Manipulation should include
- identifying micronutrients for selected crops
- identifying macronutrients for selected crops
- identifying essential nutritional elements
- identifying soil and growing substrates
- interpreting soil test results
- applying organic and inorganic fertilizers
- identifying sources of nutrients
- identifying the level of soluble salts in the soil
- identifying deficiency and toxicity symptoms of the major nutrient
- explaining fertilizer recommendations
- recommending methods of fertilizer application, including
- pre-plant fertilization with controlled-release fertilizers
- fertigation
- surface application of water-soluble fertilizers
- subsurface injection of foliage application.
Process/Skill Questions:
- Which major elements are necessary for healthy green plant growth?
- What information can be obtained from a soil test?
- What are the differences between granular and water-soluble fertilizers?
- Which organic fertilizers can be used in floriculture crop production?
- Why is it important for a grower to develop a fertilizer schedule?
- How is the fertilizer analysis interpreted?
- What are the advantages of using pre-plant fertilizers?
- How do controlled-release fertilizers work?
- What are the differences between micronutrients and macronutrients?