General Information
| Job Description | NURSERY TCHN | Working Title | Nursery Tech |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job Code | 009562 | Grade | |
| Department Name | Botany and Plant Sciences - D01047 | Department Head | Patricia Springer |
| Supervisor | Zachary Thomas | Effective Date | 10/01/2022 |
Position(s) Directly Supervised
| Job Code | Title | FTE |
|---|
Department Custom Scope
| Care and maintenance of plants in the UCR citrus breeding program in both greenhouses and field. Also assistance with data collection. Greenhouse duties would include filling pots with soil, emptying and cleaning pots, weeding, assist with rooting cuttings, grafting, pruning and staking trees. Field work would include fruit collection, counting seeds in fruit, assist with pollinations, harvesting fruit from field trials in Riverside and other locations (this may involve extra long days or overnight trips). Laboratory work would include assisting with fruit quality evaluation, seed extraction and treatment. Other duties may be assigned as needed. |
Education & Experience Requirements
Education Requirements
Experience Requirements
| Experience | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 2 years of training and experience in nursery techniques; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position. | Required |
License Requirements
| License | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Valid California Drivers License | Required |
Certification Requirements
| Certification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| EPA blue card | Required |
Educational Condition Requirements
| Condition | Requirement |
|---|
Key Responsibilities
| Description | % Time |
|---|---|
| Irrigation of greenhouse plants, trees and seedlings of various sizes and ages. This includes hand-watering, operation of automatic timers for drip irrigation, and ebb and flow systems, oversight of misting propagation bench, checking for clogged or malfunctioning drip emitters and replacement of individual drip emitters if they have clogged or malfunctioned, and reporting to researchers on recommendations for an individual plant's water needs based on personal observation or use of moisture meter. | 40 |
| Prune, train, sucker, rogue experimental seedlings, trees, and plants as directed in both the field and greenhouse. Place and remove tree-tags and wraps in the field and greenhouse. Monitor supplies needed to complete these tasks such as tapes, staples, pruners, tags, stakes, etc. | 10 |
| Assist propagation of Citrus trees by budding and grafting. Recognize successful buds and then assist with training of newly budded trees. Application of BAP (6-Benzylaminopurine) at the direction of supervisor. | 10 |
| Cleaning dirty or used pots and cones. Filling pots and cones with soil, planting seeds and transplanting seedlings and trees. Monitor supplies needed to complete these tasks such as soap, bleach, pots, soil, and report to supervisor the need to replace inventory . | 10 |
| Preparation and maintenance of cuttings in a misting chamber, including using rooting hormone, regulating the amount of mist or moving plants to optimize rooting success. Cleaning and maintaining the misting benches, such as scrubbing the misting nozzles, heating pads and related equipment to keep it free of algae buildup. | 5 |
| Maintain greenhouse equipment such as pruning shears, loppers, tapener. Observe and report that equipment such as the retractable shade cloth, refrigerator, controllers, lights, and timers are in proper working order. Notify supervisor over equipment concerns. Maintain a monthly schedule for checking and monitoring yellow sticky pest traps. Detect and report high pest levels to supervisor so that pesticide sprays can be scheduled. Maintain a monthly schedule of monitoring greenhouse safety equipment such as fire extinguishers (which includes one annual inspection by campus fire at a central location) and bottled drinking water. Day-to-day observance of the exclusionary greenhouse structure for possible breaches in greenhouse walls, roof and mesh in the vestibule. Notify supervisor about structural concerns. | 5 |
| Assist researchers in conducting citrus fruit quality studies including washing, counting seeds, slicing, juicing, analyzing brix, using automatic titrator, and tasting citrus fruit and cleaning the lab. | 5 |
| Assist researchers on citrus trials, including harvesting fruit, recording yield, measuring tree size, and other tree data. | 5 |
| Maintain assigned greenhouse areas in a clean and sanitary manner. Keep benchtops, floors, and walkways clear from soil, leaves and gravel, and remove weeds from pots, benches and vestibules. Apply NAA (1-Napthalene acetic acid) to pots for weed control at direction of supervisor. Report excessive weed growth in outdoor areas such as shadehouses and greenhouse gutters so that herbicide sprays can be scheduled. Occasional painting of wooden benches with copper naphthenate. | 5 |
| Assist researchers with fruit collection for seed extraction, and with the seed extraction and treatment of the seeds. | 5 |
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
| Knowledge/Skill/Ability | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Ability to work in the greenhouses/field in inclement weather, e.g., hot humid conditions above 100 F, cold damp foggy conditions, windy weather or in the rain. They must also be able to routinely work in the greenhouse when temperatures exceed 90 degrees for several hours of the day and relative humidity exceeds 55%, given appropriate breaks and water. | Required |
| Ability to lift 60 pounds and, at times, lift 20 pounds repeatedly for several hours. The job will sometimes require spending several hours standing and/or walking with repeated bending. Examples of such work include moving potted trees, full cone racks of seedlings, and five-gallon buckets containing fruit. | Required |
| Communications Skills: Ability to speak, read, and write in English. | Required |
| Math Skills - Basic: Ability to record data accurately and legibly on data sheets or hand held computers. Skills in performing basic arithmetic calculations, such as add and subtract whole numbers, decimals, and fractions, as is necessary to perform the job responsibilities. | Required |
| Knowledge of Plant Care: Knowledge of and experience with plant and horticultural care, preferably of citrus. The knowledge should cover plant irrigation requirements (including signs of overwatering or underwatering plants), plant propagation by seed and cuttings, grafting, seed collection, pruning methods, seed germination, recognizing off-type seedling plant, and recognizing rootstock suckers in the field and greenhouse. | Required |
| Ability to work in "APHIS Exclusionary Structures" where strict rules and practices are enforced in order to retain clean and protected citrus plant material and comply with state and federal regulations. | Required |
Special Requirements & Conditions
| Special Condition | Requirement |
|---|---|
| The work schedule for this position is 8:00 am to 5:00 pm five days a week of which two days must include Saturday and Sunday, as greenhouse plants require daily irrigation and monitoring. Weekend work will definitely be required as a routine part of the schedule. The applicant must work most holidays. Some activities, such as harvests, will require starting earlier or staying later than the normal work schedule of 8 am - 5 pm. | Required |
| Travel | Required |
| Travel Outside of Normal Business Hours. Some work activities, such as harvests, will require starting earlier or staying later than the normal work schedule of 8 am - 5 pm, and may require in-state travel and sometimes overnight travel of which transportation and accomodation will be provided. | Required |
| Applicants must pass a physical exam before confirmation of employment. | Required |
Other Special Requirements & Conditions
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Level of Supervision Received
| General Direction |
Environment
Working Environment
| Campus |
Other Requirements
Items Used
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Physical Requirements
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Mental Requirements
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Environmental Requirements
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Critical Position
| Is Critical Position: No |