AZ Certified Landscape Professional

Click here to download a copy of the 2012 ACLP Schedule.
Workshop Locations: Mesa, Phoenix, Tucson

What is the Arizona Certified Landscape Professional Program?

The Arizona Certified Landscape Professional (ACLP) is sponsored by the Arizona Landscape Contractors' Association.

This educational program is for those aspiring to be professional landscapers. ALCA schedules series of workshops and written & practical exams covering 10 topics designed for interaction and hands-on learning.

Plant Identification

  • Apply techniques for identifying plants
  • Use principles of xeriscape design correctly
  • Read & understand blue line & black line landscape drawings
  • Prepare for exam throgh self-study practices

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 (click on the workshop name to open the registration form)

  • 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

  • Turfgrass identification
  • How to install sod
  • Turfgrass maintenance (establishment, mowing, fertilizing, de-thatching, & overseeding)
  • Problem solving skills
  • Irrigation water amounts for turf
  • Weed identification, insects, and diseases

Tree Pruning

  • Understand basic tree & shrub growth structure & functions (i.e. roots, trunk, limbs, leaves, and xylem & pholoem)
  • Pruning process: purpose for pruning, time of year, understanding proper cuts & branch selection, percent of tree pruning at any one time
  • Pruning safety: climbing, ladders, and working around power lines
  • Pruning shrubs: hedging, shearing, natural pruning & rejuvenation
  • Equipment: hand saws, chain saws, pruners & climbing gear

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.

Soils & Fertility

  • 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.

Practical Exam

  • There are three (3) sections that require a practical exam in addition to the written exam for certification:
    1. Plant Identification
    2. Annuals and Perennials
    3. Pesticides and Calibrations

Why Become Certified?

The certification process increases knowledge and skills, earns greater respect, and enhances the public image of the industry. Just as importantly, certification paves the way for career advancement and added income. Successful ACLP candidates become Arizona Certified Landscape Professionals and proudly display the ACLP designation following their names as a symbol of integrity and competence. Let the Arizona Certified Landscape Professional Program provide the nourishment you need to thrive in this growing profession. To see a list of ACLP certified individuals, click here.