So I thought I'd put down here some information about the RHS theory exams that might be useful. There are two exam sessions per year; one in June and one in February. To achieve the Certificate in Plant Growth, Propagation and Development (which I describe as the 1st certificate), you will need to pass 4… Continue reading RHS exam info
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.
R2104 Cuttings
You will almost certainly have to describe how to take a cutting in some detail. You will also need to know the examples given here. Cuttings are taken of juvenile plant material, since this is young and roots more easily than adult material. You should probably also say somewhere that the plant from which the… Continue reading R2104 Cuttings
R2104 vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is reproduction where the parent plant is genetically identical to it's offspring and is asexual reproduction. The offspring reaches maturity faster than a plant grown from seed, and in some cultivars can only be reproduced vegetatively. The benefits of vegetative reproduction are: retains the characteristics of the parent (eg: apples)avoids any seed dormancy… Continue reading R2104 vegetative reproduction
R2104 propagation of ferns
There was very little on this topic area in any of the books I consulted, so my notes are an amalgamation of several books, websites and what I remember from school, because I think that we actually tried this. Select a frond from a fern with lots of brown spores on the underside. Place it… Continue reading R2104 propagation of ferns
R2104 sowing seeds
You will need to be able to describe the process of sowing seeds, based on a set example. So, for instance, the exam question will be "describe how to sow Daucus carota". The information below is based on the specific examples listed in the syllabus. Sowing in containers The way in which these are sown… Continue reading R2104 sowing seeds
R2104 understanding plant propagation
This is the last module of the first level 2 certificate. Propagation is just reproducing or getting more plants. Seeds Seeds come from sexual reproduction and they have characteristics/DNA from both parents. This means that there is variation in the species and this in turn allows for adaptation to the environment. The benefits of propagating… Continue reading R2104 understanding plant propagation
R2103 plant disorders
There is always a question on plant disorders, which are caused by environmental factors. frost - a problem for non-hardy plants as water expands on freezing and bursts the cells. Frost affected plants have blackened and dead leaves, and can also show root heave, where the roots have lifted up. You can avoid frost problems… Continue reading R2103 plant disorders
R2103 Plant diseases
There are a few plant diseases you will need to be able to describe in the exam, and a few more where you will need to be able to write about their lifecycle. A disease is any kind of bad condition caused by a bacteria, virus or fungus. Grey mould (botrytis) This is very common,… Continue reading R2103 Plant diseases
R2103 Pests
I found this section of the exam pretty difficult. The thing I found most difficult was that in the exam they specifically ask you to draw a lifecycle diagram to help describe the lifecycle of a certain pest. Most of the diagrams do not appear in any of the textbooks, so I have created my… Continue reading R2103 Pests
R2103 Weeds and herbicides
Weeds are only a problem because they compete with the plants we want for light, food and water. They are defined as any plant growing in the wrong place, or which is unwanted. But I think we all know what is meant by a weed. They can also be hosts for diseases, which is not… Continue reading R2103 Weeds and herbicides
Gardening studies 