The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) next online course, “Nutrient Management for Container-Grown Crops: Level 1” will be offered in English and Spanish. For grower staff who are irrigating and fertilizing greenhouse crops, but have not had formal training in horticulture, the course can help teach them the “why” of making better crop management decisions. The class will be offered Aug. 24-Sept. 18, 2015.
The UF/IFAS Extension recently started providing online courses designed for people already working in the ornamental plant industry. This year it offered nutrient and greenhouse management courses for the first time, with a good response (85 and 110 students in the two courses so far, with about half from outside the U.S.). The courses run for four weeks, cost $200 per participant and include a personalized certificate of completion.
Each week there are two streaming classes and one activity (about a 3-4 hour commitment per week), which can be accessed at any time of day. There are live instructors available using text chat and discussion features. For more information, go to backpocketgrower.org.