LSU AgCenter horticulturist will be the featured presenter at the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association certified nursery and landscape professional workshop in Hammond on Feb. 23-24.

(02/03/16) HAMMOND, La. – The Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association in cooperation with the LSU AgCenter has scheduled a certified nursery and landscape professional manual review and exam for February 23-24, 2016, at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station.

Manual reviews will be held on Feb. 23 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The exam will begin at 1 p.m. on Feb. 24 with three hours allowed for completion.

Information will be provided on plant classification, growth and development; pest management; culture of nursery stock; landscape contracting, including tree and turfgrass management; and plant identification, said LSU AgCenter horticulturist Allen Owings.

Individuals working in retail garden centers and landscape contracting and maintenance are encouraged to participate; however, the course is also recommended for wholesale growers, irrigation contractors and Master Gardeners, Owings said.

“The Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional program has been ongoing in Louisiana for many years and was established to provide a professional educational opportunity for nursery and landscape professionals,” he said.

The manual review session can also be considered as good preparation for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry landscape horticulturist license exam, Owings said. “However, the LNLA certification is not recognized as a license needed to operate a business.”

Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter horticulturist in the School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, is the primary instructor for the training.

To take full benefit of the training, it is recommended that participants acquire and read “The Louisiana Nurserymen’s Manual for the Environmental Horticultural Industry” before attending the review workshop, Owings said.

Pre-registration is encouraged. The fee is $100 for the review and exam and $50 for the review session without the exam. The manual costs $60 plus $7 postage and is available from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Interested persons can contact Owings at 985-543-4125 or email aowings@agcenter.lsu.edu or LNLA executive secretary Annie Coco at 985-789-4301 or email anniecoco400@gmail.com for additional information or to register.

The next review and exam is scheduled for July 12-13, 2016, at the Ira Nelson Horticulture Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.