Nursery Worker Ii - Short Season

Job description

Workers may perform the following duties which are related to nursery production and distribution in open growing fields and in environmentally controlled structures (ECS).

Assist supervisors in directing assigned tasks and instructing workers in planting, cultivating, harvesting techniques, grading, labeling, packing, and loading activities. May serve as lead worker in small crews.

Fill containers or flats using automated soil flat-filling machinery; place identification stakes, tags, and individualized pre-pricing information on finished product; prune, pinch, remove dead leaves, old flowers, and dead or “leggy” branches off of plants to create market quality product; lay down ground cloth, install shade cloth, or shade coverings on multiple sized environmentally controlled structures (ECS); maintain heaters, irrigation booms, fans and other equipment commonly used in environmentally controlled structures; install poly ventilation tubes in ECS’s; implement temperature control in ECS for optimal plant growth by adjusting thermostats on heaters or by opening and closing doors and vents; fertilize plants utilizing irrigation hose or irrigation boom; fill customer orders by directing self to plant location, selecting quality plants, and placing product on carts; place plastic or paper sleeve over plant before shipment to customers; perform quality control and accurate counts by recounting pulled order and assuring plant quality; and assist in sowing seeds in trays or field seed beds.

Pull orders (while selecting quality plants) according to customer request; place tags and apply marketing material to finished product; prunes trees and marketable plants; perform quality control; dipping, drenching and spraying plants with pesticides or herbicides; label, count and grade plants using instruments and quality standards of nursery; record information to maintain records for accurate inventory using spreadsheet or computerized inventory control equipment including computer, handheld inventory device; process and package shipping paperwork, mix soil and prepare growth media using skid steer or front end loader; cover or uncover poly structures greater than 14’ wide.

Perform budding, grafting, grading, staking, tying, and harvesting bare root nursery stock; assemble and disassemble warehouse storage bins; inspect for outbreak or disease; observe and adjust environmental controls; conduct inventory of plant materials; conduct quality control inspections; prepare and organize orders for boxing, operate irrigation pumps and monitor particular/individual crops water needs to ensure application of correct amount of irrigation water; perform heavy manual labor; perform minor adjustments, maintenance or repair of equipment and machinery; operate large agricultural machinery, harvest, rake, and bale sudan grass used for winter protection.

Construct container covering sleeves and pot wraps for marketing purposes; build and assemble bamboo trellises used in plant production; place plants back in the field that were mistakenly order pulled, cancelled by customer, damaged, or of poor quality; fix and maintain signage used for identifying hundreds of plant varieties in fields; enter planting records into computer; remove, repair, and replace above ground irrigation parts; erect hoop houses by utilizing a mechanical jack hammer to pound metal stakes into the ground for stabilization; irrigate plant material (hundreds of varieties) based on plant variety water need and climate conditions; spray for weeds utilizing backpack and sprayer for chemicals. Taking and sticking unrooted softwood, hardwood and tissue culture cuttings, and dividing of perennial clumps.

CONTINUED ON ADDENDUM C

Special Requirements

This position requires three months (480 hours) experience working in a wholesale nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with nursery production and harvest activities; OR documentation of three months of educational/vocational training in horticulture or agriculture.

Must possess ability to understand verbal and/or written work instructions.

Must possess the ability to recognize species and varieties of nursery stock and the ability to determine grades and quantities for selecting trees, shrubs, and perennials.

Must be able to lift and carry 60 lbs.

Workers must kneel, crouch, bend, reach, and lift and carry items weighing up to 60 pounds in the course of performing required activities.

CONTINUED ON ADDENDUM C