Study Advice Handbook Written by Susan Stephenson BSc in Applied Plant Biology (Botany) Univ. London 1983. City and guilds: Garden Centre Management, Management and Interior Decor (1984) Management qualifications in training with retail store. Diploma in Horticulture level 2 (RHS General) Distinction. RHS LEVEL 2 UNIT 2
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Welcome Message Hello. We hope you enjoy this Study Advice Handbook and while of course they cannot cover every aspect of the syllabus, it will be able to provide guidelines and pointers to areas that you should have a fairly good knowledge of. But there is more to taking and passing an exam and just turning up at the right place and time, so we at ADL thought we might offer a little guidance for study and exam preparations.
Study Guide While you study - First of all, think – this might sound a little out there but seriously, think about why you are taking the course or courses. It is not easy and there is a lot to cover, and you will be challenged. The RHS exams are not simple. Sometimes, topics may be linked, especially in the essay part (Part C of the paper) and you will be able to bring in other knowledge here too, something that was impossible before the new syllabus.
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Talking of the syllabus – get yourself a copy. There may be a copy in your classroom, if not you can contact the RHS Education to send you the latest copy or view it on the RHS website. Then you will know exactly what to study and more importantly, what not to, because nothing on parts A or B of the papers will come up that is not on the syllabus but anything on the syllabus may come up. Decide where and when you will study and try to stick to this. Factor in breaks – downtime is important and allows us to process information too. Part C of papers will be based on the syllabus but also offer the chance for you to express further The Syllabus
Study hard, work hard, and learn sincerely.
knowledge and discuss learning you may have done outside the syllabus – and if you haven’t done this, you should still be able to link topics within the syllabus and score well. In part C, you may be asked how apple orchard growers can improve pollination and how climate change may affect this. The modules give you the knowledge to answer this, so you might state apple trees are insect pollinated, so provide shelter, reduce winds, no cold spots or frost pockets. Then, use wildflowers to attract insects, bring in beehives, do not use chemicals during insect flying periods and so on – most of this is in the syllabus and you can get good marks. You might also, however, add that climate change may result in bees moving northwards, that apple trees may not like warmer, summers and wetter, warmer winters. You might discuss the fact that orchards form a vital part of the horticultural economy and include examples you know of. Credit in this part is given not just for knowledge from the syllabus, but for a much broader discussion, so long as facts relate to the question.
Nearer The Exam Date... You know by now the exam paper is based on the syllabus and is divided into 3 parts, A is the forced answer section (multiple choice), B is a longer question section, and part C is an essay question section. For part B, the longer question section, there are a few pointers we can offer. Firstly, with each question or subdivision of a question, in the margin will be the marks allocated for that part. The higher the number of marks, the greater detail is required to get full marks. Understand the difference each type of question required. Questions that say ‘list’ require only a list (it might be 5 perennials, 5 annuals, etc). Don’t waste time adding detail, like colour, size of plant, etc. Just give the name of 5 correctly identified plants. Those that say ‘state’ require a sentence or two, for example; state the inputs and outputs of ‘photosynthesis.’ Instead of simply stating ‘carbon dioxide’, you can add this comes from the atmosphere and do this for each imput.
Those that ask you to define require that you give a definition of the question topic e.g. ‘define what is meant by half hardy annual’. Give the definition of a half-hardy annual plant and include that it completes its life cycle in one season /year as well as the fact it is killed by frost. And those that say ‘explain’ or ‘describe’ require greater detail. For example, ‘describe irrigation using overhead misting units in a greenhouse situation’. Your answer should describe the set-up, including parts, and the process, pros, and cons of overhead misting units in a greenhouse. Now, armed with this knowledge, prepare for the examinations. Study the syllabus of the modules you are taking and decide how you can divide the material into bite-sized sections. It may help to look at the videos for the course again and also complete your course workbooks. People learn in different ways, some prefer to make notes as they go, and others may wait until the end of each module before writing out what they have learned in bullet point form. Use what works for you.
Give yourself plenty of time before the exam. The syllabus is large, so last-minute revision alone will not be enough for most people. Read the syllabus and ensure you could cover anything that comes up in the paper. If necessary, read additional material until you really understand each topic. No course can cover everything, so we understand for some topics, additional reading is needed. Your initial learning sessions should cover the whole module, then a deeper phase can be planned for the revision. You may find many facts you remember already as you revisit them, and this is really good. You may also find, some read as if you have never seen them before. This is also fine, and your brain should now process these as well. Sometimes, when things come together and you can picture how, as an example, water enters, travels through, and leaves a plant, it makes more sense
and you can look at the material again with greater understanding and find that it makes a lot more sense. As you do your final preparations for the exam, remember you have done the work, you have read, learned, revised, and hopefully enjoyed putting things together so they make sense. Try to find time to relax – walk outside, watch TV, read books and the day before the exam make sure you drink (non-alcoholic), eat well, and try to get a good night’s sleep. Even if you’re terribly nervous, if you go to bed early, you might toss and turn for a bit, but you’ll fall asleep eventually. Make sure you know the directions to the exam center, arrive in good time and settle yourself in at your desk or wherever you take the exam. “You’ve Got This!”
At this point in your course, you should understand the parts of plants, their features and how different organs work. You should also understand that cells create tissues, some consisting of one cell type, others of different cell types and these are simple and complex tissues respectively. You should be able to discuss the meaning of plant taxonomy, genus, species, cultivar, variety and hybrid, and be able to identify external structures in a plant and state their function. Along with understanding taxonomy and the role it plays in grouping plants, you should also Topic 1 Plant Science 1 (Part A)
should understand how this is done. Plant breeders rights ( PBR) should be understood and you should be able to state the restrictions this imposes on propagation and making money for plant breeding. The major groups of plants should be understood – for example bryophytes, pteridophytes, angiosperms, and gymnosperms. You should also understand that angiosperms are divided into two groups – the monocotyledons and the eudicotyledons and be able to give differences between the two groups. You should also understand that the species name of any plant is created from the genus and specific epithet and written with the genus name having a capital and the specific epithet having a small case for example, Quercus robur is the common oak. With hybrids, you should also be able to explain that there are different kinds of hybrids – interspecific, intergeneric and graft hybrids and that graft hybrids are the resulting tissue created by grafting two closely related genera, so it is different from the grafting associated with e.g; apples. So far so good and this information will really help you to understand and be able to discuss many types of questions such as those about breeding plants for commercial gain. You should also understand and be able to explain the difference between different life stages of a plant – this means, juvenile, mature, senescence, and death. You should also be able to explain the significance of both – for example, juvenile growth is best for most cuttings, the leaves may differ from the adult, and they can reproduce only by vegetative
means. Following this, you should be able to discuss plant life cycles, with examples (always examples). So, ephemeral, annual, biennial, perennial (woody) and perennial (herbaceous) and the difference between them all and the significance of them. You should also be able to explain the difference between hardy, half-hardy and tender. You should understand that if, as an example, a question asks you to define a half-hardy annual, you should explain both the annual life cycle and the half-hardy definition. Linked to a broader concept is how life cycles may be affected by climate change – will we lose some plants but perhaps be able to grow more tender plants for example? By this point, you should be able to explain the structure and function of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers and how adaptations enable plants to compete with each other. For example, leaves can be adapted to be placed in the best position for light capture ( phyllotaxy), stems may be adapted for climbing, leaves may be adapted to protect from predation and so on. You should be able to identify all external parts of a plant and understand their role in the life of the plant. Understanding all this, you can link the different features to understand and be able to explain, for example, how water goes from the soil, up and through the plant, to the atmosphere (now as vapour), which will involve, root hairs, cortex, endodermis, the xylem vessels, veins, the leaf, intercellular air spaces, the stomata and finally into the atmosphere. You should be able to explain how pressure is generated to force the water into and up the xylem vessels and how it is pulled from above as well.
So now you understand the features and organs of plants, their function and internal structure. Flowers are not all the same and many are held in an inflorescence. You should be able to describe these different flower types – for example, how is a raceme structured, or a corymb? From the structures that you can now describe, you should be able to consider how sometimes these are adapted for different functions, mostly to help a plant outcompete its neighbours. For example, stems may help with climbing, vegetative reproduction and storing of Topic 1 Plant Science 1 (Part B)
nutrients over winter. Make sure you can describe how each of these is achieved and the structures involved. Leaves too can have adaptations – they may protect the plant, they may trap moisture to help lower transpiration, and they may be hairy or spiky. Make you could discuss all of these things and give examples. Plant structures and tissues are created from plant cells. To understand how the organs and tissues carry out the functions you can now discuss, it is important to understand plant cells and how they work. Then you should be able to understand how different cells work together to create plant tissue – with a specific function. For example, phloem, xylem, cambium. You should also understand how plants grow using meristematic areas and how cambium is essential in eudicotyledons for secondary thickening. Understanding plant structures links to other areas, such as pests. For example, knowing that aphids use their mouthparts to obtain sap with all its sugars, from the phloem means you understand that they damage plants because they take vital nutrients created by the plant from photosynthesis and because they use a needle-like stylet to feed, it is easy to understand how they might transmit viruses as they move from plant to plant. Understanding pollination means you can come to understand how plants adapt for pollination and successful fertilisation, how they favour crosspollination and the genetic diversity that may bring by having flowers whose male and female parts mature at different times or have male flowers on one plant and female on another of the same species
to cross-pollination is the only way they get pollinated. You should be able to describe the differences between thrum and pin-eyed primroses, which is the example used by the RHS in the syllabus, and how this favours cross-pollination by bees. This all sounds like a lot but once you understand features, organs, tissues, cells and flower structure, it begins to fit together, and the processes become clear. You should now be able to discuss how you need plants to flower at a similar time to ensure pollination. In fruit growing, many trees are not self-fertile or produce smaller crops if allowed to self-pollinate, so growers need to ensure flowering groups are out at the same time. As well as this, some apple trees are triploid and need two other diploid species in order to be successfully pollinated. You should be able to suggest ways a grower can improve the chances of pollination in a given situation, e.g. an orchard. This knowledge can also be linked to other areas because, for example, you will understand insects fly only when winds are light and it is warm, so avoid frost pockets and provide shelter from winds where you need pollinators to be working at their best. As well as understanding how cells work in plants, you should be able to describe processes including photosynthesis and respiration that occur in cells. The process of photosynthesis and respiration are vital for the creation of energy stores and then the use of these for growth so understanding the inputs and outputs of each is great. You should also understand what happens when there is little or no oxygen – anaerobic respiration – and how this is related to plant health.
On a broader level, you should understand that in photosynthesis, carbon is sequestered, which is why plants are vital in reducing the impact of global warming climate change. For both photosynthesis and respiration, you should understand how plants are adapted to make these processes efficient – like having an epidermis which allows light to reach the palisade mesophyll, for example. You should also be able to discuss how growers might manipulate conditions indoors and out to make it easier for plants to photosynthesise and respire. For example, reduce waterlogging, shade outside, and control atmosphere and temperature indoors). And finally but my no means least, you should be able to discuss the movement of water through a plant. How does it enter a plant? What creates the pressure that pushes it up the xylem vessels, how does it get into the atmosphere? Make sur you can follow a drop of water as it passes form soil to roots, up the plant, into the leaf and into the atmosphere ( now as vapour). You should be able to discuss, for all plant processes, how temperature, light, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels and other factors affect processes and the Law of Limiting factors should be understood fully. The unit, of course, covers a lot more detail but this overview should help you to realise you can break the learning down, and it will eventually al make sense and link up so you understand fully the concept of how plants work.
You should now have covered a range of topics under Plant Health and be able to discuss many areas in terms of how plant health relates to horticulture. Of course, the health of our plants is important because it means we can grow them to reach their full potential, whether this is in terms of crop production, producing glorious flowers, or the aesthetic effect we want. You should be able to discuss a range of abiotic that is non-living elements that negatively affect plant health. This includes temperature, wind, water, relative humidity, light levels, and oxygen and you should understand the differences in conditions in a protected environment like a greenhouse compared to those outside. Topic 2 Plant Health
All these factors should not be considered alone because they interact. For example, high temperatures often lead to the drying out of growing mediums which, in turn, leads to the plant being put under stress because its roots cannot absorb nutrients – remember plants can only take in dissolved nutrients. Conversely, low temperatures can damage plants and cause irreparable damage. Pollinators also will not fly when temperatures are very low. Using named plant species, you should be able to discuss the impact of each of these factors – so how light affects the particular species, how wind, water, and temperature affect them, and also how relative humidity, light levels, and oxygen affect them. You should be able to discuss how to minimise damage by abiotic factors and how to protect plants such as tender and half-hardy plants. You should also be able to decide which protection is suitable – as an example if you decide to select windbreaks to help create shelter, do you choose a solid one or one which allows air to filter through, albeit slowed down? You should understand how drought can affect plant nutrition and how water management can be used to help with irrigation. What symptoms might plants show when they are growing in a drought situation? Linked to this is the second element, plant nutrition which of course affects plant health. You should be able to discern macro and micro-nutrients and what they do, how plants use them, and from where they may obtain them. What happens when nutrients are short – how does the effect show in a plant? The third element is the impact of competition on
plant health. What factors does competition affect? How do weeds affect competition? Are there any benefits to weeds and what are the drawbacks to allowing weeds to grow among desired plants? How would you control weeds? Element 4 is plant pests and pathogens – you should be able to identify symptoms of these and decide which pest or pathogen might be affecting the plant and give potential solutions including physical, biological, chemical, and cultural controls – the role of IPM in plant health management should be understood. What weeds and pests are notifiable, and which Acts cover these? The fifth element is biosecurity and plant passports. You should be able to discuss these, what they are, how they regulate the travel of plants in the UK, and the laws covering these. Integrating all these is difficult but there are links you can associate such as knowing symptoms helps you distinguish between a pest, pathogen, and potential nutrient shortage. Understanding which nutrients are mobile in the plant really helps us identify the cause of symptoms and knowing what nutrients do helps us to understand how plants might need different ones at different stages in their life cycle. The sixth element is maintaining plant health. You should be able to discuss the relationships between plant health and their resistance to pathogens and pests. You should also know techniques to keep plants healthy such as correct spacing, correct planting depth, nutrition, and observations. So how can the grower, using cultural methods, help keep
their plants healthy? You should also understand resistant variety use but the fact that some of these are not as tasty, such as the potato ‘Sarpo’ which is resistant to blight but is not regarded as a flavourful potato. Resistance does not mean complete immunity to disease either and pathogens will evolve and become resistant to controls, so it is a constant battle for horticulturalists to keep up with them. Overall, plant health is a complex subject that involves understanding plants’ needs, how they work and use nutrients, what can affect their health, and then dealing with these in the most sustainable and safe manner.
For plants to grow healthily and achieve their potential, it is important that they get the correct nutrients in the correct amounts. Understanding how plants work in the previous topics will allow you to relate nutrition and functions together – for example, the cellulose wall of plant cells cannot function without the component needed to create cellulose, and the stomata will open and close only if enough potassium is available to the plant. Here are many functions that rely on nutrients and so understanding what these are and how they are used is important. Also helpful is recognizing symptoms of deficiencies so we give the correct remedial products and do not make any Topic 3 Plant Nutrition
problems worse. So, after studying Topic 3, you should be able to discuss how soil impacts plant growth – its texture and structure and how these relate to nutrient uptake. As well as this, you should be able to discuss how the different layers – topsoil, subsoil, and parent rock may influence the soil and therefore plant growth, as well as organic content. You should also be able to relate this knowledge to the consequences of soil erosion and degradation, and discuss how to ameliorate soils and restore nutrient levels. What should you be looking for in terms of crumb structure, porosity, texture, and colour of your soil with a view to growing the widest range of plants? You should also understand that several nutrients cycle including carbon and nitrogen and you should be able to explain how these cycles work. In terms of nutrients, you should understand macronutrients and micronutrients – what they are, what they do, and where plants obtain them. What are the symptoms associated with specific nutrient deficiencies and what can the grower do to restore these? How does soil become degraded and is there anything growers can do to reduce the likelihood of this happening or to restore soil once it has happened? Why do we need to do this? You should be able to link this in with horticultural practices such as mono-crops, using large, heavy machinery regularly, working while the soil is wet, and clay versus sandy soils. How do fertilizers work? Remembering plants generally only take nutrients in if they are in solution, how do we get nutrients to plants? What kinds of fertilizer and how does a grower select these?
You should be able to state the benefits and limitations of organic fertilizers and synthetic ones. You should be able to link the subject to other areas such as ecology – for example, a grower may use green manure, but can these also benefit wildlife like bees? What are the wider implications if we use fertilizers indiscriminately? You should be capable of explaining eutrophication and how this impacts the health of rivers and other waterways and be able to state that some growing methods need artificial fertilizers, such as hydroponics. pH has a big impact on nutrient availability, and you should be able to explain the relationship between the pH of the soil and nutrient uptake by plants. You should also include the role of fungi – how do they help improve nutrient uptake in many plants? You should also include the role of fungi – how do they help improve nutrient uptake in many plants? Do they gain anything from associations with plants? You should also be able to link this to the broader concepts including how growers can select plants suited to the conditions (pH and soil) they have, to reduce the need for amelioration. You might link healthy plants and using plants as soil enrichers (e.g., green manures) to also help with increasing biodiversity. You should be able to relate soil pH to plant choice clearly – there are plants suited to neutral, alkaline, and acid soils and you should be able to suggest examples. Also, you should be able to state how soil is assessed in, for example, a garden – the W shape method, and how soils’ pH may be changed with ameliorants like lime and how this might be applied.
Linked to this understanding are broader concepts such as the regular removal of crops, the removal of nutrients, soils becoming acidic over time, and leaving appropriate gaps between manuring and fertilizers to avoid nitrogen being converted to ammonia. You should also be able to explain that plants grown on the wrong soil will be stressed, not do well, and may be more susceptible to disease. Finally, you should be able to discuss compost and how it is made, its uses, other soil ameliorants, their characteristics and benefits, and limitations.
Selecting appropriate plants for a site, the conditions presented, and ensuring those plants can thrive is known as plant specification, and for each site, there will be plants that are suitable and plants that are not. As well as selecting the right plants, a horticulturalist needs to understand what the plant needs and how to provide this most sustainably. They should understand how to plant different plants, how they are delivered, the checks required, and care for plants once they are planted. Plant knowledge ensures a horticulturalist can specify the correct plants. ‘Right plant, right place’ is an old adage but one which is as relevant today as it ever was. Topic 4 Plant Specification
You should be able to assess a site using information gathered from documentation or visits. You should understand the impact of biotic factors including orientation, soil, how different plants will be suited to shade, full sun, partial shade, cooler areas, warmer areas, and so on. You should also be able to suggest plants for specific areas or habitats such as pond areas, or to serve a purpose such as plants for windbreaks. You should also understand how plants interact with each other and the environment. Some will provide shade, some will be invasive, and some will also provide fruit and other benefits to the horticulturalist or gardener. You should be able to discuss how different places in a site might be more exposed, in a frost pocket, or how plants are affected by where they are grown in the UK (northern areas being cooler and having later springs, for example). Soil type is important, and you should be able to suggest plants suited to different soil types including sandy, clay, and loam. pH is also a factor you should use to determine the right plants for a site. Understanding the natural habitats and provenance of plants should allow you to understand how plant selection is important because you need to choose plants, for example, for a warm, dry slope, that originate in similar conditions such as the Mediterranean. Being able to select plants for a habitat that already exists or plants for a habitat created in a site such as a meadow is important. This knowledge will also help you to be able to suggest plants for seemingly difficult places like wind tunnels (Cotoneaster dammeri) or arid areas (Sempervivum).
The impact of poor plant choice should be understood – for example, plants struggling in the wrong conditions will not thrive, will not grow to their best ability, and may need a lot of maintenance and soil amelioration. Linking to sustainability, you should understand correct plant choice reduces the need to ameliorate soil and therefore saves using chemicals on a site. Climate change is an important thing to bear in mind and UK growers are having to re-think native species in favour of plants that will withstand extremes. An understanding of plant-based criteria for plant selection is important – what does the plant need from its planned position – temperature, water, drainage, soil type, light or shade, and hardiness? You should understand hardiness zones and be able to state the meaning of tender, half-hardy and hardy plants, and name some under each criterion. AGM (Award of Garden Merit) should be understood as this allows you to select plants that have been trialed and found to perform well in a garden setting. You should also understand why the selection of resistant varieties might be appropriate in certain areas, for example, if carrot fly is known to be prevalent in your area, select a resistant variety like Daucus carota ‘Flyaway’. The Qualification-Wide Outcome of Best Practice comes fairly easily into this area and can be linked to Sustainability – buying smaller, bare-rooted plants, sourcing locally, and using suppliers that use peat-free composts all link to the QWOs. You should be able to explain what is meant by National Plant Specification (NPS) When you select plants, there should be an understanding of their life cycles, growth habits, and
whether they are evergreen, semi-evergreen, or deciduous. You should understand the overall final height and spread of plants selected and how they may arrive on site (bare rooted, containerised, root balled, and so on), and how to plant these different kinds of delivered plants. When a garden centre receives plants, you should be able to explain the procedure of checking plants, suitable substitutions, how to check plant quality, quarantine, and how to report problems. The next area to familiarise yourself with is preparation for planting, different techniques, and whether you would implement no-dig practices and why. You should be able to explain how to plant a tree, or shrub and provide support if necessary. Aftercare and maintaining new plantings are the final areas you should be able to discuss. So stakes,
maintaining supports, checking plants for signs of pests and disease, controlling weeds, mulching, water management, irrigation, and the creation of maintenance plans. After completing Unit 1, you should have a good idea of plant physiology, how plants work, what they need, and how growers can provide this. You should also have an idea of nutrition, pests and diseases, biotic and abiotic influences, and protection of the UK from the spread of imported pests and diseases (including unwanted plant species). Of course, each topic is far more detailed than these notes can provide but we hope they provide you with a good base on which to build your knowledge of plants and growing them. You should also relate the supply of plants and obtaining them to the impacts growers can have on other areas such as supporting good practice, diversity, and equality in the workplace by choosing suppliers with good practices in terms of sourcing, using sustainable methods, and safe practices. You should also be able to relate our desire to grow plants with the impact, good or negative, on the wider environment and understand how growing plants, whether for your garden or commercially, can affect a much greater area than just the garden, nursery, or production site we are selecting the plants for. Students also need to be aware that the RHS Examination may include questions related to Health and Safety. To ensure success in this area, students should revise Health and Safety, along with three qualification outcomes, in addition to the eight topics covered in both units. The relevant document, titled ‘Qualification Wide Outcomes’, is available in Unit 1, Topic 1 - Plant Science 1, as a pdf. It falls under the General Section and is easy to locate.
On your calendar, mark out chunks of time that you can devote to your studies. You should aim to schedule some study time each day, but other commitments may necessitate that some sessions are longer than others. Study Tip 1 Set a Schedule Turning off the television, talk radio and your favorite pop song doesn’t mean that you have to study in silence. In many cases “total” silence does feel comfortable for everyone. Soft background sounds are a great alternative. Study Tip 3 Use Background Sounds Whenever possible, your study space should just be used for studying. Making it a designated study area will preserve its association with learning. Also, good natural lighting, comfortable seating, make an enormous difference. Study Tip 2 Create Your Perfect Study Space
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