Horticulturist I - Indoor Nursery (Tropical)

Summary: The Horticulturist I performs all job duties associated with the production and maintenance of hardy and nonhardy plant material, seasonal display crops, and plants for the Garden flower shows amongst nursery site(s) and greenhouses. This position ensures all plant material is produced at the highest and most sustainable standards. They are responsible for supporting the Garden’s living collections by implementing appropriate cultivation techniques, timely plant database records, and proper labeling of plant material.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Performs a wide range of greenhouse and nursery plant production tasks critical to supporting the Garden’s landscapes and living collections; including but not limited to watering, weeding, mulching, applying Integrated Pest Management (IPM), monitoring and scouting crops, plant growth regulator applications, achieving necessary plant nutrient levels, sowing seeds, sticking cuttings, dividing plants, grafting, transplanting, pruning, and pesticide applications as needed.
◦ Identifies and corrects nutrient deficiencies.
◦ Ensures optimum temperature, light, and humidity levels.
◦ Identifies and treats pests and diseases.
◦ Adjusts irrigation systems, shade, and ventilation in greenhouses.
◦ Maintains proper soil fertility.
◦ Sterilizes and cleans greenhouses and their contents periodically.
• Operates technical equipment; submits maintenance requests in a timely manner, and maintains general care of horticultural tools and equipment necessary for operations to include but not limited to vehicles, forklifts, pallet trucks, carts, Cushmans, tractors, mechanical sprayers, and a variety of hand tools.
• Maintains the highest standards of plant record keeping by updating the Living Collections Management System when plant status changes; ensures plants are labeled properly.
• Adheres to MBG’s living collections policy, collections acquisitions processes, and collections focus.
• Follows and is mindful of all appropriate legal and ethical concerns when acquiring plants and sharing plants for the Garden; obliges with national and international permits and regulations including patent laws, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• Trains and effectively utilizes assigned volunteers, interns, and students.
• As assigned, provides information/text for the collection’s interpretation.
• Ability to remove snow, ice, leaves, and results of storm damage from work environment.
• Ensures that all applicable safety standards are followed, adapts or modifies work methods to reduce hazards, and reports all accidents, injuries, and near-miss accidents immediately.
• Ensures that all tool storage areas and work areas are kept clean and tidy.
• Responsible for assigned weekend and holiday watering rotation duties.
• Meets expected attendance guidelines.
• Follows and adheres to established policies and procedures, including but not limited to Employee Handbook, Garden Safety Guidelines, and Department Policies.
• Behaves and communicates in a manner that promotes and fosters a culture of teamwork, cooperations, and respect within our division and throughout the Garden with all employees, supervisors/managers, volunteers, visitors, and others.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Core Competencies:
• Communication – Listens to others and asks questions for clarification; Writes clearly and presents information accurately; Speaks professionally and responds well to questions; Supports positive visitor relations.
• Collaboration – Demonstrates teamwork and promotes respect in the workplace; Engages in problem solving and group initiatives; Cooperates in implementing procedures and process improvements; Strives for positive visitor experiences.
• Accountability – Demonstrates commitment to responsibilities and adaptable to changes; Effectively prioritizes, troubleshoots and takes appropriate actions; Follows policies and procedures, meets deadlines, quality, and safety standards; Strives to proactively, address visitor and internal colleagues’ concerns.
• Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems; Includes supervisor before taking action as necessary; Recommends solutions, demonstrates creativity and resourcefulness; Exhibits sound and accurate judgment in decision making process; Includes appropriate people in making decisions.
• Stewardship – Promotes and adheres to sustainability, safety and security protocols; Fosters a culture of respect, diversity and inclusion; Demonstrates effective and prudent use of Garden resources; Maximizes contributions during work hours.

Qualifications/Experience:
• Minimum of (3-4) years of hands-on, relevant