Nursery Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
nursery stock, including trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, house plants, and seedling vegetable plants.
This job requires a minimum of three 3 months of verifiable prior experience working in a nursery/greenhouse operation handling both manual and mechanized tasks associated with commodity production and harvesting activities. Workers must be able to perform manual and mechanized tasks with accuracy and efficiency Job duties include any combination of seasonal agricultural tasks: planting, cultivating, hoeing, transplanting, fertilizing, propagation, preparing soil, weeding, thinning, spraying and watering, mowing fields, digging, mulching, tagging plants.

Prepare fields/soil/container-growing area for planting. Remove cull stock, debris, tree stumps, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using tractor, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes. Plant, cultivate and maintain nursery stock and/or bedding plants in condition for shipping and sale to customers. Pot seedlings or ‘liners' by hand or mechanical planter. Propagate plants from cuttings. Perform general plant maintenance. Prune, trim, space, transplant, weed, and cull plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Irrigate and apply fertilizer. Pack, label, tag, pull, and store plants by variety. Count, grade, and inventory plants. Prepare plants for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Dig plants. Wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and secure with twine and/or staples. Must understand nursery quality control standards and have working knowledge of production procedures. Must harvest crops according to specific standards. Must select, harvest, assemble, and prepare plants pursuant to customer needs. Lift, carry, and load/unload nursery stock and/or supplies. Workers will assist in loading/ unloading trucks with product weighing up to and including 70 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet for long periods of time.

Plant, cultivate and maintain nursery plants, including perennials, bedding plants, vegetable plants and hanging baskets in condition for shipping and sale to customers. Pot seedlings. Attach hangers to baskets and hang throughout seasonal holding houses. Move containerized plants using rolling carts. Prepare plants for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Dig plants. Drum lacing and quarter lacing. Wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and secure with twine and/or staples. Crimp wire baskets. Fill various size pots with soil and plants weighing as much as 70 pounds. Must understand nursery quality control standards and have working knowledge of production procedures. Must harvest crops according to specific standards. Must select and harvest crops pursuant to customer needs. Products must be handled carefully to prevent damage. Remove plastic from seasonal holding houses in spring and cover seasonal holding houses with plastic in fall. Assist with building seasonal holding houses.

Work includes heavy mechanized field work using power equipment. By way of example and not limitation power equipment includes power shears, gas-powered pruners and chain saws. Workers will be expected to operate and maintain agricultural equipment with or without direction.

Supervisor(s) will provide instructions and directions to workers. Workers must be able to comprehend and follow instructions and communicate effectively to supervisors. Unusual, complex or non-routine activities will be supervised. Workers expected to perform basic duties in a timely and proficient manner without close supervision. Workers must obey all safety rules and basic instructions and be able to recognize, understand and comply with safety, pesticide warning/re-entry and other essential postings. Employer will instruct workers in the safety and operation of equipment before use.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three 3 months of verifiable prior experience working in a nursery/greenhouse operation handling both manual and mechanized tasks associated with commodity production and harvesting activities. Workers must be able to perform manual and mechanized tasks with accuracy and efficiency Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 70 lbs.