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Learn Landscaping Blog
“Learn Landscaping” is our online newsletter, which supplies news and tips about the horticulture and landscaping industries.
Course Preview Videos
Landscape Plants: Identification, Selection, and Application Course Preview
Course instructor Steve Kristoph is passionate about plants and enjoys sharing his passion with others. In this video, he describes what is covered in the Landscape Plants course.
Hazardous Tree Identification Course Preview
Aboriculture expert and course instructor Steve Chisholm describes what is covered in the Hazardous Tree Identification course.
Concrete Pavers Course Preview
Get a sneak peek into the Concrete Pavers course and watch previous students build a small paver walkway and decorative wall.
Landscape Lighting Course Preview
Find out what you’ll learn in Landscape Lighting: Design and LED Technology and see stunning examples of instructor David Beausoleil’s lighting projects.
Irrigation Courses Preview
See what you’ll learn from irrigation pro Bob Dobson in courses such as Irrigation Systems: Design and Installation, Irrigation Systems: Repair and Maintenance, and Irrigation 101.
Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School: Two-Year Certificate Program
Grow your turf management career with the Two-Year Certificate Program! In this video overview, find out what Rutgers can do for you through the words of our students.
Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School: Three-Week Preparatory Short Course
Find out why you should take our Three Week Preparatory Short Course! Students comment on what they learned and enjoyed about this turf management program.
News and Stories about Rutgers’ Courses and Instructors
- Meet Instructor Rich Buckley
- How to Lay a Concrete Paver Patio or Walkway (November 2013)
- Rutgers Firmly Planted on Central Park Turf (April 2013)
- Storm Devastation Unearths the Hazards of Neglected Trees (Spring 2012)
- New Trend in Landscape Design Education: Teaching Green Thumbs How to Operate in the Black (Fall 2011)
- Is Your Park an Accident Waiting to Happen? (Fall 2011)
- Tree Climbing Champion with Rutgers Roots Comes Full Circle (Fall 2010)
- Pruning with a Purpose: Course Teaches Science and Skill Behind Tree Pruning (Spring 2010)
Just for Fun! Plant Identification Quiz
Expand Your Palette of Plants this Winter!
Landscape designers and contractors need a high plant IQ to succeed in today’s competitive market. Do you have what it takes?
Whether you pass or fail our fun plant quiz, consider increasing your plant IQ by taking the Landscape Plants: Identification, Selection, and Application course.
Give us just 11 Friday mornings this winter and we’ll give you an expanded palette of plants so that you can:
- Choose better plants for specific places
- Manage existing landscapes better
- Impress potential customers with your vast plant knowledge
- Upsell your current clients to increase your profits
Just getting your feet wet with plant ID? You can also start out with our two-day Introduction to Plant Identification course.
Pesticide Applicator Information
Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Registration (PACER)
NJDEP pesticide certification exams are available online only through Rutgers University. Anyone interested in taking an exam must register through Pesticide Applicator Certification Exam Registration (PACER) system. Visit pacer.rutgers.edu to learn more.
Key Points to Know About PACER:
- The online PACER system and exams are available 24/7.
- All exams will be administered via remote proctoring including real-time student ID verification and activity monitoring to uphold the NJDEP’s exam standards and security.
- Exam applicants will pay a fee to Rutgers for each exam.
Have questions or need more information about PACER? Email pacer@njaes.rutgers.edu or call 848-932-9271, option 7.
How to Check Your NJ Pesticide Applicator Credit History
The NJDEP has provided the below instructions for pesticide applicators who need assistance accessing their records electronically. Follow these steps to review your current license information and recertification status.
Directions to Look Up Credit History – Commercial Certified Pesticide Applicators
- Visit the DEP Data Miner website.
- Click on the link labeled Commercial Certified Pesticide Applicators – Specific Information.
- Enter the requested information (Birth Date, Last Four Digits of Social Security Number, and License Number).
- Click Submit.
Directions to Look Up Credit History – Private Certified Pesticide Applicators
- Visit the DEP Data Miner website.
- Click on the link labeled Private Certified Pesticide Applicators – Specific Information.
- Select your License Number from the drop down menu and enter the requested information (Last Four Digits of Social Security Number and Birth Date).
- Click Submit.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Approach
Learn how to use the environment to your favor! Integrated Pest Management (or IPM) is a commonsense approach to pest control that reduces reliance on chemical pesticides as a sole method of controlling pests. With IPM, a combination of strategies is used to predict, prevent, and manage landscape insects and diseases. These IPM strategies are proactive, not reactions to the presence of a pest. IPM programs result in effective landscape pest control with diminished economic, health, and environmental risks.
Rutgers offers several classes focused on teaching IPM methods, including:
- Basic Landscape Integrated Pest Management
- Landscape Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- Natural and Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Sports Turf
If you are interested in learning how to lower pesticide inputs, you may want to enroll in our Natural Turf and Landscape Management Certificate Program.
Although not an IPM class, our Sustainable Landscape Design course is similar in philosophy and teaches students to use the environment in their favor.
Our Lake Management and Pond Design, Management, and Maintenance courses include discussions on non-pesticide, environmentally friendly techniques to control aquatic weeds and algae.
Tree Care Professionals
Felling a Tree / Hazardous Tree Tips and How To Videos
Felling a Tree: Safety First
Aboriculture expert and tree course instructor, Mark Chisholm, demonstrates safety tips to prepare for felling a tree.
How to Fell a Tree
Aboriculture expert and tree course instructor, Mark Chisholm, demonstrates how to properly and safely fell a tree.
Hazardous Tree ID Tip: What is a Target?
Without a target, you don’t have a hazardous tree. Watch this video to find out what a target is, and learn more in our Hazardous Tree Identification course.
Hazardous Tree ID Tip: Sounding a Tree
Steve Chisholm demonstrates how to sound a tree. Listen to the difference between sound wood and a potentially problematic hollow, and learn more in our Hazardous Tree Identification course.
Hazardous Tree ID Tip: Coring a Tree
Watch Steve Chisholm demonstrate how to core a tree with a resistograph to identify hollows and other signs of decay. Learn more on this topic by taking our Hazardous Tree Identification course.
Return to the Landscape and Grounds Management program page.