Congrats Jovan!!!  Jovan just recieved his ACLP Certificate through ALCA!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is covered in the Arizona Certified Landscape Professional Program?  Why is it important to you and your community?

The Arizona Certified Landscape Professional (ACLP) is an educational program for those aspiring to be professional landscapers.  Here is an outline of the topics that ALCA covers and tests on in order to become a certified ACLP.   Visit the ACLP page on the ALCA website for more information.

Plant Identification
•Demonstrate knowledge of leaf terminology for plants, scientific names of plants and how to pronounce them.
•Understand plants that perform well in Arizona landscapes.
•Demonstrate proficiency in identifying plants by their leaves, flowers and fruit.
•Distinguish the different types of palms.
•Compare and contrast different species within a genus.
•Differentiate the different pine species.

Tree Planting and Staking
•Hands-on planting demo & supervision
•Selecting plants for quality
•Plant Handling prior to planting
•Preparing the plant pit
•Setting & back filling
•Proper staking
•Early care maintenance

Annuals & Perennials
•Selection, pre-planting treatment and transportation of annuals
•Bed preparation for annuals or herbaceous perennials including soil preparation, calculating amendments or mulch needed
•Understand the blooming season (cool or winter, hot or summer flowering plants) for common annuals or herbaceous perennials
•Proper planting techniques
•Pre and post irrigation techniques
•Maintain a flower bed including irrigation, fertilization, pruning/deadheading, insect and disease control, weed control and mulching
•Basic trouble shooting
•Container/plastic recycling
•Identify and correct common disease, insect and abiotic problems
•Frost preparation

Sod Laying & Turf Identification
•Understand the varieties of turf grasses used in the desert southwest and identify them.
•Conduct a satisfactory sod installation using basic mechanical steps.
•Proper mowing techniques, thatch removal, over seeding, fertilization and irrigation requirements for various turfs.
•Problem solving strategies for common turf grass problems.

Tree Pruning
•Understand basic plant biology as it pertains to pruning, decay, disease and wound closure.
•Understand how the ANSI A300 standards apply to best management practices for tree and shrub pruning.
•Understand the safe use of basic pruning equipment.
•Determine appropriate pruning objectives.
•Describe and demonstrate the five basic tree pruning types: crown cleaning, thinning, raising, reduction and restoration.
•Describe and demonstrate two basic shrub pruning types: shrub rejuvenation and restoration.
•Understand common pruning mistakes and how to avoid them.

Safety and Tools
•Provide safety guidelines
•Provide tools to conduct your own safety training
•Hands-on training in demo area

Pesticides and Calibration
•Gather health, safety and pesticide use information from product labels.
•Mix, load, and apply pesticides so that the product is applied correctly and evenly.
•Apply pesticides in a manner that reduces the risk of contamination to ourselves, other people, animals, and the environment.
•Prevent, recognize, and respond to pesticide-related emergencies.
•Properly calibrated pesticide application equipment.
•Follow local laws and regulations regarding pesticide application, recordkeeping, and notification.

Irrigation
•Common irrigation componenets.
•Basic hydraulics.
•Calculate precipitation rates.
•Irrigation controller programming.
•Insatallation techniques.
•Drip irrigation.
•Smart controllers.
•Water management tools.

Soil & Fertilizer
•Apply proper technique in collecting a soil sample for analysis.
•Determine soil texture and understand how soil texture relates to irrigation management.
•Take steps to prevent soil compaction and salt accumulation.
•Recognize and correct plant nutrient deficiencies.
•Understand the role of pH in plant health and plant selection.
•Choose and apply appropriate soil amendments.
•Describe the role of roots and plant health and the importance of soil management to optimize root health.
•Manage caliche.

Plant Problem Diagnosis
•Differentiate between stress disorders and biological disease in plants.
•Discuss with clients the importance of proper plant care in plant health.
•Understand the role of pruning and irrigation management in plant health.
•Help clients make good plant choices for Arizona landscapes.
•Identify common Arizona weeds and recommend appropriate control methods.
•Recognize common insects in Arizona landscapes and determine what controls, if any, are needed.
•Determine if a fungal, bacterial, or viral disease is present.