Registration open for summer greenhouse and horticultural lighting course

Registration for the summer session of the award-winning Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting Course in Michigan State University Extension’s College of Knowledge is now open. Growers or other interested participants can sign up until May 31, 2017, and students will have from June 1 through Aug. 31, 2017, to complete the course.

There are currently three online modules of the Floriculture College of Knowledge. A total of 140 people have taken the Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting course from 20 countries, including 28 U.S. states and 14 counties of Michigan. In the most recent session, which ended January 2017, 100 percent of course participants said they would recommend the course to another individual. As a result of the course, 73 percent of people intended to make a crop production change.

Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting covers topics on light quality and quantity, and considerations for installing new lighting fixtures. This example from Unit 7 demonstrates installation costs of hanging 400-W HPS lamps at 8 or 5 feet above the crop.

Course information
This non-credit, pre-recorded online course on greenhouse and horticultural lighting is intended for greenhouse and ornamental plant growers and others interested in learning about the fundamental concepts about how plants respond to light quality, quantity and duration. Participants enrolled in this self-paced course will take a pre-test and a final exam to gauge their learning of the topics. Self-assessment quizzes will engage students with the material throughout the course. The course also provides links to 36 trade articles published on pertinent lighting topics. Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting is available through eXtension Campus for $129.

Source: MSU Extension