Horticultural Workers

Work description

Crops/Commodities: Nursery Work: Containerized plants and trees. Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays): Prepare and fill containers with soil media; stick cuttings; sow seeds; and plant, label, and space bedding plants, annuals, perennials, foliage, vegetables, shrubs, and trees as directed. Water and fertilize plants according to schedule and growing requirements. Groom and maintain plants by removing weeds, spent blooms, and damaged foliage to ensure a healthy, marketable appearance. Load, transport, and unload plants and materials within greenhouse and nursery areas. Pull and stage customer or internal orders accurately. Operate small tow tractors, pallet jacks, and other small material-handling or nursery equipment to move carts and supplies within work areas. Operate greenhouse or nursery equipment to support planting and cultivation. Maintain safe, orderly work areas through upkeep and sanitation and report maintenance needs to a supervisor. Perform routine cleaning and sanitation of planting materials, tools, greenhouses, benches, and propagation areas using approved disinfectants and methods. Complete cart-scanning and loading tasks by using a handheld scanner to verify contents, applying final labels, rolling carts onto trailers, and reporting any count or label discrepancies to a supervisor. Work involves standing, walking, bending, and lifting in hot/cold/humid conditions. Job opportunity is Skill Level I. All primary duties are entry-level and require close supervision and/or a short demonstration of the task by a more experienced worker. Secondary duties (performed on less than half of the workdays in the contract period): Support freeze-protection activities by covering crops, shrubs, and young trees as needed during cold weather. Assist with the application of pesticides including biologicals and plant-growth regulators (PGRs) as directed, following all label and Worker Protection Standard (WPS) requirements. All pesticide work is incidental to primary nursery labor and performed only by or under the direct supervision of a certified pesticide applicator. Assist with preventive and corrective maintenance, limited to simple repairs and upkeep, on greenhouse structures, irrigation systems, tractors, trailers, carts, production equipment, and related facilities; tighten bolts and fittings; lubricate small motors and fans; replace belts, hoses, shade cloth, and plastic; repair minor leaks and door tracks; maintain benches, floors, outdoor growing surfaces, grounds, and support buildings; perform only tasks for which you are trained and authorized. Use environmental controls (shades, vents, fans, heaters) as trained and authorized to maintain proper growing conditions; these tasks are incidental to primary nursery work and performed under supervision. Assist with periodic inventory counts and material organization. Implement erosion-control measures as trained to prevent runoff. Operate farm tractors with implements. Support supervisors with safety programs and daily work assignments. Operate forklifts or other small equipment to move soil, containers, and materials between departments as incidental support to production. Eligible workers may operate vans to transport workers between employer-provided housing and worksites when authorized; requires a valid driver's license, insurable MVR, company training and authorization, and compliance with transportation-safety rules; driving is incidental to primary nursery and greenhouse duties; no CDL endorsement is required. The job order will apply equally to all workers, both U.S. workers and H-2A workers, employed in the occupation described in this job order. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker's ability to perform the job. Persons seeking employment in this position must be available for the entire period requested by the employer.