Cert III Horticulture cheat sheet

Hierarchy of control order: eliminate, substitute, isolate/engineer, administrative, then PPE as the last line of defence.

Hazard vs risk: a hazard is any potential source of harm; risk is the likelihood and severity of harm from that hazard.

Personal exposure limits: chemical labels state withholding periods and re-entry periods; SDS (Safety Data Sheet) must be available for every hazardous substance on site.

Manual handling rule: keep load close to the body, bend knees not back, and use team lifting above approximately 20 kg per person.

Heat stress signs: confusion, hot dry skin, collapse. First aid is shade, fluids and cooling; work-rest cycles shorten above 30 degrees Celsius.

Environmental sustainability: reduce, reuse, recycle waste streams; separate green waste for composting or mulching to divert from landfill.

Runoff risk: apply fertiliser and herbicide only when rain is not forecast within 24-48 hours to reduce nutrient and chemical runoff.

PPE per task: gloves and eye protection for chemical mixing, hearing protection above 85 dB(A), sun protection (hat, long sleeves, SPF 30+) for outdoor work.

Emergency response: know the location of first aid kit, fire extinguisher, spill kit and emergency contacts before starting work.

Binomial nomenclature: Genus (capitalised) + specific epithet (lowercase), italicised or underlined; cultivar names in single quotes and not italicised.

Leaf arrangement: alternate (one per node), opposite (two per node), whorled (three or more per node) - a key diagnostic feature.

Monocot vs dicot: monocots have one cotyledon, parallel venation and scattered vascular bundles; dicots have two cotyledons, net venation and vascular rings.

Flower parts: sepals, petals, stamens (male, anther + filament), carpels (female, stigma + style + ovary).

Photosynthesis equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 + 6O2, catalysed by chlorophyll in chloroplasts.

Plant selection criteria: climate zone, mature height and spread, sun/shade exposure, soil pH and drainage, water needs, frost tolerance, and root invasiveness.

Weed vs desirable ID: check leaf margin, venation, stipules, aroma and growth habit; verify with a dichotomous key or herbarium specimen.

Plant hardiness: match USDA-style zones or local climate zone to plant tolerance; avoid species whose cold tolerance exceeds local minimum temperature.

Natives and provenance: local provenance plants are adapted to local rainfall, soil and pests and often need less irrigation and fewer inputs.

Soil texture triangle: percentage of sand, silt and clay determines texture class; loam (roughly 40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay) is ideal for most plants.

Soil pH affects nutrient availability: most nutrients available at pH 6.0-7.0; iron and manganese less available above pH 7.5; phosphorus less available below pH 5.5.

Macronutrients: N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S. Micronutrients: Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, Mo, Cl, Ni.

Nitrogen deficiency: older leaves yellow first (mobile nutrient). Iron deficiency: young leaves yellow with green veins (immobile nutrient).

Cation exchange capacity (CEC): higher in clay and organic matter; measures the soil's ability to hold and exchange nutrient cations.

Container media: use a soilless mix (bark, peat or coir, perlite, sand) with good aeration and drainage; field soil compacts in pots.

Compost and organic matter: improves structure, water-holding capacity and biological activity; apply 5-10 cm as mulch or incorporate into topsoil.

Fertiliser analysis N-P-K: percentage by weight of nitrogen (as N), phosphorus (as P2O5), potassium (as K2O).

Salinity and EC: high electrical conductivity indicates salt accumulation; leach with clean water to reduce EC before planting sensitive species.

Sexual propagation: seed; results in genetic variation; used for rootstocks, annuals and species where uniformity is not critical.

Asexual (vegetative) propagation: cuttings, division, layering, grafting, budding, tissue culture; produces clones genetically identical to parent.

Cutting types: softwood (spring, high humidity), semi-hardwood (summer), hardwood (dormant winter); use sharp sterilised tools and a node at the base.

Rooting hormone: auxin (IBA or NAA) in talc or liquid form; too high a concentration can inhibit rooting.

Grafting: scion (top) joined to rootstock; cambium layers must align; use compatible species and wrap the union to prevent drying.

Tissue culture (micropropagation): sterile agar medium with auxin/cytokinin ratio controlling root vs shoot formation; used for virus-free stock.

Nursery hygiene: sterilise pots, tools and benches; use pasteurised media to prevent damping-off (Pythium, Rhizoctonia).

Seed germination requirements: moisture, oxygen, suitable temperature and, for some species, light or dark, stratification (cold) or scarification (mechanical or acid).

Hardening off: gradually acclimatise seedlings or cuttings to outdoor conditions over 7-14 days before field planting.

Planting hole: dig two to three times the width of the root ball but no deeper than its height; do not amend backfill heavily in clay soils.

Root ball positioning: top of root ball level with or slightly above surrounding soil grade; planting too deep causes root collar rot.

Water-in immediately after planting to settle soil and remove air pockets; maintain moist (not waterlogged) soil for the first 6-12 weeks.

Mulch ring: 5-10 cm deep, kept 2-5 cm clear of the trunk or stem to prevent collar rot and rodent damage.

Staking: stake only if the site is windy or plants are bare-rooted; allow some trunk movement to encourage taper; remove ties after 1-2 growing seasons.

Bare-root planting: plant during dormancy (winter); soak roots before planting and spread roots over a firm mound in the hole.

Transplant shock: symptoms include wilting, leaf drop and slow growth; mitigate by root pruning before lifting, reducing canopy, and watering.

Spacing and layout: match to mature canopy spread and root spread; consider sun angle, prevailing wind and access paths.

Establishment irrigation: deep, infrequent watering encourages deep roots; shallow daily watering encourages surface rooting and weak plants.

Pruning cut types: thinning cut removes a branch at its origin; heading cut shortens a branch and stimulates regrowth below the cut.

Three-cut method for large branches: undercut, top cut slightly further out, then final cut at the branch collar to avoid bark tearing.

Branch collar: leave the swollen collar intact; do not cut flush with the trunk, as this removes the tree's natural defence zone.

Timing: prune flowering shrubs immediately after flowering if they flower on previous season's wood; prune before bud break if they flower on current season's wood.

Structural pruning: establish a single leader, remove crossing or rubbing branches, and maintain adequate branch spacing on the trunk.

Hedge trimming: trim with a slightly wider base than top (A-shape) so light reaches lower foliage and prevents dieback.

Tool hygiene: sterilise blades with 70% alcohol or a registered disinfectant between plants to reduce pathogen spread.

Deadheading and thinning: removes spent flowers to encourage repeat bloom; thinning improves airflow and reduces disease pressure.

Training systems: espalier, cordon and central leader are used to control shape, maximise light interception and ease harvest.

Turfgrass selection: warm-season (C4) species such as couch, kikuyu and buffalo; cool-season (C3) species such as ryegrass, fescue and bentgrass.

Mowing rule: remove no more than one-third of leaf blade height per mowing; mow height depends on species (e.g. couch 15-25 mm, ryegrass 30-50 mm).

Mowing frequency: determined by growth rate; increase frequency in spring and summer, reduce in winter dormancy.

Irrigation: apply 10-25 mm per week in active growth, in deep infrequent cycles; early morning watering reduces evaporation and disease.

Fertiliser: N drives colour and growth; apply 1-2 kg N per 100 m2 per year in split applications; avoid excess N which promotes thatch and disease.

Thatch: layer of dead organic matter between soil and green shoots; dethatch or core aerate when thatch exceeds 10-15 mm.

Aeration: core aeration relieves compaction, improves water and oxygen infiltration; best done in active growth season.

Overseeding: match seed to season (cool-season in autumn, warm-season in late spring); keep seedbed moist until germination.

Turf pests and diseases: check for armyworm, scarab grubs, dollar spot and brown patch; correct mowing, watering and fertility first.

IPM hierarchy: prevention (resistant varieties, hygiene, cultural practices) → monitoring → biological control → targeted chemical control.

Monitoring: regular scouting and sticky traps; action thresholds determine when intervention is justified.

Pest ID: chewing damage (holes, notched leaves) vs piercing-sucking damage (stippling, yellowing, sooty mould from honeydew).

Disease triangle: host, pathogen and favourable environment must all be present for disease to occur; break any one factor to manage.

Fungal vs bacterial signs: fungal - mycelium, spores, powdery or fuzzy growth; bacterial - water-soaked lesions, ooze, wilting.

Weed control methods: cultural (mulch, competition), mechanical (hand pulling, cultivation), biological (grazing), chemical (herbicides).

Herbicide selectivity: selective herbicides target broadleaf or grass weeds; non-selective herbicides kill most plants and require careful application.

Weed life cycles: annual (seed to seed in one season), biennial (two seasons), perennial (persists; control requires removing roots or repeated treatment).

Resistance management: rotate herbicide mode-of-action groups and integrate non-chemical methods to slow resistance development.

Soil water holding capacity: sand low (approx. 5-10% by volume), loam moderate (approx. 20%), clay high (approx. 30-40%) but often poorly drained.

Infiltration rate: the speed water enters soil; sandy soils fast, clay soils slow; match application rate to infiltration to avoid runoff.

Drip irrigation: delivers water to root zone at low flow; efficiency typically 90%+; reduces foliar disease and evaporation.

Sprinkler irrigation: higher application rate and evaporation loss; avoid watering in wind or midday heat.

Scheduling: use evapotranspiration (ET) data and rainfall to calculate irrigation requirement; replace ET minus effective rainfall.

Water budget formula: irrigation requirement = crop ET − effective rainfall − stored soil water.

Mulch effect: reduces evaporation from soil surface by 50-70% and moderates soil temperature.

Greywater and rainwater: capture roof runoff in tanks; use greywater only with low-sodium soaps and avoid on leafy greens.

Drainage: ensure surface and subsurface drainage to prevent waterlogging, which causes root hypoxia and root rot.

Pre-start checks: inspect oil, fuel, coolant, air filter, belts, tyres and guards before operating any powered equipment.

Two-stroke vs four-stroke: two-stroke engines require oil mixed with fuel (typically 50:1 or as specified); four-stroke engines have separate sump oil.

Chainsaw safety: wear chaps, helmet with face shield, hearing protection and gloves; use chain brake and avoid kickback zone.

Brushcutter and mower safety: clear debris from work area; keep bystanders at least 15 m away; never remove guards.

Blade sharpening: sharpen mower blades and cutting tools regularly; dull blades tear plant tissue and increase disease entry.

Lockout/tagout: isolate and tag machinery before maintenance; remove spark plug lead before working on cutting mechanisms.

Fuel storage: store in approved containers away from ignition sources; never refuel a hot engine.

Tool maintenance: clean, dry and oil hand tools after use; store blades protected; replace cracked handles.

Record keeping: log servicing, fuel use and pre-start checks to meet WHS and equipment warranty requirements.