Growing and Using Citrus- Short Course

Sneak Peek

Learn about growing citrus plants and fruits with this comprehensive 20 hour course

Citrus is a vibrant food crop including oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes. There are thousands of varieties and hybrids available on the market today, but there are some tips and trick when it comes to ensuring success in the world of citrus. In this short 20-hour course you will learn the fundamentals of citrus cultivation including propagation and how to choose the right variety for you. You will also learn a variety of ways to use citrus including making juices, jellies, sweets and even cleaning products.

Our 20 hour courses are self paced and will help you understand a topic in a short amount of time. You can work through the course when you like- test yourself with mini-tests along the way. There are extra case studies or research you can undertake if you would really like to get into the topic. Once you have completed the lessons and self assessment tasks, there is a final exam undertaken online- you can then download your personalised certificate.

Course Content

This course has five lessons. Each lesson has a corresponding online self-assessment test.

LESSON 1 INTRODUCTION: SCOPE, NATURE, BOTANY AND TAXONOMY

• Citrus today
• Harvesting
• A brief history
• Botany of citrus
• Appearance
• Reproduction and variability
• Flowering and pollination
• Fruit development
• Number and classification of species
• Species of citrus
• Close relatives
• Microcitrus
• Eremocitrus
• Fortunell
• Poncirus
• Lesson 1 additional reading
• Review what you have been learning

LESSON 2 CITRUS CULTIVATION

• Planting citrus trees
• What affects success?
• Temperature
• Frosts and cold winds
• Choose the right type
• Shade
• Tree size
• Root damage
• Container growing
• Soil
• Colloids
• Preparing the soil for planting
• Does your soil need gypsum?
• Planting technique
• Feeding
• Fertiliser applications
• Drainage
• Irrigation
• Measuring water availability to plants
• Irrigation
• Scheduling irrigation
• Important elements
• Period of watering
• Cyclic watering
• Pulse watering
• Water extraction by roots
• Types of irrigation
• Common citrus fruit problems
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Pests of citrus
• Diseases and viruses of citrus
• Planting lemon trees
• Planting technique
• Caring for lemon trees
• Pruning citrus
• Pruning a standard shape
• Renovating an old tree
• Pruning to improve fruit quality
• Pruning to improve tree health
• Review what you have been learning

LESSON 3 CITRUS PROPAGATION

• Propagation options
• Grafting (budding)
• Budding techniques
• Dwarf trees and double grafts
• Growing from cuttings
• Growing from seed
• Review what you have been learning

LESSON 4 CITRUS CULTIVARS

• Deciding what to grow
• Lemon tree selection
• Cumquats
• Unusual citrus
• Citrus fruit ripening chart
• Lesson 4 additional reading
• Review what you have been learning
  
  

LESSON 5 USING CITRUS

• Nutritional value of citrus
• How to extract citrus oils
• Freezing citrus
• Drying citrus
• Making use of excess lemons
• Making fresh lemonade
• Recipes
• Making jams/marmalade
• Marmalade
• Beetroot and orange chutney
• Citrus syrup cake
• Classic orange fennel and onion salad
• Easy salad dressing
• Easy pasta side dish
• Fruit butter/ fruit curd
• Lemon tart
• Lemon dipping sauce - Asian style
• Lettuce cups with chicken and citrus
• Lime chutney
• Marinade for chicken
• Marinade for steak
• Orange salad
• Orange couscous
• Salsa topping for salmon or trout
• Review what you have been learning
• Final assessment
  
  

How does this course work? 

You can download your study-guide to your smart phone, tablet or laptop to read offline.

There are automated self-assessment tests you can complete at the end of each lesson. You can attempt these as many times as you wish and each time, upon completion, you can see your results. You will need internet access to complete the self assessment tests.

At the end of the course, you are presented with a large assessment which can be attempted online, anywhere, anytime. If you achieve a 60% pass in the exam; you immediately receive a downloadable certificate of completion with your name on it. If you do not achieve a 60% pass rate, you can contact us to re-sit your exam. ( email- [email protected] )

Contact us at anytime if you have any issues with the course. [email protected]