Technical Management Course for Greenhouse and Hydroponic Systems

This is a 5-day practical and theoretical course that will enable participants to understand detailed principles of commercial hydroponic and greenhouse crop production.

Introduction

Graeme Smith Consulting deliver a packaged "Technical Management Course for Greenhouse and Hydroponic Systems" training course, to interested protected cropping entities in your local area under the stewardship of (your local company TBA).

This highly detailed course is suitable for any international locations wishing to fast-track their knowledge of protected cropping and hydroponic systems and can be adapted to local requirements if required.

Course Content

Course content can be composed of 13 topics at certificate V level to be delivered over 4.5 days (approx 3 topics per day)

Each module includes both theory (classroom) and practical elements (local greenhouse workshops)

Selected modules include:

1. Workbook
2. Supplementary notes on key subjects
3. Practical demonstrations and calculations

Technical Presenters

Course technical presenters will include:

• Graeme Smith of Graeme Smith Consulting (www.graemesmithconsulting.com )
• Rick Donnan of Growool Horticultural Systems

Program Responsibilities

Graeme Smith Consulting is responsible for:

• Overall program development
• Program administration
• PI Insurance
• IT Tools (laptop, some consumables, greenhouse meters, etc)
• Module development
• Training delivery

Course Fees

Graeme Smith Consulting fees for course delivery (maximum 5 days):

AUD$ POA (+ GST/VAT if applicable)

plus reasonable travel and accommodation expenses for two (Aust/Local/Aust)

Maximum Students

The above offer is limited to a maximum of 15–20 students per course. Extra students may incur additional fees.

Local Area Facilitator Responsibilities (Company TBA)

Local area facilitators are assigned for each course and are responsible for the following:

1. Suitable location for course delivery (hall, meeting room, etc for up to 22 people)
2. Food or drinks for students (if offered)
3. Introductions to suitable locations for delivery of practical elements (greenhouse or hydroponic farm, etc)
4. Projection screen
5. Whiteboard
6. Workbook (inc printing of contents)
7. Datashow projector
8. 240V AC power outlets and extension cords
9. Any necessary transport (e.g. to local greenhouse for practical demonstrations etc)
10. Miscellaneous consumables (pens, name tags, etc)
11. Suitable visas and accommodation for the two presenters

COURSE TOPICS

The course consists of the following 13 topics to ensure sound greenhouse and hydroponic principles are understood by all participants.

• Greenhouse Plant Physiology
• Water Quality, EC and pH
• Greenhouse Environmental Management
• Plant Structure, Nutrition and Nutrient Management
• Irrigation Media's Manager, understanding irrigation in protected cropping and soilless culture
• Media Types and Characteristics
• Crop Registration and Plant Balance, a Professional Approach to Growing.
• Common Greenhouse Pests, Diseases and IPM
• CO₂ Enrichment of Greenhouses
• Recirculation: How to Convert to a Closed Hydroponic System.
• Greenhouse Crop Protection Principles
• Implement a Hydroponic Maintenance Program
• NFT Systems

 Other topics that could be covered (time permitting) could include the following:

• Location, Siting and Layout of Greenhouse Systems
• Greenhouse Structures and Environmental Management
• Basic Hydroponic Systems and Components
• Quality Assurance, OHandS, IT and Production Plan
• Tomato Plant Management, Physical and Cultural Requirements.
• Implement a Plant Establishment Program
• New Greenhouse Investment and Technology Considerations
• General Greenhouse Business Planning

The above 8 topics could be considered by newer entrants into the hydroponic and greenhouse industry.

Course Suitability

The course is developed for greenhouse or hydroponic growers with a number of years growing experience, or grower managers or crop advisors, and has been developed for Certificate IV level. However we also encourage newer industry entrants if they wish to fast track their knowledge base.

TOPIC CONTENTS

A brief description follows on the subjects covered in each topic (attached)

MAIN COURSE TOPICS

Greenhouse Plant Physiology

Explores the way light, temperature and humidity interacts with horticultural crops and there connection to greenhouse plant physiology and environmental management inc:

• light a plant's eye view (UV, PAR, LUX, Global, uMol/m2/s, Radiation Intensity and Sum)
• basic plant processes
• temperature and photosynthesis
• plant transpiration principles
• mollier diagram (psychometric chart)
• relative humidity vs. humidity deficit
• plant development
   

Water Quality, EC and pH

Participants will be able to assess water quality, characteristics of different treatment systems and their application, and understand the principal factors involving EC and pH inc:

• hydroponic system requirements
• types of hydroponic systems
• factors influencing water demand
• osmosis and other root influences
• EC and pH change thru systems
• practical management
• raw water treatment systems
• water treatment options (RO, UV, UF, Chemical)
   

Greenhouse Environmental Management

Participants will be able to understand the principal factors affecting environmental management principles, systems and their management inc:

• outside conditions effects on inside conditions (temp, rH, wind, radiation, rain)
• growers tools to influence environment (heating, cooling, fans, screens, climate control systems, fogging, etc)
• ventilation principles
• practical grower examples (case studies)
• temperature integration
   

Plant Structure, Nutrition and Nutrient Management

Participants will be able to assess plant structure, photosynthesis, nutrition, characteristics of different root-zone factors and their application, and understand the principal factors involving Nutrient Management (including basic formula calculations):

• functions of nutrient elements
• nutrient uptake principles
• plant disorder symptoms, deficiencies and toxicities
• nutrient management
• difference between root zone and input solutions
• interpretation of root zone nutrient analysis
• adjusting input solution based on drain analysis
   

Irrigation, Media Manager

Explores the impact irrigation strategies have on growing media and crop production (includes EC, pH, Water Content and Drain%) inc:

• irrigation strategies to match growing media
• irrigation strategies to match water uptake and drainage
• irrigation strategies to control root-zone Water Content and EC
• plant evaporation and transpiration
• practical calculations for irrigation capacity, required pump capacity, maximum number of valves
   

Media Types and Characteristics

Participants will be able to assess media types, characteristics, and their application, and understand the principal factors affecting their selection inc:

• ideal media properties
• void space, porosity, aeration, CEC, pH etc.
• commercial hydroponic media types and their characteristics
   

Crop Registration and Plant Balance, a Professional Approach to Growing.

Explores the monitoring, recording and responding approach to good crop balance (includes “reading” a crop and tools to change balance) inc:

• managing plant balance
• crop assessment (evaluating a crop)
• crop steering (changing crop balance)
• crop reading (what a crop tells a grower)
• crop data collection and measurements
• plant vigour and balance chart
   

Common Greenhouse Pests, Diseases, and IPM

Participants will be able to assess common pests and characteristics of different diseases, and understand the principal factors involving Integrated Pest Management and how to implement bio-controls to control common greenhouse pests (ie. spider mites, whitefly, thrips, fungus gnats, aphid, russet mite, broad mite, caterpillars, etc. inc:

• integrated pest management program
• sources of plant pests and diseases
• crop hygiene
• insect life cycles
• plant fungal, bacterial and virus conditions
• common physiological problems and their treatments
   

CO₂ Enrichment of Greenhouses

Explores the benefits, costs, geometry and equipment required to correctly enrich a greenhouse with carbon dioxide for maximum crop growth and quality inc:

• CO₂ enrichment principles
• influence of light and temperature on CO₂ enrichment
• enrichment technology options
• enrichment targets and strategies
• enrichment modelling with ‘Tomsim’ (CO₂ crop modelling software)
   

Recirculation, How to Convert to a Closed System

Explores how to convert a media based free-drainage system to a closed recirculation system. Demonstrates how growers can easily save 40% on water use, 60% on fertilizer use, maintain a balanced root-zone nutrition and become environmentally sound and responsible inc:

• design principles for closed systems
• savings and costs estimates
• calculate annual water and fertiliser savings
• pre EC setpoints calculations for various crops
• nutrition in closed systems
• comparing analysis with standard reference
• basis for corrective action
• sterilisation options costings
• sterilisation types (heat, UV, slow biological, Ozone and other chemical systems)
   

Greenhouse Crop Protection Principles

Understand basic principles of crop spraying (calculate volume, speed and pressure) for high volume, low volume and ultra-low volume systems and a suitable vertical and horizontal spray system for greenhouses crops inc:

• chemical crop protection options (Dripping, Spraying / Fogging / LVM, Dusting, Sulphur Evaporators, Traps (lamps, lights, glue, pheromones)
• spray techniques and assessments
• calculate walking speed for vertical and horizontal spraying
• characteristics of a good greenhouse spray system
  
  

Implement a Hydroponic Maintenance Program

Monitor plant health, monitor the Hydroponic environment, monitor the nutrient solution, perform routine maintenance checks, maximising greenhouse efficiency and energy conservation inc:

• daily measurement schedule
• fertiliser measurement
• routine weekly, monthly and annual maintenance tasks
• preventative maintenance and frequency plan and log asset registers
  
  

NFT Systems

Explores best practice model for modern Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) systems

• fundamental principles and system types
• Gulley Profiles (length, width, slope, etc)
• control and dosing equipment
• water, EC, pH, nutrition, oxygen management
• disease management and sterilisation options
• NFT system design principles
  

SUPPLEMENTARY COURSE TOPICS

Location, Siting and Layout of Greenhouse Systems

Participants will be able to assess a site for suitability for hydroponic growing, and design a basic site layout plan.

Greenhouse Structures and Environmental Management

Participants will be able to assess different greenhouse structures and their integration to environmental management.

Basic Hydroponic Systems and Components

Participants will be able to identify basic hydroponic system types and their application, and understand the principal factors affecting hydroponic systems.

Quality Assurance, OH&S, IT and Production Plans

Participants will be able to assess QA and OH&S programs, appreciate the management benefits of Information Technology and develop their own Production Plan

Tomato Plant Management, Physical and Cultural Requirements.

Explores best-practice techniques for best production (includes crop management planning, pollinating, de-leafing, truss pruning, cluster treatment, tying up, layering, picking, etc.)

Implement a Plant Establishment Program

Explores crop selection, plant populations, seedling propagation and marketing requirement

New Greenhouse Investment and Technology Considerations

Explore typical greenhouse technology, their costs and why they are used. Compare typical system prices for 1,000 and 10,000m^₂, and a Cost of Production worksheet for growers to calculate their costs versus income (i.e. profit and/or loss expressed in both $/kg and $/m2).