Landscape Maintenance/Ornamental and Turf
(2025) Exam Questions and Answers
Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA)
The primary agency regulating pesticides in Texas.
The Texas Structural Pest Control Service (SPCS)
Also licenses people to apply pesticides to lawns, ornamental plants, and weeds to control
landscape pests.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
You need to take a comprehensive approach that uses biological, cultural, physical, and chemical
controls in a careful, environmentally sound manner. The terms for this approach is .....
Natural Factors
....influence pests include climate, natural barriers and enemies, population developmnt and
dynamics, and the availability of shelter, food, and water. These XXXXX factors may cause pest
populations to increase or decrease without influence from humans.
Biological Control
....involves manipulating the natural enemies of pests-those that kill and eat pests (predators),
those that feed on but do not necessarily kill pests (parasites), or those that cause diseases in
pests (pathogens). You can encourage and maintain high population levels of these natural
enemies by using pesticides carefully or by releasing a pest's enemies into the target area.
Cultural Control
,....methods are the activities involved in taking care of the plants, such as site selection and
watering practices. These techniques can alter the environment around the plants to affect the
pests that could be attacking them.
Mechanical Control
....involves the use of equipment or manual operations to keep out or disrupt the life cycle of
pests. Barriers that exclude pests include fencing, plastic mulches, and row covers.
Host Plant Resistance
....Some plants can tolerate damage from certain pests or are unsuitable for pest development;
this trait is known as xxxxxxxx. For example, the St. Augustine grass variety 'Floratam' is
resistant to chinch bugs.
Chemical Control
....involves the use of pesticides to destroy pests, control their activity, or prevent them from
causing damage. Chemical pesticides are often the quickest way to control pests and, in some
cases, the only alternative.
Plant Selection
A critical step in pest control is to choose the proper plant or variety for the landscape. Choose
all landscape plants according to their water requirements, shade tolerance, and susceptibility to
pests.
Water
Too much or too little xxxxx can damage or kill plants. Lack of water causes leaves to wilt,
droop and drop. Excess water in the soil forces out the oxygen that plant roots need to survive.
, Fertilization
Plants need 16 elements, which in horticulture are called plant nutrients. The soil usually
contains enough of these nutrients for normal plant growth. Nitrogen is normally the most
limiting plant nutrient. It constitutes the foundation of most common fertilizers. The elements
needed in tiny amounts are called micronutrients. The best way to determine how much and what
kind of fertilizer that a landscape needs is to take a soil sample.
Mowing
The primary cultural practice in turf management is xxxxx. Good xxxxxxx practices enhance turf
and can significantly help you manage pests. It can improve turf color, density, root
development, texture, and wear tolerance.
Thatch
Thatch is the layer of undecayed grass between the soil and green leaves of a turf plant. As old
turf plants age and die, they decompose into finely textured humus that becomes a part of the soil
surface.
Pruning
A primary technique for producing a specimen plant is xxxxxx. xxxxxx prevents and treats some
diseases and helps keep some ornamental plants attractive. You must prune properly to prevent
or minimize insect and disease invasion. Do not make the cuts flush with a trunk or main branch.
Instead, prune the limb outside the collar, which is the section of the branch where it joins to the
trunk or main stem.
Preventive Applications
(2025) Exam Questions and Answers
Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA)
The primary agency regulating pesticides in Texas.
The Texas Structural Pest Control Service (SPCS)
Also licenses people to apply pesticides to lawns, ornamental plants, and weeds to control
landscape pests.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
You need to take a comprehensive approach that uses biological, cultural, physical, and chemical
controls in a careful, environmentally sound manner. The terms for this approach is .....
Natural Factors
....influence pests include climate, natural barriers and enemies, population developmnt and
dynamics, and the availability of shelter, food, and water. These XXXXX factors may cause pest
populations to increase or decrease without influence from humans.
Biological Control
....involves manipulating the natural enemies of pests-those that kill and eat pests (predators),
those that feed on but do not necessarily kill pests (parasites), or those that cause diseases in
pests (pathogens). You can encourage and maintain high population levels of these natural
enemies by using pesticides carefully or by releasing a pest's enemies into the target area.
Cultural Control
,....methods are the activities involved in taking care of the plants, such as site selection and
watering practices. These techniques can alter the environment around the plants to affect the
pests that could be attacking them.
Mechanical Control
....involves the use of equipment or manual operations to keep out or disrupt the life cycle of
pests. Barriers that exclude pests include fencing, plastic mulches, and row covers.
Host Plant Resistance
....Some plants can tolerate damage from certain pests or are unsuitable for pest development;
this trait is known as xxxxxxxx. For example, the St. Augustine grass variety 'Floratam' is
resistant to chinch bugs.
Chemical Control
....involves the use of pesticides to destroy pests, control their activity, or prevent them from
causing damage. Chemical pesticides are often the quickest way to control pests and, in some
cases, the only alternative.
Plant Selection
A critical step in pest control is to choose the proper plant or variety for the landscape. Choose
all landscape plants according to their water requirements, shade tolerance, and susceptibility to
pests.
Water
Too much or too little xxxxx can damage or kill plants. Lack of water causes leaves to wilt,
droop and drop. Excess water in the soil forces out the oxygen that plant roots need to survive.
, Fertilization
Plants need 16 elements, which in horticulture are called plant nutrients. The soil usually
contains enough of these nutrients for normal plant growth. Nitrogen is normally the most
limiting plant nutrient. It constitutes the foundation of most common fertilizers. The elements
needed in tiny amounts are called micronutrients. The best way to determine how much and what
kind of fertilizer that a landscape needs is to take a soil sample.
Mowing
The primary cultural practice in turf management is xxxxx. Good xxxxxxx practices enhance turf
and can significantly help you manage pests. It can improve turf color, density, root
development, texture, and wear tolerance.
Thatch
Thatch is the layer of undecayed grass between the soil and green leaves of a turf plant. As old
turf plants age and die, they decompose into finely textured humus that becomes a part of the soil
surface.
Pruning
A primary technique for producing a specimen plant is xxxxxx. xxxxxx prevents and treats some
diseases and helps keep some ornamental plants attractive. You must prune properly to prevent
or minimize insect and disease invasion. Do not make the cuts flush with a trunk or main branch.
Instead, prune the limb outside the collar, which is the section of the branch where it joins to the
trunk or main stem.
Preventive Applications
