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African Violets
African Violets 100 Hours Certificate Course
Course Code:
VHT105
Level:
3
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Anytime
Finish:
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Study From:
Anywhere
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Learn About African Violets
Grow fantastic flowers in your very own garden with the African Violets online course from ADL
Designed for the African Violet enthusiast, this course covers everything from potting and feeding, to pests and propagation. You learn how African Violets are classified and cover the exciting range of varieties available. Here’s your chance to achieve outstanding results with African Violets.
How To Benefit From This Course.
If you are working as a nurseryman, florist and indoor plant-scapers and you deal with African Violets on a regular basis, you will find the knowledge gained from this course invaluable, as your understanding of gesneraids expands.
Use this course to indulge your passion and love for Africa violets. Whether you are an amateur and trained plant collector you will find this course to be a rewarding experience.
Undertaking study for such a niche and specialised course for one specific type of plant will give you a level of know-how. Such focused expertise can add to your vocation or horticulture business as well as helping those who work in the horticulture sector.
Although the scope of this course is concerned with African Violets, the course also provides an introduction and foundation for growing associated plants that have comparable cultural requirements and uses in horticulture.
African Violets Are Members Of The Gesneriaceae Family Of Plants.
This family group includes over 2,000 different species, spread across more than 120 genera. Around 300 or more of the species are in cultivation.
They appear mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions; though there are exceptions. The family has representative genera from most parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia, America, Australasia and Polynesia.
Some of the genera (including Saintpaulia, Streptocarpus and Sinningia) have been widely bred to produce thousands of different named cultivars; leading to many becoming commercially important plants.
The first gesneriad that was identified was Ramondamyconi, from northern Spain and the Pyrenees. It occurs naturally on rocky cliffs. It’s classification was confused at first. It was thought to be an Auricula at first, then Linnaeus in 1753 classified it as a Verbascum.
Eventually it was recognised to belong to a different family to those plants.
Gesneriad Characteristics
Most gesneriads have fleshy tissues -not woody. They are generally herbaceous or only slightly woody.
Occasionally they may be tuberous, commonly they can be epiphytes, on rare occasions they may be a shrub or climber.
Leaves are usually opposite and simple. The leaf margin is most often entire or toothed. The leaf surface is commonly hairy, but not always.
Flowers are cymose, usually irregular, bisexual (female and male parts in the same flower), with five petals, 5 sepals and most commonly two or four stamens (but sometimes five stamens). Flowers are often twinned.
Introduction to most commonly grown African Violet Species
Information contacts (ie: nurseries, seed, clubs etc.)
Plant Reviews
2. Culture
Understanding how plants grow
Soils ad nutrition
African Violet potting mixes
Other cultural practices -Planting, watering, feeding, etc.
Review of Gesneriad Genera -Columnea, Streptocarpus, Episcia, Aeschynanthus etc
Plant Reviews
3. Propagation
Sexual and asexual explained
Propagation aids -greenhouses, hotbeds, cold frames, misting etc.
Cuttings
Seed
Division
Plant Reviews4. Pests & Disease
Plant maintenance and health
Identifying problems
Controlling problems
Reviewing pest, disease and environmental issues that can confront African Violets
Plant Reviews5. Light and its Affects
Understanding light affects on african violet flowering
Artificial lighting
Plant Reviews6. Greenhouse Culture
The greenhouse system
Components of a greenhouse (floor, structure, ventilation, heating, etc)
Types off Greenhouses
Shadehouses
Coldframes
Heated propagators
Environmental controls
Heaters, Ventilators, etc
Plant Reviews7. Ways to Use African Violets
Containers, in the ground, in greenhouses, growing for profit (to sell etc.)
Review of popular cultivars
Plant Reviews8. Special Assignment
PBL Project:Â Planning the establishment of a collection of Gesneriads, for a specific (real or hypothetical) location.Please Note:Â Â Each lesson culminates in an assignment, marked by your tutor and returned together with relevant suggestions, comments, and extra reading where required.
Learning Goals
Learning Goals:Â African Violets VHT105
Describe how African Violets and related plants are classified and the plant naming system
Describe the cultural requirements of African violets
Select appropriate propagating materials and using them, propagate African violets.
Identify and control pest and diseases of African violets
Discuss the role that light plays in the growth of African violets
Describe greenhouses and other environmental control equipment used for growing African violets.
Describe the various ways in which African violets can be grown
Demonstrate the knowledge acquired for a specific group or individual plant in the Gesneriaceae family through research.
Practical (Set Tasks)
Examinations
Program Summary
More Information
Your tutor for this course is:
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 Hort level 2 (RHS General) Distinction.
Susan Stephenson is a passionate and experienced horticulturist and garden designer. She has authored three books, lectures at 2 Further and Higher Education Colleges, teaching people of all ages and backgrounds about the wonders of plants and garden design, and tutors many students by correspondence from all over the world.
Susan studied botany at Royal Holloway College (Univ of London) and worked in the trading industry before returning to her first love plants and garden design.
In 2010, Susan authored a complete module for a Foundation degree (FDSC) in Arboriculture.
Susan holds the RHS General with Distinction. She continues to actively learn about horticulture and plants and (as her students will tell you) remains passionate and interested in design and horticulture.
• Stems the framework; these are often compressed into a stump, but not always.
• Leaves required for respiration, transpiration and photosynthesis
• Reproductive Parts Flowers and fruits.
Roots
Soil provides the plant with the following things:
a) Nutrients
b) Water
c) Air
d) Support
Roots absorb nutrients, water and gasses transmitting these “chemicals” to feed other parts of the plant. Roots hold the plant in position and stop it from falling over or blowing away. Plant nutrients can be supplied, broadly speaking, in three different forms:
Water soluble simple chemical compounds.
Nutrients in these compounds are readily available to plants (ie: The plant can absorb them quickly and easily).
Less soluble simple chemical compounds
The nutrients in these compounds can be used by plants without needing to undergo any chemical change, but because they don’t dissolve so easily in water, they aren’t as readily useable as the more soluble compounds. The diminished solubility may be because of the nature of the compound (eg: superphosphate) or may be due to something else (eg: Slow release fertilisers such as osmocote, which is made by incorporating the simple chemicals inside a semi permeable bubble thus nutrients move slowly out of the bubble).
This second group of nutrients when placed in soil will last longer than the first group of water soluble nutrients.
Complex chemical compounds
These require chemical changes to occur before the nutrients can be absorbed by plants. They include organic manures and fertilisers which need to be broken down by soil micro organisms into a form which the plant can use. They also include other complex fertilisers which need to be affected by natural acids in the soil, or heat from the sun, to become simple compounds which the plant roots can use.
Complex chemicals release their nutrients gradually over a long period of time, depending on the range of chemical changes needed to take place before the plant can use them.
Plants grown in a soil derive their nutrients from all three types of compounds. The availability of these compounds varies according to not only the group they come from but also according to factors such as heat, water, soil acids and microorganisms present. As such, it is impossible to control the availability of nutrients in soil to any great degree.
Stems
The main stem and its branches are the framework that support the leaves flowers and fruits. The leaves, and also green stems, manufacture food via the process known as photosynthesis, which is transported to the flowers, fruits and roots. The vascular system within the stem consists of canals, or vessels, which transfer nutrients and water upwards and downwards through the plant (ie: This is equivalent to the blood system in animals).
Leaves
The primary function of leaves is photosynthesis, which is a process in which light energy is caught from the sun and stored via a chemical reaction in the form of carbohydrates such as sugars.
The energy can then be retrieved and used at a later date if required in a process known as respiration.
Leaves are also the principle plant part involved in the process known as transpiration whereby water evaporating, mainly through the leaf pores (or stomata), sometimes through the leaf cuticle (or surface) as well, passes out of the leaf into a drier external environment. This evaporating water helps regulate the temperature of the plant. This process may also operate in the reverse direction whereby water vapour from a humid external environment will pass into the drier leaf.
The process of water evaporating from the leaves is very important in that it creates a water gradient or potential between the upper and lower parts of the plant. As the water evaporates from the plant cells in the leaves then more water is drawn from neighbouring cells to replace the lost water. Water is then drawn into those neighbouring cells from their neighbours and from conducting vessels in the stems.
This process continues, eventually drawing water into the roots from the ground until the water gradient has been sufficiently reduced. As the water moves throughout the plant it carries nutrients, hormones, enzymes etc. In effect this passage of water through the plant has a similar effect to a water pump, in this case causing water to be drawn from the ground, through the plant and eventually out into the atmosphere.
Reproductive parts
Flowering plants reproduce by pollen (ie: male parts) fertilising an egg (ie: female part found in the ovary of a flower). The ovary then grows to produce a fruit and the fertilized egg(s) grow to produce seed.
African violets (like all plants) are not strictly speaking meant to grow indoors.
All plants, including African violets, occur naturally out of doors.
The environment where African violets grow naturally however is in eastern tropical Africa; in Tanzania and Kenya.
When African violets are grown outside of their “natural” environment, they need to be treated differently. Adjustments need to be made to compensate the changed conditions, whether that is lower humidity, less natural light, colder temperatures, or something else.
African violets can generally be treated the same as most other indoor plants.
As you get to know your plants better though, you will learn to refine your treatment of African violets to suit your specific situation.
For the best results:
-You must adapt cultural practices to the specific characteristics of the place where you are growing.
-You need to adjust or modify the environment as best you can to suit the African violets where you are growing them. (This may involve using a greenhouse, artificial light, changing patterns of feeding and watering, or something else. The techniques used can vary greatly from place to place. Greenhouses, for instance are not appropriate in every situation!).
When growing African violets the following conditions are generally the preferred ones:
Soil or potting media type
Reasonably friable, high organic content and well drained.
Drainage
Must be excellent!
Fertiliser type
Slow release or fertiliser formulated specifically for African violets (Follow the instructions as some fertilisers can burn; and avoid getting fertiliser on foliage).
Ideal temperature range
16-21 degrees celsius at night AND 21 to 24 degrees during the day. May tolerate lower or higher temperatures but it is best to try to achieve a stability with reasonable temperature don’t let them change rapidly.
Ideal light conditions
African violets require 16 hours of daylight to form flowers. Commonly, lack of light causes problems. Be cautious if there are few windows, and most of the light is artificial. Plants need a “certain, special type” of artificial light.
Pruning requirements
Remove dead flowers and dead or diseased leaves to prevent spread of infection, and to improve the plant’s appearance.
Assessment
Assessment is based on a combination of completing all assignments and sitting for a final short one and a half hour exam, in your own location.
If you don’t cope well with exams then you may elect to undertake a project instead. This is a popular option.
In addition, most modules have a Set Task at the end of each lesson placed before the assignment. This is an opportunity to undertake practical work to help you acquire knowledge and skills and practical experience. This ADL feature is an added bonus not found at most online schools. Set Tasks are not required for assessment.Â
Some courses also have optional Self-Tests which are available on our online learning platform. These are not available by correspondence or by USB, and do not form part of your overall grade.
How our courses work
Choose Your Learning Method You choose how you would like to receive your course material, i.e., Online, USB or Correspondence. The choice is yours. You may also work on online or offline.
Tutor Allocation Every student is assigned their own dedicated tutor who is an expert in their subject area. They provide as much or as little individual contact as you require. You can contact your tutor whenever you need – your hours are not limited.
Feedback and Assignments Tutor Feedback is an essential component in helping you understand the subject matter. Tutor feedback is given in the form of notes written on the assignment. We encourage you to contact your Tutor where help with clarification and understanding of course material may be required.
Your assignments are located at the end of each lesson. You submit them for marking whenever you are ready. There is no time limit. Â
Set Tasks and Self-Tests Most modules have a Set Task at the end of each lesson before for the assignment. This is where you get the opportunity to undertake practical work to help you acquire knowledge, skills and practical experience. Many modules also have short Self-Tests.
Exams Once all assignments have been completed you may then elect to sit for a one and half hour exam in your own location. If you prefer not to take the exam you do have the option to undertake a project instead. Once the exam or project part of the course is completed, your Certificate is then processed. Please allow approximately 4 weeks for this.
Design Your Own Qualification ADL offers students the flexibility to self-design their own qualification – bundling together a combination of 100-hour modules into a qualification higher than a certificate.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.
General
Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning? A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.
Q. Do I need to buy text books? A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.
Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc) A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.
Q. Is there an age limit? A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.
Q. Are your courses up-to date? A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.
Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy? A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.
Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students? A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.
Enrolment
Q. When can I enrol/start? A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.
Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world? A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.
Q. How long do I have to complete the course? A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.
Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take? A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.
Assessment
Q. Assessment – how does it work? A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.
Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do? A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.
Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work? A. Yes –
Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module? A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.
Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done? A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.
Qualifications
Q. What qualification will I receive? A. For individual modules, you would be awarded a Certificate endorsed by TQUK (Training Qualifications, UK), providing you complete all assignments and the exam. If you just want to complete only the assignments and not sit for the exam or finish a Project, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications available please click here.
Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification? A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.
Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript? A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.
Tutors
Q. Our tutors – who are they? A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.
Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time? A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.
Q. Practical work – How is this done? A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.
Career Options
What's Included
What your tuition fees include
All Course Material via Online, USB or Correspondence
Assignments Marked
Professional Tutor Feedback
Set Tasks - Practical Exercises to help you develop skills
Self-Tests – multiple choice questions at the end of lessons in most modules
Unlimited Personal Tutor Support – via our student classroom
Committed and Friendly Admin Support – vital to your success
All ADL Exam or Project fees (exception RHS exams)
If you require further details about any of the RHS industry recognised qualifications please, call one of our friendly RHS Course Advisors on +44 (0)1227 789 649 or email: [email protected]
Q: When can I Enrol/Start My RHS Course With ADL? A: Anytime, Anywhere. There are no enrolment deadlines.
Q: I live Overseas. Can I Study From Overseas? A: You can study any of the RHS theory qualifications overseas. All courses are offered in English. You will need to email RHS Qualifications direct to arrange sitting for your examination overseas.
Q: Is There a Time Limit for Completing an RHS Qualification? A: At present there are no time limits. However, RHS is contemplating in the future, the introduction of course time-lines.
Q:Â Are There Any Entry Requirements (Pre-Requisites)? A:Â The RHS Theory courses do not require prerequisites, previous experience or any knowledge of horticulture. You just need passion for all things horticulture.
Q: What Course Should I Start With First? I Am New To RHS Qualifications. A: We highly recommend that you start with Level 2 – Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance.
Q:Â What Does ADL Course Material Include? A:Â Includes Power Point Presentations, Videos and written course lessons.
RHS EXAMS
Q: When Do Exams Take Place? A: Exams are held on fixed dates in February and June of each year. You should register as a candidate at least 3 months before these dates, so please do not leave exam registration to the last minute
Q:Â Where Do I Take My Exams? A:Â UK: You take the exams at the RHS Wisley Centre, located between Cobham and Ripley in Surrey or at other authorised RHS centres around the UK. Overseas: please email RHS qualifications direct for centre information.
Q: Exam Pass Marks? A:  Module – pass 50%.  Commendation 70%.
Qualification: 50% pass for all modules. Commendation awarded for all modules. Each question carries a value of 10 marks.
Q: I’m Not Happy With My Exam Results? A: You have the opportunity to re-sit your exam at the next opportunity.
There are no restrictions on the number of re-sits you can take. The highest mark you achieve will remain.,
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By submitting this form, I provide my consent to ADL to contact me via email or telephone, regarding the course I selected. All information provided is protected in conformity with our Privacy Policy.
Susan Stephenson