HORT40090
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Academic Year 2025/2026
Nursery Production & Management (HORT40090)
Subject: : Horticulture
College: : Health & Agricultural Sciences
School: : Agriculture & Food Science
Level: : 4 (Masters)
Credits: : 5
Module Coordinator: : Dr Noeleen Smyth
Trimester: : Spring
Mode of Delivery: : On Campus
Internship Module: : No
How will I be graded? : Letter grades
Curricular information is subject to change.
Topics within this module address different nursery markets, establishing a container and field nursery business; the role of shelter. Plant propagation environments, clonal material, stock plants, plant physiology, etiolation, juvenility, cutting location, hormones/growth regulators and their impact on propagation. \ Propagation methods including soft wood, semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings, cutting types, budding, grafting and seed and tissue culture propagation technology, direct sticking, liner production and growing on of young plants, tree specifications, production and tree harvesting. \ Substrates, nutrition and irrigation; Weed control and important pests and diseases. Nursery mechanization. Students will be introduced to Retail Horticulture topics such as image, customer service, product display, product pricing, and merchandising. \ Students will be required to individually research on a plant production or retail horticulture topic and submit a document (2,500 approximately) on their chosen topic. \ The assignment should be submitted via email at a date to be determined during the trimester. There will also be a written examination in this module which will occur during the last week (week 12) of the trimester.
About this Module
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What will I learn?
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module students should be able to:\ • Identify different markets for nursery stock \ • Identify the requirements for establishing a commercial container and field nursery\ • Evaluate commercially used propagation methods including cuttings, seed, grafting, budding and tissue culture \ • Explain the differences between different propagation environments\ • Make recommendations concerning plant rooting and container plant production systems.\ • Evaluate mechanization in the nursery industry\ • Evaluate different irrigation systems and assess their environmental impact \ • Discuss substrates, and peat substitution products\ • Assess weed control strategies \ • Identify important Retail Horticulture/Garden Centre issues such as image, customer service, product display, pricing, and merchandising. \ Students will have the experience of researching different plant propagation methods and making a written submission on their findings.\ \
Indicative Module Content:
Establishing a commercial container and field nursery, nursery stock markets, nursery shelter \ Propagation methods-soft wood, semi hardwood, hardwood, herbaceous cuttings, grafting, budding, layering, air layering, seed and plant tissue culture.\ Propagation environments- mist and fog, warm bench and plastic, weaning and autotrophic establishment of propagules.\ Plant hormones and their use\ Field and container nursery mechanization - tree lifting and pruning, potting and seeding machines, plant distribution systems \ Commercial irrigation systems and their role on plant growth and health\ Nursery stock substrates and nutritional strategies \ Principal Nursery stock diseases, pest and weed problems and control strategies \ Introduced to the key elements of retail horticulture - image, customer service, product display, pricing, and merchandising.
How will I learn?
Student Effort Hours:
| Student Effort Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 24 |
| Specified Learning Activities | 40 |
| Autonomous Student Learning | 66 |
| --- | --- |
| Total | 130 |
\
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Active/task-based learning; lectures; reflective learning; inquiry based learning.
Am I eligible to take this module?
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Not applicable to this module.
\
Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module. \ \
How will I be assessed?
Assessment Strategy
| Description | Timing | Component Scale | Must Pass Component | % of Final Grade | In Module Component Repeat Offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment(Including Essay): Research Essay | Week 6 | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 20 | No |
| Exam (In-person): End of term examination | End of trimester Duration: 1 hr(s) | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | Yes | 45 | Yes |
| Practical Skills Assessment: Laboratory practical workshops and write ups | Week 3, Week 6, Week 9 | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 20 | No |
| Report(s): Site visits reports | Week 7, Week 10 | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 15 | No |
\
Carry forward of passed components
Yes
\
What happens if I fail?
| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
|---|---|
| Autumn | No |
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. \
Assessment feedback
Feedback Strategy/Strategies
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment\ • Group/class feedback, post-assessment\ • Peer review activities\ • Self-assessment activities\
How will my Feedback be Delivered?
Feedback to students following submission and assessment Group/class feedback, following individual assignment
Reading List
Media and Mixes for Container Grown Plants - A.C. Bunt.\ Nursery Stock Manual – Lamb, Kelly & Bowbrick\ Practical Woody Plant Propagation for Nursery Growers – Bruce MacDonald\ The Complete Book of Plant Propagation- Graham Clarke and Alan Toogood\ Hardy Woody Plants from Seed – McMillan Browse\ Plant Propagation – Principles and Practices – Hartmann and Kester.\ The Manual of Plant Grafting _ Peter T. MacDonald\ Plant Propagation by Tissue Culture 3rd Edition - Volume 1 Edited by Edwin F. George, Michael A. Hall and Geert-Jan de Klerk\ Nursery Management Administration and Culture- Harold Davidson and Roy Mecklenburg\ Plant Production in Containers-Carl E. Whitcomb\
Associated Staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Dr Paula Munoz Roldan | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
| Dr Noeleen Smyth | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
When is this module offered?
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
| Spring | Practical | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 | Thurs 11:00 - 12:50 |
| Spring | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 | Tues 11:00 - 12:50 |