How Horticulture Students Are Learning the Tools Needed to Join the Green Industry
Photo: University of Georgia
Running a greenhouse business goes beyond having a knowledge of plants. It also involves all the moving parts that go into designing a growing facility, and how to get those plants to the end consumer.
It’s a lesson horticulture students at the University of Georgia have learned well this year in their “Greenhouse Management” course taught by Department of Horticulture Associate Professor Rhuanito Ferrarezi, who specializes in controlled environment agriculture.
“Each type of plant they are growing has different requirements for water, fertilizer, and light, and the students were responsible for calculating the nutrients applied and managing the plants’ growth cycle to ensure the plants are at the perfect stage based on the timing of the sales,” Ferrarezi says.
Instead of midterms or finals, the students are graded on how well they perform on unit tests, how they care for the plants, how the plants perform, and the success of plant sales.
“These students are not only learning plant production and integrated pest management, but they learn the business of running a greenhouse as well,” Ferrrarezi says. “Every student thinks that horticulture is just the science of how to grow plants, but that part is easy. Then you have to sell the plants. That is what the industry is working on every day. This combines the passion they have for horticulture with a business mindset.”
Learn more in a new article posted on the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences website.
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