Nursery Workers

Work description

Nursery work and general maintenance. Must be able to reach, bend and lift items weighing 50 pounds repetitively throughout the workday. Must be able to work outdoors in dusty/dirty conditions, at extreme heat and cold inclement weather. Must be able to listen to, understand, and follow simple instructions of supervisors. Must be able to work in fields where ants, snakes and poison ivy are encountered. Workers may be requested to submit to random drug or alcohol tests at no cost to the worker. Failure to comply with the request or testing positive may result in immediate termination. Use of personal cell phone or other personal electronic device during working hours strictly prohibited except for work-related calls or emergencies and violation may result in immediate termination. Plant, cultivate and maintain nursery stock, trees, shrubs, bedding plants, plugs, liners, and other horticultural varieties. Prepare fields/soil for planting. Plant/propagate plants. Remove cull stock, debris, tree stumps, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using hand tools or mechanized equipment (rakes, shovels, hoes, tractors, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes). Plant/pot seedlings or ‘liners’ by hand or mechanical planter, fill and label trays, and move product to/from greenhouses and loading/unloading areas. Prepare trees for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Hand dig trees and other plants with shovel or tree spade. Crimp wire baskets. Attach hangers to baskets and hang throughout holding houses. Move containerized plants using rolling/electric carts. Load/unload product, materials and/or supplies onto/of off trucks/trailers. Install/remove plastic coverings. Perform general plant maintenance. Remove fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. Identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches rubbing against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots-suckers. Irrigate and apply fertilizer or other chemicals. Maintain irrigation systems. Train, prune, trim, thin, shear, space, transplant and cull trees and/or plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Shear trees with proper taper and bud cut angle for quality. Regroup trees. Stake, tie and position trees and plants by tying or wrapping as necessary. Count, inventory, and grade trees. Select trees for cutting according to grade. Cut trees using axe or chainsaw. Drag cut trees from cutting area. Bale trees using tree baler. Wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and secure with twine and/or stapes. Pack, label, tag, pull, sort, and store plants by variety. Crimp wire baskets. Perform manual and mechanized tasks associated with the indoor and outdoor production of horticultural products. Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates.