I have to say, I did find this book quite puzzling. I'm not entirely sure who it is for, or what the aim was. The book is a hardback, not too large and heavy, but not small either - so far, so gift-idea. The bright colour of the cover is a very strong shade, brighter… Continue reading Book review: Hortus Curious by Michael Perry, aka Mr Plant Geek
Author: esthersym
Welcome to my blog! I decided to do what I interests me and that is plants, so I started home-studying the RHS level 2 theory exams but found very limited free resources online. This blog is going to record the things I have learnt to hopefully help other people trying to study on a budget. These are my notes. I am not a teacher, and there may be mistakes here for which I apologise, but - well, knowledge must be shared to be worth anything.
Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 6 – Maintaining plant health
In this section, they want you to discuss the relationship between plant health and resilience to pests and pathogens. AO2: techniques that can be applied to keep plants healthy eg: spacing, planting depth. AO3: the role of garden health plans to strategically mitigate and manage plant health risks. The role of resistant cultivars/species. A healthy… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 6 – Maintaining plant health
Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 5 – Biosecurity and Plant Passports
This section is new and wasn't in the old exams, so I've done a bit of research to come up with the following. Biosecurity is the taking of precautions to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful organisms. There has been an significant increase in non-native tree pests and diseases since the early 2000s (according… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 5 – Biosecurity and Plant Passports
Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 4 – Pests and Pathogens
This element is about how pests and pathogens are introduced to a site and the impact on plant health. You will need to discuss control measures to prevent and manage outbreaks of pests and pathogens to include: Physical Cultural Chemical Biological These are covered here: R2103 Maintaining plant health. You also have to know something about… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 4 – Pests and Pathogens
Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 3 – Impact of competition on plant health
This element is all about weeds. Weeds are discussed here: R2103 Weeds and herbicides but you don't need to know the types of weeds. You will need to be able to talk about the benefits of weeds as cover crops (like clover), nutrient recyclers, habitats and food sources. You could talk about a whole range of… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 3 – Impact of competition on plant health
Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 2 – plant nutrition & plant health
This element covers the role of nutrition in ensuring plant health: R2102 – nutrients but the part about fertilizers and teas is not needed for the new-style exam. You will need to know the symptoms of nutritional deficiency including: effect of nutrient mobility which informs the location of the deficiency symptom within the plant [see… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 2, Element 2 – plant nutrition & plant health
Unit 1, Topic 2 – Plant Health
Element 1 - Environmental conditions These are abiotic conditions that can adversely affect plant health and are to include: temperature wind water relative humidity light levels oxygen These are covered here R2103 plant disorders AO2: you should be able to talk about the impact of the conditions above on the growth of named plant species.… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 2 – Plant Health
Unit 1, Topic 1, Element 7 – Movement of water through the plant
This element covers the role of water in plants, the process of water uptake and movement through the plant, transpiration stream and water-loss through the leaf R2101 – water movement in plants AO2: the impact of environmental factors on water uptake to include: Soil moisture (obvious really), temperature, relative humidity (affects the water loss at the… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 1, Element 7 – Movement of water through the plant
Unit 1, Topic 1, Element 6 – Photosynthesis and Respiration
This section deals with the concept and importance of photosynthesis and respiration for plant growth. Photosynthesis is here: R2101 – Photosynthesis Respiration is here: R2101 – Respiration AO2 - the law of limited factors and horticultural implications in specific contexts like growing in a greenhouse or conservatory are covered in R2102 Photosynthesis. AO3: You are… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 1, Element 6 – Photosynthesis and Respiration
Unit 1, Topic 1, Element 5 – Pollination & Fertilization
This element is about the processes of pollination and the functions of plant parts involved in pollination and fertilization. Parts of flowers involved in pollination: peduncle, receptacle, sepals, petals, stamen, anther, filament, pollen grain, stigma, style, ovary, ovule. Drawn here: R2101 – Flowers, fruits and seeds Agents of natural pollination (bees, moths flies and birds), wind… Continue reading Unit 1, Topic 1, Element 5 – Pollination & Fertilization
Gardening studies 