May 9, 2018
Register Now for Online Greenhouse Courses

Growers can now register for the summer session of Michigan State University Extension’s College of Knowledge. There are now five courses in the nationally-award winning series:

1. Root Zone Management Course
2. Biological Control for Greenhouse Growers
3. (Spanish) Control Biológico para Cultivadores en Invernaderos
4. Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting
5. NEW FOR SUMMER ‘18: (Spanish) Iluminación para Hortícola y Invernaderos

The College of Knowledge Online Series was the 2017 National Award Winning Commercial Horticulture Program from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. A total of 460 individuals, representing over 180 million square feet of production area, have taken these courses during the last 3 years. The participants have been from 37 states and 29 countries.

These non-credit, pre-recorded online courses are intended for greenhouse and ornamental plant growers and others interested in learning about the fundamentals surrounding: pH and EC management, properties of growing media and their effects on plant nutrition, supplemental and photoperiodic lighting, and introductory biological control topics. The participants will have three months to complete the course materials at their own pace.

Growers or other interested professionals can participate by signing up for $129 for each course until June 15, 2018. Students will have from June 1 through Aug. 31, 2018, to complete four of the courses. Students taking the new Spanish Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting Course (Iluminación para Hortícola y Invernaderos) will have access to the material from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2018.

Scholarships and Incentives

For the 2018 summer session, there are three scholarships available for each course to those interested but do not have the financial means to take it. Greenhouse growers can apply for the scholarship upon registering by writing a short paragraph about why you should be awarded this scholarship and how you plan to use the information in your business or professional endeavors. The applicants and winners will be kept confidential. The cost of the course will be reduced to $39.99 for scholarship winners.

Complete the course and be entered to win a $75 gift cards (U.S. residents only). Once students have paid for the course, completed the pre-test, final exam and the post-course evaluation, they will be eligible to be entered in a raffle for a $75 gift card.

To read more about each course, please visit the Michigan State University Extension News page:

• Register now for biological control for greenhouse growers online course.
• Registration for online root zone management course now open.
• Registration for online greenhouse and horticultural lighting course now open.

— Heidi Lindberg, Michigan State University Extension