Specific Competencies and Skills Tested in this Assessment:
Basic Floral Design
- Display basic safe work practices
- Identify and correctly use floral supplies and tools
- Use ribbons and accessories in floral design
- Design and create basic arrangements
- Process, condition, and store plants and cut flowers
- Exhibit knowledge of shop sanitation, including coolers, containers, and buckets
- Identify cut materials and plants
- Display basic knowledge of floral design history
Intermediate Floral Design
- Create and design permanent floral arrangements
- Safely use steel pick machine, hot glue gun, and other floral adhesives
- Apply the principles and elements of floral design
- Exhibit knowledge of various floral wire services (FTD®, Teleflora®, and electronic services)
Advanced Floral Design
- Design and create various holiday and special occasion arrangements
- Apply knowledge and competence with wedding designs and accessories
- Apply knowledge and competence with funerals and sympathy work
Small Floriculture or Floriculture-Greenhouse Business
- Identify and describe business categories (sole proprietor, partnership, etc.)
- Exhibit knowledge of proper floriculture salesmanship techniques, customer relations, including telephone etiquette
- Set up effective merchandise displays and window displays
- Exhibit knowledge of effective floriculture advertising techniques
- Correctly price and determine costs of floral arrangements
- Apply knowledge of correct inventory procedures, shipping/receiving, and completing invoices
- Apply business math (invoice, payroll, labor, etc.)
- Identify and describe careers/jobs within the floral and/or greenhouse industry
Plant Science
- Classify plants using binomial nomenclature
- Identify and describe plant life cycles
- Identify and describe plant anatomy and physiology
- Exhibit understanding of sexual and asexual plant reproduction
Soil Sciences
- Identify and describe soil microbiology, components, and classification
- Describe drainage dynamics and types
- Identify and describe essential and trace elements, interactions, and availability
- Analyze soil test results
- Identify and describe types of growing media
Greenhouse Operations
- Correctly select appropriate structures, sites, and layouts for greenhouses
- Describe various watering techniques
- Describe environmental factors that affect crop production
- Apply methods of propagation (i.e., sexual, asexual)
- Identify types and uses of fertilizers
- Describe concepts and practices of integrated pest management (IPM)
- Identify and describe greenhouse-related worker protection standards
- Describe various effective methods of greenhouse climate control
- Identify greenhouse crops
- Identify and use greenhouse-related containers
- Identify and describe insect types, anatomy, and life cycles
Written Assessment:
Administration Time: 3 hours
Number of Questions: 196
Areas Covered:
Basic Floral Design: 20%
Intermediate Floral Design: 12%
Advanced Floral Design: 7%
Small Floriculture or Floriculture-Greenhouse Business: 18%
Plant Science: 15%
Soil Science: 9%
Greenhouse Operations: 13%
Sample Questions:
Artistry and design principles are most important to an individual seeking a career in
- greenhouse production
- plant science
- retail floristry
- soil science
Steel pick machines use steel picks that may
- come with or without wire attached
- be useful for cutting heavy stems
- cut fingers because they are sharp
- be purchased in various colors
The two most common tools used for fresh flowers designs are a
- styrofoam cutter and ribbon shears
- staple gun and wire cutters
- sharp knife and floral shears
- stem stripper and pruners
What is the scientific name (binomial nomenclature) for the carnation?
- lilium longiflorum
- erica carnea
- hyacinthus orientalis
- dianthus caryophyllus
The term, scarification, describes a method of
- reducing scars on a stem of a plant
- subjecting seeds to cold weather to aid germination
- detecting plant disease
- mechanically helping a seed to take in water
Performance Assessment:
Administration Time: 2 hours and 55 minutes
Number of Jobs: 5
Areas Covered:
19% Isosceles Triangle Arrangement
Wholesale and selling prices, profit margin, container preparation, quality of design. material handling, and time to complete Job 1.
25% Design a Multi-Flower Corsage
Selection of flowers and foliage, assembly procedures/mechanics, selection of ribbon, appearance of bow, overall appearance and quality, packaging, clean up, and time to complete Job 2.
10% Cash Register/Sales
Greeting, completion of receipt, calculation of bill and change, close the sale, and time to complete Job 3.
26% Plant Classificaton and Identification
Correctly identify annuals, perennials, cut flowers, house plants, and cut foliage, and time to complete Job 4.
20% Start/Propagate Herbaceous Plant from a Stem Tip Cutting
Prepare for taking cuttings-organization, preparation of containers, harvesting cuttings, preparation of cuttings, sticking cuttings, preparation of labels, placement of containers on bench, clean up work area, media in containers, size of cutting, appearance of cuttings in containers and time to complete Job 5.
Sample Job:
Start/Propagate Herbaceous Plant from a Stem Tip Cutting
Maximum Time: 25 minutes
Participant Activity: The test participant will prepare 12 containers for starting, by direct sticking, 12 herbaceous plant cuttings. Harvest cuttings from a stock plant and demonstrate sterile techniques using a florist’s knife. Prepare cuttings and treat with rooting compound. Properly stick the cuttings into the containers. Label the containers and place potted plants in the greenhouse. Clean up work area and return supplies to original location.