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Nursery Technician 

UCI Series Concepts

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

November, 1974

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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.

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