LN 225 Nursery Management
Sample syllabus submitted by Professor Gill, Fall 2005
General
Course Information
Course title: Nursery
Management
Credit hours: 3 credits
Prerequisites: Must be
taken with CRN 34703, includes Saturday field trips.
Summary of topics
covered in class:
-
Overview of the nursery
industry.
-
Management applied to
nurseries.
-
Selecting a nursery
site.
-
Organization and
Development of the Nursery Site.
-
Laws and Regulations
applying to the Nursery Industry.
-
Nutrient Management and
how to develop a basic MDA nutrient management plan
-
Wholesale marketing of
nursery crops.
-
Inventory management.
-
Production of nursery
plants.
-
Soil and nutrition for
field grown plants.
-
Media and nutrition
management for container grown plants.
-
Irrigation of Nursery
Crops.
-
Modifying plan growth
and development in nursery.
-
Managing weeds in
nurseries.
-
Nursery storage
facilities.
Class will meet on
Wednesday from 6:00 -9:50 p.m.
Room : 238, math and
Science Building
There are 3 -4 Saturday
field trips to nurseries
Class format: lectures and
hands on activities involving preparation of plant material for propagation,
pruning, constructing an irrigation system, use of fertilizer injectors.
A class project of design
components of a nursery such as policy manual, production plan,
fertilization plan, and irrigation design. The project is presented at the
end of the course.
III.
Specific Outcomes
Students will be able to
describe the size and scope of the nursery industry. An understanding of how
to management skills involving determining goals, planning and organization
of a nursery will be learned. Students will learn how to select a nursery
site, organize the various production methods, selling components. A
workable understanding of the laws and regulations as they apply to a
nursery will be imparted. Students will be able to develop a basic MDA
nutrient management plan. Students will be able to develop the steps in
production of plant material in the field and in container production
systems. Student will be able to develop a fertility program for nursery
plants and be familiar with the steps in setting up the required MDA
nutrient management plan. Students will be able to evaluate the pros and
cons of overhead irrigation, subirrigation, and trickle irrigation systems.
Students will be able to recognize major weeds groups and have an
understanding on how to control them in nurseries. Students will be able to
make decisions on whether to produce plants in containers or in field
production.
IV.
Texts [and Supplies]
Textbook for course:
Nursery Management Administration and Culture, Fourth Edition
V. Grading
A. Requirements
Students must take all
tests and complete the nursery design project to receive a grade in Nursery
management. Attendance at Saturday field trips is required. If student
cannot attend field trip then they can complete a separate project.
B. Course Grade
Grades are based on two
essay exams and completion of a team-project the nursery report.
C.
Standards
A = 90 -100
B= 80 -89
C= 70 -79
D= 60 -69
D.
Make-up Policy
Students must let the professor know if they will not be able to attend
field trips or not take Exam at least 1 class before the upcoming event.
Sickness as a reason for not taking an exam involves calling the professor
at least 4 hours before the exam.
E.
Late Policy
Must notify professor 7 days before a project is due if you will be late in
turning in the project.
F. Audit Policy
Notify
professor if you are taking class for audit.
VI. Classroom Policies
A.
Attendance [and Withdrawal from
Class]
Attendance is expected for each of the classes and field trips.
B.
Academic Honesty
Students cheating on exams will receive a failing grade for the exam.
C. Classroom Conduct
Use of cell phone during lectures is not allowed. Use of portable recording
devices is not allowed in class unless students receive approval from the
professor
D. Support Services
This section tells the
student about tutorial centers, computer labs, and other resources available
on campus. Additionally, Disability Support Services recommends the
following language: A student who may need an accommodation due to a
disability should make an appointment to see me for arranging a meeting
time. A letter from Disability Support Services (DSS) authorizing your
accommodations will be needed. The DSS office is located in [room number]
and may be called on [telephone numbers, including TDD number].
E. Cancellation of Classes
If a class is cancelled due
to weather the class closure will be announced on local radio stations such
as WMAL.
VII. Another
Section
The professor is available
to help students outside of class time but must call to set-up an
appointment time. Questions are encouraged in this class. Creative ideas are
also encouraged.
.VIII. Course
Schedule
First Class: January 26,
2005
Lecture 1
Introduction to the Nursery
Industry and Management applied to Nurseries
History of nursery
production
What it takes to start a
nursery and succeed besides a wildly reckless lifestyle
What will be your biggest
pests Weeds and Animal life
Lab:
Go to greenhouse and look at propagation benches and talk about sanitation
and handling soilless substrate. Start Leyland cypress and Thuja green
giants.
Potting up Japanese maple.
Room 266
Lecture 2
February 2, 2005
6:00 8:00
Quest speaker:
Chuck Schuster Trucking laws impacting nursery industry
Equipment you will need to
run a nursery tractors (size), plows, tillers, and skid loaders, trucks,
transplanted.
How do you maintain this
equipment and setting up an equipment repair schedule?
How to encourage employees
to care for the equipment
February 9, 2005
3rd
lecture: Chapter 1 Nursery Industry in United
States
Chapter 2: Methods of
Production
Guest speaker:
Jerry Faulring Searching for finding the perfect
nursery site and how a wholesale nursery is run. Also what our nursery does
for deer control (confirmed by phone on Dec 17 2004 sent letter)
Lab:
Graft trees in greenhouse. Stick cuttings of boxwoods for rooting.
Show use of caliber and
methods measuring trees
February 12, 2003
(Saturday class)
8:30 -10:00. Visit Sun
Nursery in Carroll County (Bill) and Westminster Nursery, Carroll County
Meet at R.t. 97 and Rt. 144 instersection and we will travel together to
the two nursery sites.
Sun Nursery direction are:
Rt. 97 north into Carroll county. Once into Carroll County make a right onto
OBrecht road and follow to Smith Farm Road and make a right. Follow this
back to Nursery (about 1 mile).
10:30 12:00 Westminster
Nursery Darrin Millender 918 Leidy Rd, Westminster, MD 410-848-9444, cell
443-398-6669
February 16, 2005
4th lecture
Chapter 3
Nursery management
Chapter 4
Selection of a nursery site
Quest speaker:
7:00 -8:00 D.R. Snell on Running a Nursery and
Garden Center business (confirmed on Dec 17 2004 301-831-7777)
Lab:
Start holly cuttings and Alleghany viburnum, and propagate
daylily
February 23, 2005
5th lecture
Chapter 5
Developing a nursery site
Chapter 6
Laws and regulations
Laws and Regulations on
Nursery Industry in Maryland
Quest Speaker:
Eric Rosenbaum Sun Nursery Starting up a nursery
(Call week 1-410-795-5619) before confirmed on Dec 17 2004)
Enterprising students
who want to work on this can do web search and present on Feb 23:
Special project 2 or 3
students can elect to work on this: Investigate how to use a credit card
machine to collect money. If good will add 10 points to each persons grade
for first exam.
Feb 26 (Saturday class)
Visit Acorn Nursery
Laytonsville Jon Clark
First exam: March 2,
2005
March 5, 2005 Lab:
Saturday class visit Ruppert Nursery in Laytonsville at 9:00 a.m.
March 9, 2005
6th lecture
Chapter 8 wholesale selling
Recruiting employees
Evaluating employees
Joe Barley Clear
Ridge Nursery - A Different way to produce trees
a native plant producers story
.
March 16 Nursery
Crop Production
Class starts at 6:30
p.m.
Lecture 7
Chapter 10
shipping Nursery plants
Moving big trees
Quest speaker: Jeff
Miskin - running a nursery that markets big trees. 301-258-008, 7:30 8:30
Lab: Plant liner trees in
pots (Steve is having trees delivered).
March 23
Spring Break
March 30, 2005
Lecture 8
Nursery crop production
Quest Speaker: Nursery
How to Run a Landscape Nursery Bob Meade
April 6, 2005
Lecture 9
Chapter 12
Soil and Nutrition
management
Quest speaker:
Ron Graunke Rons Nursery (301-829-1183), cell
phone 240-674-5891 Running a Native Plant Nursery- an Owners Perspective
7:00 -8:00
Amanda Laudwein
developing a Nursery management plan 8:00 -9:00
April 13, 2005
Lecture 10
Chapter 13 Media
and nutrition
April 20, 2005
Lecture 11
Chapter 14 Irrigation
April 27, 200 5
Lecture 12
Managing weeds in field
grown and container grown nurseries
Identifying weeds and best
controls
May 4, 2005 - Nursery
storage facilities
Presentations by
students of the components of a nursery operation
May 11
Final Exam
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