Cutting Edge Education

It’s more than mowing.

Innovation & Value: these words define the nation’s largest member-driven nursery and landscape association, the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA). 

FNGLA helps landscape companies like ours raise the bar on professionalism through education, training, and accreditation. We regularly host FNGLA-sponsored training and certification classes at our Nursery in Hobe Sound.

This past June, under a hot sun, a few showers, and while following CDC Guidelines for face masks and social distancing, we hosted the FNGLA Certified Landscape Maintenance Technician (FCLMT) and FNGLA Certification Landscape Technician (FCLT) exams. The exams were conducted by FNGLA staff members Gary Weitermann, Certification Manager and Director of Industry Certification & Career Development, and Merry Mott, Director of Industry Certification & Career Development.

PLANT IDENTIFICATION

To pass this section, the technician must demonstrate the proper use of sun protection and an understanding of heat-related illnesses, identify a minimum of invasive plants from photos, and identify 50 Central/South Florida trees, shrubs, palms, groundcovers, turfgrasses/vines, foliage plants, and annuals — and do it in no more than 25 minutes with a passing score of 70%.

Can you identify the plants of South Florida? Take the test.

GRADING

Proper grading is vital to the success of any landscape. Here a landscape technician is demonstrating his ability to follow a grading plan and prepare an assigned area using slope and grading techniques that are correct for water drainage requirements.

In future issues, we’ll be sharing more about FNGLA Professional Development Certifications designed to measure the skills of practicing landscape maintenance technicians. Certification relies heavily on Green Industries Best Management Practices.