NZ Certificate in Horticulture Services (Sports Turf) (Level 4)

4.2 Soils for Plant Growth

In this course, you will develop a deeper understanding of the physical, chemical and biological properties and components of soil, focusing on how these interact to influence optimal plant growth. It builds on the concepts of soil texture, structure, nutrients and water movement, introduced in the L3 programme.

4.4 Sports Turf Rootzones

Sports Turf Rootzones provides a comprehensive understanding of how different physical factors interact within a turf rootzone, and how these can be modified to ensure ideal sports turf growth.

This course builds on your understandings of soils, and water movement, from the Level 3 programme, and introduces options to improve drainage and to combat wear.

It also introduces you to some hybrid and synthetic turf products used in New Zealand, their advantages and disadvantages, and their basic maintenance requirements.

4.5 Sports Surfaces Management

Sports Surfaces Management focuses on developing a deeper understanding of surface performance needs, and how a surface can be altered to meet these needs, not only for the sporting code you're familiar with, but for other codes across the wider sports turf industry, making your skills transferable.

This course builds on the basic knowledge of different turf plants from the Level 3 Botany of Turf Plants course, and introduces examples of different surface media.

4.8 Drain Sports Turf Areas

This course covers the knowledge and skills required to assess poorly draining sports turf, determine the best solution for the turf and the organisation from a wide range of drainage options, and evaluate the success of different options. It also requires students to demonstrate the practical skills needed to install a basic pipe drain.

This course builds on students' understanding of soil water movement in Soils for Plant Growth and Sports Turf Rootzones, as well as drawing on their practical experience with turf aeration machinery.

4.9 Manage Sports Turf Operations

4.10 Apply Agrichemicals to Sports Turf

4.11 Fertilise Sports Turf