Professional Landscaper

PROGRAM OUTLINE

Instruction Sets
Your Professional Landscaper Program consists of eight Instruction Sets designed to take you step-by-step through the techniques and skills you'll use in your new career.

Here's how it works: Your first Instruction Set will be sent immediately after your enrollment has been accepted. Other Instruction Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so that you will always have training materials to work with. Here is an overview of what you'll learn and the order in which you'll receive your lessons:

Instruction Set 1
- Learning Strategies
  - The advantages of learning at home; types of study materials; types of examinations; accessing and using the features of our website; determining what kind of learner you are; establishing a study schedule; using study tips; preparing for and taking examinations.
- Introduction to Landscaping
  - Basic skills of a landscaper; skills needed to recognize common landscaping problems.
Instruction Set 2
- Plants and Their Health
  - Parts of a plant; elements plants need to thrive; annual, biannual, and perennial plants.
- Soils and Fertilizers
  - Classifications of soil and their properties; adjusting the soil’s pH; properly and safely applying fertilizer.
- Graded Project #1: Soil Sample
  - Take a soil sample and have it analyzed. Using the results, make recommendations for applications of fertilizer and other amendments to the test area. Area should be at least 3000 sq. ft. in size. Recommendations for equipment to use.
- Pest Management
  - Recognizing damage caused by insects and related pests; types of weeds; diagnosing problems.
Instruction Set 3
- Hand Tools
  - Types of hand tools and their uses; determining which tool is appropriate for the job.
- Power Tools
  - Components of outdoor power equipment; maintaining small power tools.
- Graded Project #2: Identifying and Pricing Hand Tools and Power Tools
  - Visit vendors and make a list of tools needed to plant and maintain the landscape of residential property. List will include prices and vendor/store.
- Textbook: Think Safety and Environment
Instruction Set 4
- Servicing Lawn Mowers and Riding Mowers
  - Basic parts of a rotary lawn mower and their functions; routine maintenance procedures for rotary lawn mowers; sharpening and balancing lawn mower blades; preparing a lawn mower for seasonal storage; troubleshooting lawn mower problems.
- Servicing Garden Tractors
  - Basic parts of a riding mower and garden tractor; maintenance procedures; preparing a riding mower or garden tractor for seasonal storage; troubleshooting problems.
Instruction Set 5
- Tree Identification

Simple and compound leaves; identifying trees by their flowers, twigs, and buds or bark.

Shrub Identification
- Alternate and opposite leaves; identifying shrubs by their flowers, twigs, and buds or bark.
Graded Project #3: Creating a Design Using Shrubs
- Visit nurseries in your area to see what shrubs are available; plant two areas with shrubs; describe what you have planted; give the prices you paid for the shrubs.
Textbooks:
- The Tree Identification Book
- The Shrub Identification Book

Instruction Set 6
- Ground Covers
  - Properly preparing an area to be planted; methods of planting ground cover.
- Design for Residential and Commercial Properties
  - Mixing and matching trees and shrubs in your design; using mulch and/or stone.
- Graded Project #4: Creating a Design Using Ground Covers
  - Visit nurseries in your area to see what ground covers are available; plant two areas with ground covers; describe what you have planted; give the prices you paid for the plants.
Instruction Set 7
- Turfgrass Establishment
  - Varieties of grass; preparing the soil for planting; mulching newly seeded lawns; recommended watering schedule.
- Turfgrass Maintenance
  - Cutting the grass at the proper mowing height; properly edging sidewalks.
- Textbook: Turfgrass Science and Management
Instruction Set 8
- Specialty Landscapes
  - Proper planting around a pool; designs most effective in enhancing a gazebo; planting designs for use near ponds; designing a rock garden.
- Your Landscaping Business
  - Opportunities in the industry; managing your business.
- Graded Project #5: Maintenance Contract Proposal
  - Develop a maintenance contract for a residential property that includes labor and material.
- Textbook: Step-by-Step Landscaping
- Work Experience Option
- PGMS Certification
  - You will earn Certified Groundskeeper status from the Professional Grounds Management Society upon successful completion of a proctored exam.
Graduation Set
- Landscape Design Software
You do not need to use the Landscape Design software to complete your studies, however, if you choose to use it, access to a Windows® -based PC (Pentium® III or higher, Windows® 98 or higher) and a scanner is required.

Online Library and Librarian
Students in Penn Foster Career School have access to an online library for use during their studies. Students can use this library to do the required research in the courses they complete or can use it for general reference and links to valuable resources. The library contains helpful research assistance, articles, databases, books, and Web links. A librarian is available to answer questions on general research-related topics via email and assist students in research activities during their studies with Penn Foster Career School.

Note: The graduation shipment will be sent to you when all program requirements and financial obligations have been met.

We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.

Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions.

Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries.