Nursery Worker

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.

Dig bare root nursery plants and seedling, wash plants, sort, store plants in the warehouse or sawdust heeling beds, store seedling, bandsaw cutting, pull orders, load trucks & trailers, grade, bundle, tag, assemble/dismantle warehouse racks, crates and bins, scion wood collection and processing, and shipping activities boxing and palletization of plants, load and unload flats and or trucks/trailers for shipping, place and remove row cover, collect and stick cuttings hardwoods/softwoods (field), collect and stick cuttings (field/greenhouse), collect and clean seeds, stick hardwoods and sowing seeds in trays/field, dip, cut roots/limbs (process in preparation to plant), process cuttings, layer bed planting, weaving and packing, push and pull stakes in field/pots, pot, de-pot, straighten stakes via machine, hand & machine tie, color code, maintenance during spring/summer months: prune, limb, trim, sprout, weed, plant straighten, hoe, top, place and remove grow tubes, plant, graft, bud, wrap, band removal, and ability to maintain and sharpen hand tools.

Assist with irrigation activities, irrigate and monitor crops based on water needs and climate conditions, operate irrigation equipment, remove, repair, and replace above-ground irrigation parts. Monitor crops’ water needs to ensure application of correct amount of water. Maintain heaters, irrigation equipment, fans and other equipment commonly used in environmentally controlled structures, (remove, replace and repair parts), lay down ground cloth, install poly, install shade cloth. Adjust thermostats on heaters and timeclocks for irrigators, open and close valves for irrigation, open and close doors, and vents in warehouses.Toss surplus or damaged plants.

Fix and maintain signage used for identifying hundreds of plant varieties in fields; enter planting records into computer; place identification stakes, tags, 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; perform quality control and accurate counts by recounting pulled order and assuring plant quality.

Assist with field inventory counts & quality control, record information to maintain records for accurate inventory using spreadsheet or computerized inventory control equipment (computers and handheld devices) assist with monitoring pest and disease in plants and applying fertilizer and pesticides, weed removal by hand or spray. Toss surplus or damaged plants. Orchard Production: Plant, prune, irrigate, scion, collect seeds and nuts, apply pesticide, paint trunk, remove trees and perform other maintenance and harvest duties as required.

Requirements: 2 months of experience. This position requires 2 months experience working in a wholesale nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with nursery production and harvest activities. Must possess the 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 perennial.