RHS Level 2 Certificate

Week 17 – Environmental issues and health and safety in gardening

Learning outcomes

1. Environmental issues in gardening. Identify and explain the environmental protection issues in relation to the following:

1.1 Growing media 1.2 pest and disease control 1.3 non-native plants 1.4 water usage and water disposal

2. Risk management in gardening 2.1 state why health and safety is important in horticulture 2.2 state the stages of a basic risk assessment 2.3 state categories of potential risk 2.4 state categories of potential harm 2.5 state pesticide, herbicide and fungicide safety considerations 2.6 state four kinds of personal protective equipment.

Environmental issues – growing media

Peat is a problem – why? Useful in many ways – light, moisture retentive, low

in nutrients, open structured and clean to use and handle

However, cutting peat means destroying irreplaceable natural habitats and their plants, birds, animals and insects.

What are the alternatives? Coir, composted bark, composted green waste, biosolids.

Do they work? Yes, provided cultivation techniques are adapted.

Methods of pest and disease control - risks to the environment

One man’s pest is another creature’s dinner – destroying garden pests can have an effect on food webs in the garden

Resistance and withdrawal of products mean that the choice of chemical controls is becoming very limited. For some pests (e.g. greenhouse whitefly) there is no effective chemical control available to amateur gardeners.

Some chemical controls pose a threat to the operator and to beneficial insects.

Methods of pest and disease control – alternatives to chemical controls

Correct care of plants and the environment – well grown plants that are not under stress are less likely to succumb to pests and diseases.

Toleration of some damage Barriers, traps, biological controls and

‘organic’ plant based sprays

Non-native plants – environmental issues

Most UK plants are strictly speaking non-native – the Ice Age left very few true natives.

Some non-native plants however are invasive and uncontrolled by natural processes in this country e.g. Fallopia japonica

Such plants can cause physical damage to buildings and block watercourses; crowd out native species and provide little or no habitat for native insects, birds and animals

Do not buy ‘problem plants’, do not dispose of them in green waste (burn them); do not give them away or dump them.

If you want to attract more insects and birds to your garden choose ‘native’ plants.

Water management and conservation

Save rain water for use in the garden Water effectively. No point wetting the soil to depths

below the root zone, or watering anywhere other than at the roots.

Give the plants what they need – pay attention to rain fall and do not water if it is unnecessary. Choose plants that need little additional water.

Mulch – used to conserve moisture in the soil, prevents evaporation.

Health and Safety in horticulture

Why important? Nearly 70, 000 people injured whilst actually gardening each year and about 300,000 injured in the garden

Some of these injuries are very serious or fatal.

Most could be prevented by greater care and awareness of proper technique and safety procedures.

Risk assessment – five stages

Identify the hazards Identify who might be harmed and how Evaluate the risk and identify precautions.

Evaluate means consider how serious the harm might be and how likely it is to happen.

Implement precautions and record results of assessment

Review and update regularly.

General garden safety

Machinery – service regularly, operate in accordance with manual, visual inspection before use.

Electricity – avoid trailing cables, tripping hazard and risk of electrocution if they become trapped in or cut by the machinery.

Lifting and digging – warm up first, don’t do too much, lift correctly and safely.

Personal protective equipment

Gloves – different sorts for different tasks. Anti-vibration for hedge trimming and lawn mowing. Armoured for chain saws. Thorn proof for general purpose.

Ear defenders – wear when operating machinery Safety footwear – steel toe caps and sole plates. Eye protection Dust masks Hard hats

Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides

Use according to instructions and do not mix different products Do not mix more than you need. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection Do not stand downwind when spraying Do not eat or drink or smoke when spraying Keep children and pets out of the way Avoid spraying near water and spray in the evening when bees

are not active. Store in a locked store away from children Dispose of safely and correctly – not down drains or into

watercourses.

Learning outcomes

1. Environmental issues in gardening. Identify and explain the environmental protection issues in relation to the following:

1.1 Growing media 1.2 pest and disease control 1.3 non-native plants 1.4 water usage and water disposal

2. Risk management in gardening 2.1 state why health and safety is important in horticulture 2.2 state the stages of a basic risk assessment 2.3 state categories of potential risk 2.4 state categories of potential harm 2.5 state pesticide, herbicide and fungicide safety considerations 2.6 state four kinds of personal protective equipment.