Nursery Technician

Class Specifications – I.20
Senior Nursery Technician – 9561
Nursery Technician – 9562

November, 1974

Series Concept

Nursery Technicians perform work requiring a broad understanding of the cultural requirements of a large series of plant groups; and perform other related duties as required.

Class Concepts

Senior Nursery Technician

Under direction, incumbents manage greenhouses, headhouses, and sometimes lath houses and field plantings in a department or division of the University or in a tract or subdivision of a department, working for a department or division head, or designee, but without direct supervision of nursery techniques; and may supervise subordinates. Senior Nursery Technicians propagate large quantities and many different varieties of plant material for use in teaching and research; supply plants to faculty members, graduate students, and classes at the times, in the quantities, and of the sizes needed, in accordance with a master plan approved by the department or division head extending over the year and with no other instructions.

Incumbents propagate and maintain plantings of large numbers of species or pedigreed cultures of plants; perform nonroutine hybridization and prepare seed collections, cuttings and reproductions of key plants; keep accurate and extensive records to be used for research purposes covering the complete life cycle of every plant, involving careful attention to pedigree members; and provide for field planting, the collection, care of and germination of seed, and the control of diseases and pests.

Incumbents maintain rare, delicate and valuable collections of plants brought from distant parts of the world, requiring utmost care in the control of ventilation, temperature, and humidity; and propagate species never before grown in California, requiring ability to devise methods on the basis of thorough understanding of the cultural requirements of related plants.

Nursery Technician

Incumbents perform routine nursery work under the supervision of Senior Nursery Technicians or Grounds Supervisors, requiring training and skill in nursery techniques.

Typically Nursery Technicians propagate plants by sexual and asexual means; transplant, ball and line out plants; train nursery stock by pruning, tying and root pruning; mix soils according to formulas prescribed by the supervisor; and feed, spray, and water plants in greenhouses, lath houses, and on grounds.

Minimum Qualifications

Senior Nursery Technician

Ability to read, write and perform arithmetic calculations; six years of experience in nursery techniques including demonstrated supervisory ability when applicable; or technical gardening school education and three years of experience in nursery techniques including demonstrated supervisory ability when applicable; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Nursery Technician

Ability to read, write and perform arithmetic calculations; two years of training and experience in nursery techniques; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.