Horticultural Worker

Job description

Crops: Tropical’s, Perennials, Ornamental Grasses and Ferns.

Greenhouse/Nursery duties: Planting cutting, micro cuttings, and seeds in trays or pots with soil medium. Planting plants in trays with automated planting machine. Planting seeds in trays with automated seeding machine. Documenting, labeling, and recording daily planting, consolidating, and harvesting activities with name of plant, tray type and quantity planted/harvested/consolidated. Harvesting cuttings from stock plants, seeds, and young plants. Divide plants. Potting and repotting plants of various sizes. Trimming and/or cleaning plants with knives and hand trimmers. Trimming plants with automated machine. Consolidating plants in liner trays for shipping. Watering and fertilizing plants. Cleaning plants which consist of removing dead foliage, dead flowers, and dead shoots. Moving plants in trays and pots from one location to another. Moving tables with and without plants. Workers will fill trays and pots with media/soil. Loading and pushing carts with plants. Cleaning and disinfecting greenhouse floors, walls, tables, work areas, pots, trays, and trays cover. Harvesting micro cuttings from jars and test tubes using scalpel and forceps in tissue culture clean room. Documenting, labeling, and recording daily micro harvesting activities with plant processing documentation. Washing/cleaning tissue culture jars and tubes. Moving plants, rays, tissue culture jars and test tubes from one location to another. Loading plants on rolling carts and moving carts from one location to another. Working in media prep room closing jars with caps, moving, and preparing jars for media and wrapping tools for sterilization. Inspecting tissue culture jars and test tubes for microbial contamination.

GENERAL CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL CROPS: Fieldwork begins at assigned time shortly after daylight. Work is performed during light rain and in high humidity and in temperatures ranging from 100 (+) degrees to 35 degrees F. Workers will work on their feet in bent, stooped, and crouched positions for long periods of time. Workers will make fast, simple, repeated movements of fingers, hands, and wrists. Workers must be able to bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with the body, arms, and/or legs. Workers will use muscles to lift, push, pull, or carry heavy objects, such as trees or potted plants. These could/will weigh 75 lbs. Workers will supply their own work clothes. All the tasks in this Job Description constitute one (1) job; the employer may assign workers to different tasks on any day or to multiple tasks during the same day in the sole judgment of the employer. Workers may be required to perform work on the farm that is incidental to farming the crops listed in the application, such as performing hand cultivation tasks, weeding, or hoeing, cleaning, and repairing farm buildings, seed beds, racks, or grounds, operate tractor/farm equipment, incidental crop set up, move irrigation pipes and equipment, gardening, weeding and shrubbing, etc. All other duties assigned under this order will be those duties of Horticulture Workers, SOC code 45-2092.01. This is a very demanding and competitive business in which quality specifications must be rigorously adhered to. Sloppy work cannot and will not be tolerated.

The employer retains the right to discharge an obviously unqualified worker, malingerer or recalcitrant worker who is physically able to but does not demonstrate the willingness to perform the work necessary for the employer to grow a premium quality product.

During certain duties, workers may be required to work in teams to accomplish a certain task. When engaged in teamwork activities workers must coordinate with other members of the team to accomplish the task.

Special Requirements

Must have three months experience working in agriculture/horticulture. Applicants must be able to furnish affirmative job references from recent employers operating comparable operations establishing acceptable previous experience. Must be physically able to meet and perform all job specifications stated in job order. Must be able to work in the hot humid weather for extended periods of time. Workers are subject to random drug testing at no cost to the employee. Failing or refusing a drug test will result in immediate termination.