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Distance Learning Course Soil Management Crops
This course is similar to our other soil management courses, but relates specifically to crops.
Soils are the foundation for any good horticulture; and this course as such is an essential training for anyone who seriously wants to grow crops.
Course Outline
There are 7 Lessons in this course:
- Physical and Chemical Properties Of Soils
- How soil develops naturally
- The main rock forming minerals
- Types of rock
- Understanding soils
- Soil structure
- Water and air
- Soil temperature
- Organic matter
- Cation exchange capacity
- Conductivity
- Nutrition, major and minor elements, salts
- Diagnosis of nutritional problems
- Improving soils
- Fertilisers
- Composting
- Indore Method
- 14 day Method
- Sheet composting
- Worm Digester Method
- Trench composting
- The finished product
- Soil Testing Methods
- Naming the soil
- Soil sampling
- Checklists for sampling soil
- Common soil tests
- Methods for measuring: pH, organic matter content, water content, fertiliser solubility
- Testing the effects of lime in soil
- Laboratory testing of soil
- Sampling in greenhouses
- Measuring salinity
- Colorimetry
- Bulk densities of soils and potting mixes
- Checking the drainage rate of potting mixes
- Understanding soil analysis, including when, what and how to test
- Sustainable Soil Management
- What is organic growing
- Eco gardening
- The use of organic principles to help overcome soil problems
- Natural plant nutrition -including trace elements
- A quick guide on nutrient deficiencies in plants
- Earthworms
- Mycorrhizae
- Laying mulch
- Nutrition management
- Fertilisers
- Factors affecting fertiliser application
- Liquid fertilisers
- Organic fertilisers
- Natural fertilisers
- Mineral rock fertilisers and soil conditioners
- Soils and Managing Earthworks
- Earth forming
- Drainage
- Improving drainage after construction
- Points to remember when designing a drainage system
- Land Degradation and Other Soil Problems
- What can go wrong
- Chemical damage
- Rubbish and soils
- Salinity problems
- Gardening in dry areas
- Soil degradation
- Erosion
- Soil adicification
- Compaction
- Chemical residues
- A few hints with planting
- Physical plant protection methods
- Soil Science and Plant Health
- Organic carbon
- Phosphorus
- Soil colour,pH, porosity, texture, consistence and its effects on plant growth
- Soil profile, classification and description
- Factors of soil formation
- Weathering processes of soil formation
- Soil Management
- The use of legumes
- Soil management in orchards
- Soil management in market gardens
- Determining the kind and quantity of fertilisers to use
- Planning a vegetable growth site
- Soil management for vegetables
