pesticide education

Winter 2023 Ornamental and Turf Short Course

Wednesdays 5:30-7 pm, from January 11 – March 8, 2023

Click here to register today

More information at s.uconn.edu/ornamental-turf

Registration will remain open until Friday, January 6

Questions? Please contact Alyssa Siegel-Miles, alyssa.siegel-miles@uconn.edu

Ornamental and Turf Online Short Course Description:

UConn Extension offers an online Ornamental & Turf Short Course in the fall and winter, which helps students prepare for the pesticide applicator supervisory exam.

This Short Course is an in-depth review of the information necessary to study for and pass the Ornamental and Turf/Golf Course Superintendents State of Connecticut Supervisory Pesticide Applicator Certification exam. A student that completes all the modules, works through the quizzes, and studies the resource materials independently should be able to pass both the written and oral state exam successfully.

This short course consists of eight modules that the student can complete independently: Pesticide Laws and Regulations, Pesticide Safety, Botany, Plant Pathology and Ornamental Plant Diseases, Entomology and Insect Pests of Woody Ornamentals, Area and Dosage Calculations, Turf Management, and Weed Management. Each module consists of learning objectives, topic sections, and slides with a recorded narrative, and closes with a quiz on the material. The modules can be completed and revisited at any time while the student is enrolled in the course.

An instructor will meet virtually with the students weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30-7 pm to review each module topic and answer questions. Each weekly class includes a basic overview of the subject and highlights specific pests, their biology, and control.

Expect to spend study time reviewing each module topic outside of the review class. The more time you spend studying the module topics and reviewing each module’s post-quiz, the more beneficial the course will be for preparing for the final short course exam and the state exam.

COURSE MATERIALS:

The Pesticide Applicator Core Manual, the required training manual for the course, can be purchased from UConn Marketplace ($44, including shipping). 

WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO OBTAIN AND READ THE “CORE MANUAL” BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS. 

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Core Manual can also be downloaded for free. 

“Turfgrass Nutrient and Integrated Pest Management Manual,” edited by Tim Abbey, is an additional valuable and highly recommended resource, available for free at: cag.uconn.edu/documents/Turfgrass-IPM-manual-s.pdf

An optional manual, “Ornamental and Turf, Category 3 Manual” ($43.00 plus shipping and handling), is also available from Cornell at: cornellstore.com/3.-Ornamental-And-Turf

Check for used copies of these books with your colleagues or online.

Information regarding testing and other information can be found on the CT DEEP website links: portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Pesticides/Pesticide-Management-Program

Information for Supervisory Certification is at: portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Pesticides/Supervisor-Certification/Certification-Process-and-Requirements-for-Supervisors

Bedding Plant Program for Greenhouse Growers Offered

greenhouse flowers
Photo: Leanne Pundt

UConn Extension offers Bedding Plant Program for Greenhouse Growers

Get the latest information on insect and disease management, proper watering techniques and mixing pesticide formulations and network with fellow growersThis educational program will feature the following topics of interest to those who produce spring ornamental crops in the greenhouse:

  • Watering: Air and Water Balance in the Root-Zone

Rosa Raudales, Greenhouse Extension Specialist, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

  • Root Rots, Mildews, and Blights

Dr. Yonghao Li, CT Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT

  • Update on Managing Insects and Mites

Leanne Pundt, Extension Educator, UConn Extension, Torrington, CT

  • Pesticide Formulations

Candace Bartholomew, Pesticide Safety Educator, UConn Extension

 

For your convenience, this program will be offered in two separate locations.

  • January 29th, this program will be offered from 9:30 to 2:30 at the Litchfield County Extension Center at 843 University Drive in Torrington, CT.
  • February 14th, this program will be offered from 9:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Tolland County Extension Office at 24 Hyde Avenue in Vernon, CT.

 

Four Pesticide recertification credits available

Handouts, lunch and beverages will be included in your registration fee of $25.00.

Please make checks payable to the University of Connecticut and send to Litchfield County Extension Center, 843 University Drive, Torrington, CT 06790.  No credit card payments accepted.

For more information, contact Leanne Pundt, at 860.626.6855 or email: leanne.pundt@uconn.edu Click here to view program brochure and registration form.

The University of Connecticut is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.