Healthy soils for a healthy future
The Soil is a living biological ecosystem that must be managed to the benefit of the crop and to the broader ecosystem of the region. The reason we investigate soil and its characteristics is to understand its relationship to plant growth, how to manage and manipulate it without causing damage, how to improve it generally or how to modify it for the growing of specific crops. Good soil conditions are critical to the healthy growth of most plants.
Nutrient levels, pH, salinity, depth, texture (properties of sand and clay), structure (form and arrangement), porosity (air space), consistence (the ability of soil to withstand rupture) and even colour can affect plant growth independently or interdependently.
Over eight lessons, this course will develop an understanding of the physical and chemical properties of soils, the ability to carry out simple tests and determine soil characteristics, and to decide ways of treating a soil to improve its ability to grow plants.
This course is specifically designed for use with ornamental gardens, landscaping, container growing, and turf situations.
COURSE STRUCTURE
There are eight lessons in this module as follows:
- Physical & Chemical Properties Of Soils
- Soil Testing Methods
- Sustainable Soil Management
- Soils & Managing Earthworks
- Land Degradation & Other Soil Problems
- Container Growing
- Soil Science & Health
- Soil Management
AIMS
- Explain soil physical and chemical properties and processes, including forms of soil nitrogen and nitrogen cycles in soil, soil humus, texture, soil water, and pH.
- Explain the principles and procedures of soil testing in domestic and professional situations
- Explain the principles of sustainable soil management
- Explain soil fertility and the practical development of natural soil fertility
- Explain earthworks management
- Describe land and soil degradation processes; and the prevention or amelioration of land degradation
- Discuss container growing techniques
WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE
- Identify and evaluate soil structural problems in the field
- Build a compost heap and monitor its decomposition process
- Perform simple experiments to evaluate fertilisation rates and methods
- Define and describe soil properties and processes
- Perform simple tests and field analyses on soil
- Identify nutrient deficiencies
- Evaluate the attributes of various mulches
- Analyse the impacts of earthworks and earthworking machinery on soil and landscape
- Analyse the effects of different soil management methods.
- Identify soil and land degradation
- Propagate and grow plants in containers
- Identify and evaluate soil degradation minimisation programs and methods
