JLB CERTIFICATION

Become JLB-certified — homeowner or professional.

JLB Certification is our education and credentialing program. We teach the canopy management, irrigation optimization, plant physiology, and field implementation methodology that drives 30–60% landscape water reduction — to homeowners who want to apply it themselves and to professionals who want to deliver it to their clients to a research-backed standard.

JLB CERTIFICATION

Learn the methodology. Apply it yourself.

2 tracksHomeowner & professional

Online + fieldSelf-paced modules with field components

Open accessNo prior horticulture credentials required

2026First cohort dates open

WHY CERTIFICATION MATTERS

The reduction methodology only works if it's applied correctly.

JLB and GreenRx are protocols, not slogans. Applied properly, they produce the design-target reduction range. Applied incorrectly — interior thinning that becomes shearing, soil correction that skips infiltration testing, controller programming that ignores microclimate — they produce noise. Certification exists to widen the pool of practitioners who deliver the protocol correctly.

Quality control

Certification ensures that the work delivered under the JLB or GreenRx name actually meets the methodology — not a contractor's interpretation of it.

Scale

The Plant Institute Inc. alone cannot serve every Utah property. Credentialing extends the standard through a network of trained homeowners and professionals.

Career credential

For landscape professionals, JLB certification differentiates your work and supports premium pricing on a methodology that produces measurable outcomes for the client.

CERTIFICATION TRACKS

Two tracks. Same methodology. Different field application.

TRACK 1

Homeowner Certification

AudienceOwner-operators of single-family residential property
FormatSelf-paced online modules + one field workshop
DurationApproximately 8–12 hours total
OutcomeApply JLB pruning sequence, GreenRx soil basics, and controller programming to your own property under The Plant Institute guidance
CredentialPlant Institute Inc. Homeowner Certificate

TRACK 2

Professional Certification

AudienceLandscape contractors, arborists, irrigation professionals, HOA landscape managers
FormatOnline modules + multi-day field practicum + assessed implementation
DurationApproximately 40–60 hours plus practicum
OutcomeDeliver JLB and GreenRx work under the Plant Institute Inc. standard for client properties
CredentialPlant Institute Inc. JLB-Certified Professional, listed on The Plant Institute directory

COURSE MODULES

What you'll learn.

Both tracks share the same core curriculum on plant physiology, canopy science, irrigation efficiency, and methodology. The professional track adds field implementation, client diagnostics, and assessed practicum work.

MODULE 1

Plant water physiology

Xylem transport, stomatal regulation, transpiration drivers, boundary-layer effects. The science that underlies every reduction lever.

MODULE 2

JLB canopy management

Structural classes, pruning sequence, post-pruning recovery. Why shearing fails and what to do instead.

MODULE 3

GreenRx soil protocol

Soil core diagnostics, infiltration testing, mulch protocols, root-zone health.

MODULE 4

Irrigation optimization

Pressure regulation, distribution uniformity, controller programming, smart-controller integration, ET-aware scheduling.

MODULE 5

Measurement & verification

Reading meter data, weather normalization, distinguishing real reductions from background variability.

MODULE 6 (pro only)

Field implementation

Client communication, scope writing, sequencing on multi-day projects, contractor coordination, certified-pro deliverables.

WHAT YOU GET

Materials and credentials.

Workbook

Printed and digital workbook with diagrams, decision trees, and field checklists. Yours to keep and reference on every project.

Certificate & badge

Plant Institute Inc. certificate (homeowner or professional) and digital badge for your website, LinkedIn, or company collateral.

Directory listing (pro)

Professional-track graduates are listed in the Plant Institute Inc. Certified Professional directory — referenced from every The Plant Institute free analysis when local capacity is needed.

Certification FAQ.

Do I need a horticulture background to take the Homeowner track?

No. The Homeowner Certification is open to anyone who owns or manages a residential property and wants to apply the methodology themselves, without compensation.

How is the Professional track different?

The professional track adds a multi-day field practicum, an assessed implementation on a real client property under The Plant Institute supervision, and ongoing inclusion in the Certified Professional directory.

What does it cost?

Tuition tiers are published when each cohort opens. We offer reduced-rate seats for HOA landscape committee members, municipal staff, and qualifying small businesses. Register your interest below to receive cohort pricing as soon as it's published.

Is this CEU- or industry-recognized?

We are working with relevant professional bodies on continuing-education credit alignment. Specific CEU recognition will be published on a per-cohort basis.

Is the Plant Institute Inc. itself accredited as an educational institution?

The Plant Institute Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an internal certification program. JLB and GreenRx certifications are credentials issued by the Plant Institute Inc. under our research methodology — not degrees from an accredited university.

Be first to know when 2026 cohorts open.

Drop your details below and we'll send pricing, schedule, and seat-reservation information as soon as the next cohort opens.

Certification Interest

No commitment.