Upcoming MSU Online Greenhouse Courses Target Lighting, Biocontrols
November 30, 2018 
Greenhouse growers looking to brush up on their knowledge (or their employees’ knowledge) of topics such as greenhouse lighting, biological control, or fertility can register for winter sessions of three self-paced courses in Michigan State University (MSU) Extension’s Online College of Knowledge greenhouse series: Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting, Biological Control for Greenhouse Growers and Floriculture Root Zone Management. This award-winning series serves as an excellent resource for greenhouse growers new to the industry or those who want to learn more about other areas of greenhouse crop production or pest management.
These non-credit courses in the series are pre-recorded, and registrants have three months to complete the courses: Dec. 1, 2018, to Feb. 28, 2019. Students in the course will take a pre-test and a final exam to gauge their learning on the topics. Registrants also can complete the optional self-assessment quizzes to engage with the material throughout the course. Registration for all courses ends Dec. 7, 2018.
Here’s a brief look at the three courses.
Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting
The Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting Course is intended for greenhouse and ornamental plant growers and others interested in learning about the fundamental concepts about how plants respond to light quality, quantity, and duration. It provides introductory to moderately challenging content based on experiments performed at MSU and Purdue University. The units in the course cover photoperiod, photoperiodic lighting, light quality, quantity and duration, and factors that should be considered when replacing or installing new lamps.
Biological Control for Greenhouse Growers (English and Spanish)
MSU Extension is partnering with Raymond Cloyd from Kansas State University Extension to offer an online course on biological control pest management. It is intended for greenhouse growers and others interested in learning about the challenges and opportunities associated with a biological control pest management program. The content of the course covers introductory materials to more advanced concepts such as utilizing banker plants.
Floriculture Root Zone Management
The Floriculture Root Zone Management course is for beginning-level floriculture growers. It covers the fundamental concepts of irrigation water, media, and their effects on plant nutrition. The course covers water sources, water quality, water treatment, irrigation methodology, and substrate components. The final unit of the course covers the essential elements for plant nutrition, how to select a fertilizer, and how to monitor nutrition of greenhouse crops.
Registration for all of the courses is available at https://www.canr.msu.edu/online-college-of-knowledge.
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