The brown garden snail (Cornu aspersum) is a common pest in Aotearoa, New Zealand. You'll want to stay on the lookout for them in your garden.
Welcome to Module 6: Pests, Diseases, Weeds, and Plant Health.
Previously, we provided specific guidance about a range of common pests and diseases. In this module, we focus more on building your skills to research and identify insect pests and diseases you may find in your garden. We go on to give you some general strategies on how to prevent and control them, using an approach known as integrated pest management (IPM).
We conclude by talking about plant disorders, which are things that cause plant health issues but aren’t caused by pests or diseases.
Time to complete this module
You should plan to complete this module in 105 learning hours.
Assessment outline
In this module, you’ll continue journaling about your garden each week. To finish this module, you need to complete two assessment tasks:
- Garden Journal – take photos of pests, diseases, and weeds you’ve seen and identify them and explain what you’ve been doing in the garden each week.
- Written Test – complete an 18-question scenario assessment to show your understanding of common pests, weeds, and plant diseases by identifying suitable ways of controlling them.
Help isn't far away
As mentioned in earlier modules:
- It’s ok to make mistakes. When we make mistakes, we can learn from them by thinking “what went wrong?” and “what can I do differently next time?.” In fact, these are the kinds of questions and answers we’d like to see in your Garden Journal.
- While mistakes are all part of learning, you may be able to avoid them by being sure what your assessment is asking of you. If something doesn’t make sense, or you’re unsure what to do next, ask a peer using Messaging on the Online Campus, check the forums for others that have asked the same questions, or get in touch with your Tutor. You can send them a message on the Online Campus or get in touch via email.
While the course is designed for you to work independently, please don't be afraid to ask questions.
