Nursery Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
nursery stock.
Work in greenhouse & hoop houses facility to plant, cultivate, harvest, transplant, spray, weed, fertilize trim, and water plants, using hand tools and gardening tools & machinery. Other activities include, but are not limited to, shoveling, hoeing, ground preparation, lifting, carrying, loading/unloading plant supplies and other manual tasks. Clear debris from field and clean/maintain greenhouse & hoop house buildings, structures, equipment, and work areas. Assist with greenhouse & hoop house maintenance and repairs. Worker will also apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants strictly following all instructions company policies & guidelines to meet safety requirements.

Operate scan guns, labeling machines, tablets. Requirements to track activities & report daily piece rate counts into approved document. Tracking labor tied to specific accounting codes. Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.

Mix and apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, and other plant related treatments at the correct time depending on plant type, growth, climate, and crop conditions. Prepare soil for planting. Plant, cultivate, and maintain nursery stock and/or bedding plants in condition for shipping and sale to customers. Harvest, pack, label, tag, hanger, transplant, pot, dig, store and pull/select plants by variety. Take cutting according to specifications. Stick cuttings by hand and transplant liners by hand or mechanical planter. Clean trays and pots. Make flats by placing inserts or pots into trays or saucers into pots and placing into soil machinery. Stick plant cutting into medium. Run a plant fixer removing dead/immature plants. Perform cleaning and sanitation in production areas as required.

Load/unload/build carts/wagons/trailers/pallets/coolers/or other storage devices with plants and move to designated locations. Perform general plant maintenance. Prune, trim, space, transplant, and cull plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Irrigate and apply fertilizer. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig, count, grade, and inventory plants. Prepare plants for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Dig plants. Workers must understand greenhouse & hoop house quality control standards and have working knowledge of production procedures. Must harvest crops according to specific standards. Plants must be handled carefully to prevent/avoid damage. Pick, move, and lay down plants for orders. Lift, carry and stack orders or product. Load and unloads plants and supplies from trucks. Remove and apply shade tarps to greenhouses & hoop houses. Operate tractors, plant fixer machine and other machinery and equipment to fertilize, cultivate, harvest, de-leaf, and spray plants. Pull flats from the greenhouse & hoop houses for customer orders or to throw away. Following written or verbal instructions received, locate flats in the greenhouse & hoop houses, pick them up, set them onto a rack or wagon/container, and relocate them to the appropriate area. Assemble racks for plants to be shipped on. Racks are custom built for each individual order and may vary in size. Workers may use powered tools in the assembly and disassembly process. Assist in preparing the ground by leveling and removing old ground cover cloth and replacing with new cloth to place plants. Remove and apply shade tarps or plastic to greenhouses & hoop houses. Cover and uncover plants with frost/freeze protection fabrics. Worker will be exposed and not limited to standing, bending, stooping and kneeling for long periods of time. In addition, worker will be exposed but not limited to moderate to loud noises and other outdoor weather conditions in all seasons, including variable temperatures; wet, humid, heat, & cold. Also, work requires repetitive movements, extensive walking, standing, bending and kneeling.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of agricultural experience handling both manual and mechanized tasks. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid pre-employment and post-hire drug testing required. Criminal background check required.