Nursery Worker

Job duties

Original text, as filed with the Department of Labor.

Manual tasks related to the growing of nursery stock will include some combination of the following: seeding plant trays, watering and applying fertilizer to trays and pulling weeds from trays; preparing fields for planting by clearing cull stock, brush and debris; planting seedlings or ‘liners’ by hand (including riding and inserting liners in a mechanical planter); digging, loading, unloading or transplanting bare-root nursery stock; straightening, tying, pruning and shearing trees and shrubs; cutting, pulling or removing and mowing weeds or grass; moving irrigation equipment; spraying herbicides and insecticides and applying fertilizer.

Most field work is performed in crews of from 3 to 4 workers who will be required to maintain the pace of the average crew member. Crew work may consist of hand hoeing around nursery stock and removing tops and suckers from plants. Weeds are to be removed by the root and not at ground level. Shearing conifers and evergreens must be performed with proper taper and angle of bud cut for quality.

Tasks related to harvest of nursery stock will include the following: taking inventory and grading plants, preparing trees and shrubs for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary; digging; drum lacing and quarter lacing; wrapping burlap or other covering around root balls and securing with twine and/or staples; crimping wire baskets; lifting, carrying and loading nursery stock; and unloading, moving or loading supplies, including wire baskets. Hand digging of ornamental evergreens and conifers up to 5-6’ will be performed by 4-worker crews which will be expected to harvest between 40 and 45 plants per hour.

Plants must be handled carefully to ensure that leaves, limbs and roots are not broken during digging, handling, wrapping and/or transplanting processes.

Work will also include heavy mechanized field work using power equipment. By way of example and not limitation power equipment may include power shears, chain saws, skid loader and tractors. Workers will be expected to be able to operate agricultural equipment with or without direction.

Other related tasks include, but are not limited to, watering in nurseries and seasonal holding houses, spacing, tagging and performing other plant maintenance. Load finished plants onto wagons and trucks. Remove plastic from hoop houses in spring and recover in fall, if necessary. Fill various size pots with soil and plants occasionally weighing as much as 75 pounds. Propagate plants from cuttings.

Workers should be able to work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, insect spray, related chemicals, etc. may affect workers’ ability to perform the job. Workers are exposed to wet weather early in the morning through the heat of the day, working in fields. Temperatures may range from 10 to 100 F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop work activities. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.

Requirements

This job requires a minimum of two months of verifiable prior experience working in a propagation and field-grown tree and shrub nursery with extensive ball and burlap (B&B) field harvesting. Workers must be able to perform all duties of entry level workers as well as perform additional mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Must be able to lift/carry 75 lbs. Post-hire employer-paid drug testing required.

Benefits and conditions