Aeration, Coring, Scarification, Spiking, Drilling, Slicing, Grooving, Topdressing, Rolling Turf, Repairing Turf
• Golden Rules of Laying Instant Turf

8 Irrigation - An Overview

• Water and Plant Growth - Why is Water Important to Plants?: Water Loss from Soils, Improving Water Retention
• Understanding the Movement of Soil Water: Types of Soil Water, Field Capacity, A Feel Test for Estimating Soil Moisture Level, A Feel Test for Estimating Soil Moisture Level
• Tensiometer
• Estimating the Water Needs of Turf: Specific Needs, Irrigating Turf, When to Irrigate, Maintaining Appropriate Water Levels, Rate of Watering, Period of Watering, Cyclic Watering, Pulse Watering
• Irrigation Systems: A Note on SI Units, Conventional Sprinkler Systems, Travelling Sprinklers, Methods of Driving Rotating Head Sprinklers, Irrigation System Efficiency
• Irrigation System Design Considerations: Sprinkler Spacing, Designing and Considering Sprinkler Performance, Electrical Considerations, Electric Automatic Systems

9 Playing Fields & Bowling Greens

• Gradients and Dimensions for Sporting Facilities: Gradients, Dimensions, More on Gradients
• Construction Procedure for a Playing Field: Sand-based Technology
• General Specifications for Golf Course Preparation: Course Preparation for the Australian Open Golf Championship (greens, Tees, Fairways, Rough, Bunkers), Pin Placements
• Cricket Wicket Table Construction: Size and Orientation, Grass Types
• Laying a Turf Wicket: General Approach to Maintenance and Repair of Turf Wickets (End of Season Maintenance, Off-Season Maintenance, Renovation, Preparation, Marking a Wicket, Treatment After Play

10 Managing Established Turf

• Golf Course Care and Maintenance: Mowing, Watering, Drainage, Renovation, Top Dressing, Changing Pins and Tee Markers, Fertiliser Requirements, Weeds and Pest and Disease Control

11 Establishing Ornamental Turf

• Ornamental Turf: Shade, Establishment
• Planning for the Environment with Golf Courses
• Environmental Assessment: An Environmental Audit