11/23/2024 6:44:33 AM	HORT 80 Course Outline as of Spring 2012	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  HORT 80	Title:  LANDSCAPE PRACTICES
Full Title:  Landscape Practices
Last Reviewed:12/12/2023

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	2.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	35.00
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	3.00		6 min.	Lab Scheduled	52.50
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	5.00			Contact Total	87.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  70.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly:  AG 93

Catalog Description:

This course prepares students to evaluate and improve the function and aesthetic value of public and private landscapes by applying appropriate sustainable industry maintenance techniques. Topics include planting, pruning, watering, soil fertility, pest management, weed control, proper use and care of hand tools, and basic landscape maintenance business practices.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 100 or ESL 100

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

This course prepares students to evaluate and improve the function and aesthetic value of public and private landscapes by applying appropriate sustainable industry maintenance techniques. Topics include planting, pruning, watering, soil fertility, pest management, weed control, proper use and care of hand tools, and basic landscape maintenance business practices.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL 100 or ESL 100
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:		Inactive:
Area:
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
UC Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Both Certificate and Major Applicable

COURSE CONTENT

Outcomes and Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to:

1.   Describe landscape maintenance careers and employment opportunities.

2.   Demonstrate safety consciousness in dress/apparel, tool use, job site demeanor, and use of personal safety equipment.

3.   Identify, maintain, and describe the use of various hand tools.

4.   Select and safely use appropriate hand tools for a variety of landscape operations.

5.   Describe basic pruning systems applied to shade trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and roses.

6.   Demonstrate pruning techniques on a variety of landscape plants.

7.   Maintain and improve soil conditions with amendments and fertilizers.

8.   Identify common turf grasses for the region and recommend proper care.

9.   Describe the steps required in the renovation and repair of a lawn.

10. Describe proper planting techniques for container, balled and burlapped, and bare root plants, ground covers, and bedding plants.

11. Recommend appropriate staking methods.

12. Prepare and present a contract proposal for landscape maintenance service.

13. Compare and contrast the three common techniques for developing a maintenance cost estimate.

14. Prepare a basic business plan for a landscape maintenance business.

Topics and Scope

I.  Landscape maintenance industry in California

   A. Scope of work of the maintenance industry

   B. Career and employment opportunities

   C. Licenses and permits

II.  Safety

   A. Importance of safe work habits

   B. Clothing and shoes

   C. Job site behavior

   D. Safety training and record keeping

III. Tool identification, care, and safe use

   A. Hand tool cleaning, sharpening, repair

   B. Shovels, spades, hoes, trowels, weeders

   C. Garden and lawn rakes

   D. Pruning shears, loppers, saws

   E. Wheelbarrows, carts, and miscellaneous implements

IV.  Principles of plant growth

   A. Plant structures and their function

   B. Life cycles and seasonal changes

   C. Light, air, water, and mineral requirements

V.  Pruning

   A. Purposes

      1. Plant health

      2. Landscape function

      3. Flowers and fruit

      4. Aesthetics and special forms

   B. Plant types and pruning needs

      1. Deciduous trees and shrubs

      2. Evergreen trees and shrubs

      3. Conifers

      4. Roses

      5. Vines

   C. Pruning methods and systems

      1. Heading back

      2. Thinning

      3. Pinching

      4. Shearing

      5. Pollarding

   D. Plant responses to placement and timing of pruning cuts

      1. Identification of stem structures

         a.  Terminal and lateral buds

         b.  Vegetative and flower buds

         c.  Bud scale scars and age of wood

      2. Importance of the branch collar and branch bark ridge

      3. 3-cut method of removing large diameter branches

      4. Shaping and directing growth with pruning cuts

VI.  Soil amendments and fertilizers

   A. Aeration and drainage characteristics of different soil types

   B. Amendments

      1. Organic

      2. Inorganic

   C. Mulches

      1. Organic

      2. Inorganic

   D. Fertilizers

      1. Selection of organic and inorganic fertilizers

      2. Nutrient needs of various plant types

      3. Fertilizer label

      4. Calculation of amounts required

      5. Spreader types and calibration

   E. Soil sampling and testing

VII. Planting methods

   A. Container grown plants

      1. Nursery cans and boxes

      2. Flats and cell packs

   B. Bare root

   C. Balled and burlapped

   D. Root barriers

   E. Tree staking and guying methods

VIII. Lawn care

   A. Warm and cool season turf grass varieties

   B. Mowing, edging, watering, fertilizing

   C. Aerating and dethatching

   D. Repair of damaged and degraded turf

      1. Spot seeding and sodding

      2. Renovation and overseeding

IX.  Professionalism in the landscape maintenance industry

   A. Importance of proper business practices and licenses

   B. Public image and personal appearance

   C. Scheduling seasonal maintenance tasks annually

   D. Cost estimating and maintenance contracts

   E. Client relations and communications

Assignments:

1.  Written report on selected maintenance topic

2.  Weekly readings in textbook

3.  Proposal for small scale maintenance business setup and operation

4.  Business plan

5.  Field trips and lab reports

6.  Three to four quizzes and exams

7.  Midterm and final exam

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 15 - 40%
Written report, lab reports, business plan
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 10 - 20%
Maintenance business proposal
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 10 - 20%
Field work
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 40 - 60%
Quizzes, midterm, and final: multiple choice, true/false, matching items, completion
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 0%
None

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Biondo, Ronald J. and Schroeder, Charles B. Introduction to Landscaping: Design, Construction, and Maintenance. Interstate, IL, 2002 (Classic)

Ingels, Jack E. Landscaping Principles and Practices. NY: Del Mar. 2009

Instructor prepared materials.

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