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What Nursery & Greenhouse Managers (11-9011.01) Do

Core mandate: Grow healthy, market-ready plants and deliver them on time, in full, and profitably, while keeping workers safe and complying with agricultural and environmental regulations.

Typical responsibilities

• Production master planning: Multi-season crop plans; plug/liner sourcing; field block rotations; greenhouse bench calendars; successions for peak weeks.
• Propagation & crop culture: Seeds, cuttings, tissue culture receiving/deflasking; EC/pH targets; DLI/VPD management; growth regulators; staking/pinching/pruning programs.
• Field nursery operations: Bed prep, irrigation layout, frost protection, windbreaks, overwintering, digging/bare-root/B&B procedures, container yards.
• IPM & plant health: Scouting maps, pest/disease thresholds, biocontrols, rotation of chemical MoAs, sanitation SOPs, phytosanitary certifications.
• Greenhouse mechanics & controls: Boilers, unit heaters, vents, curtain systems, HAF fans, CO₂ dosing, fertigation injectors, irrigation booms/drip; alarm logic.
• Labor leadership: Seasonal hiring, safety training, piece-rate or time standards, cross-training; OSHA compliance and equipment/PPE programs.
• Sales channels: Wholesale to landscapers/garden centers, retail garden center (merchandising, customer education), contract grows, e-commerce and delivery logistics.
• Inventory & fulfillment: Grading, labeling/barcoding, availability lists, pulling/staging, load plans, cold-chain for sensitive crops.
• Finance & admin: Pricing, margin models, vendor terms, crop costing and shrink reporting, cash-flow across seasons, grants/cost-sharing programs.
• Sustainability & compliance: Water recycling/runoff control, fertilizer/nutrient plans, pesticide recordkeeping, worker protection standards, waste and substrate programs.

Where they work

• Field nurseries (woody ornamentals, trees, shrubs), container yards, mixed operations with greenhouses/hoophouses, retail garden centers, municipal/educational greenhouses, and vertically integrated landscaping firms.

A Realistic Day-in-the-Life

• 6:15 AM - Weather & controls: Check frost/wind forecasts; confirm alarm history; adjust setpoints and shade/curtain schedules.
• 7:00 AM - Crew kickoff: Safety note (lifting/chemical handling), task board (potting Bay 5; spacing Block C; pulling order #317; liner transplant), and QC targets.
• 9:00 AM - Crop walk: Spot iron chlorosis in petunias → adjust feed; thrips pressure rising in ornamentals → release predatory mites + tighten sanitation.
• 11:00 AM - Vendor/customer calls: Confirm perlite and 3-gallon pots ETA; price a contract for a municipality (tree caliper specs, staged deliveries).
• 1:30 PM - Field block check: Inspect irrigation uniformity and soil moisture; schedule fertigation for Block E; verify B&B equipment maintenance.
• 3:00 PM - Training & documentation: Coach a lead on pour-through EC testing; update pesticide logs and biocontrol release records.
• 4:30 PM - Office block: Publish availability list; reconcile shrink; payroll review; plan weekend alarm tree and backup generator test.

Skills & Traits That Predict Success

• Plant science literacy: Physiology, media chemistry, nutrient programs, and stress diagnostics.
• Environmental control & irrigation: Confident with VPD/DLI, fertigation math, irrigation troubleshooting (pressure, uniformity, leaching fraction).
• Observation & patterning: Early issue detection → quick, proportionate response.
• People leadership: Clear instructions, safety culture, seasonal workforce management, bilingual communication where relevant.
• Scheduling discipline: Hitting retail/landscaper windows requires back-planning and ruthless prioritization.
• Commercial instincts: Pricing, SKU mix, margin focus, customer relationships, reliable communication on delays/substitutions.
• Resilience & calm: Weather, pests, and equipment happen—measured response beats heroics.
• Documentation habit: Accurate spray logs, fertilizer recipes, and availability data are non-negotiable.

Minimum Requirements & Typical Background

Education

• Bachelor’s in Horticulture, Plant Science, Agronomy, or Greenhouse Management preferred; Associate + experience can suffice.
• Useful coursework: Plant pathology, entomology, soils/media, greenhouse engineering, irrigation design, ag/business accounting, retail merchandising.

Experience

• 2–5 years as grower/assistant grower/propagation tech/house or field lead; demonstrated success owning a house/block, crop line, or retail section.

Licenses & certifications

• State pesticide applicator license (private/commercial as needed).
• IPM/biocontrol training (extension programs, Koppert/Biocontrol courses).
• OSHA 10/30; forklift & equipment
• Nursery/Greenhouse certifications where available (state associations); water management certifications in regulated watersheds.

Tools & platforms

• Climate control (Priva, Argus, Wadsworth), sensors/data loggers, fertigation injectors/dosatrons, mist benches, substrate mixers, transplanters/spacing equipment, labelers/POS/ERP light, routing software for deliveries.

Earnings Potential (US-realistic ranges)

Ranges vary by region, scale, specialty, and revenue mix (wholesale vs. retail vs. contract growing).

• Assistant Grower / Section Lead: $40,000–$58,000
• Grower / Production Supervisor: $48,000–$70,000
• Nursery & Greenhouse Manager (this role): $60,000–$95,000 typical; $100,000–$115,000+ at larger, high-value operations; 5–15% bonus tied to shrink/OTIF/gross margin.
• Head Grower / Operations Manager: $75,000–$120,000+ (profit-share possible).
• Owner/GM: Highly variable; upside tied to acreage, contracts, retail margins, and brand positioning.

Comp sweeteners: On-site housing, vehicle/fuel stipends, relocation, seasonality bonuses, plant credits, retirement plans via co-ops/associations.

Growth Stages & Promotional Paths

Entry (0–2 yrs):

• Propagation technician, greenhouse worker, irrigation tech, retail associate (learn customer questions and merchandising).

Developing (2–5 yrs):

• Assistant grower/house or block lead; own a propagation bench, house, or field section; implement scouting and basic fertigation programs.

Manager (4–8 yrs):

• Nursery & Greenhouse Manager; supervise crews, own multiple houses/blocks, coordinate retail/wholesale calendars, run vendor/customer relations.

Senior/Operations (7–12 yrs):

• Head Grower/Operations Manager; multi-site scope, capex, automation pilots (transplanters, spacing robots), water recycling systems.

Leadership/Ownership (10+ yrs):

• GM/Owner or multi-site director; contract grows, co-op leadership, brand/retail strategy, grants/cost-share for sustainability upgrades.

Lateral moves: Plant Health/IPM Specialist, Propagation Director, Landscape Operations, Sales/Account Management, Extension/Education, CEA/Vertical Farming Ops, Municipal/Institutional greenhouse leadership.

Employment Outlook

• Landscape & municipal demand remains steady; commercial and residential greening trends support nursery growth.
• CEA and local food systems (herbs, leafy greens, transplants) add greenhouse jobs and favor data-literate growers.
• Sustainability constraints (water, runoff, substrate shifts) increase the premium on managers who can implement recycling, nutrient plans, and biologicals.
• Automation & digitization expand, teams that pair tech with tight SOPs build durable advantage.

How to Break In (and Move Up)

If you’re early-career:

1. Master one crop line: keep a log of EC/pH, irrigation intervals, DLI, morphology targets; show cycle-time and grade-out improvements.
2. Get licensed and lean into IPM: biocontrol releases, sanitation, thresholds; chemicals as targeted tools with careful rotation.
3. Own a metric: Reduce shrink on a crop 20% or lift rooting uniformity 10 pts; document baseline → intervention → result.
4. Cross-train with sales/retail: Understand customer specs, labeling, and delivery expectations; publish a reliable availability list weekly.
5. Automate mindfully: Start with data logging and bench-level irrigation controls before big capital.

To step into Manager:

• Show OTIF reliability across peak weeks.
• Quantify shrink reduction and its margin impact.
• Demonstrate labor planning that hits potting/spacing targets without overtime blowouts.
• Speak finance: priced SKUs for margin, negotiated inputs/terms, cash-flow planning across seasons.

KPIs You’ll Live By (and Interview On)

• Crop performance: Germination/rooting %, cycle time vs. plan, grade-out yield, uniformity index.
• Quality & health: Pest/disease incidence, returns %, phytosanitary pass rate, cull/shrink %.
• Operations: Labor hours per 1,000 units, potting/spacing rates, pick/pack accuracy, loadout time, equipment uptime.
• Environment: Irrigation uniformity, EC/pH within range %, DLI hours, VPD in-range %, heat degree-days.
• Sales & service: OTIF, backorders, credits/complaints, repeat orders, retail sell-through.
• Financial: Margin by SKU/crop, input cost variance, waste $, cash conversion cycle, inventory turns.

Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

• Watering by habit, not data: Use moisture sensors, leaching fraction checks, and bench maps; train by weight/EC, not the calendar.
• Sanitation gaps: Dirty tools/trays and algae spread pathogens; implement footbaths, hose discipline, and quarantine zones.
• Late weather response: Plan shade/frost/venting strategies days ahead; test alarms and backup power.
• EC/pH drift: Stage-specific recipes and frequent runoff checks prevent lockouts and stunting.
• Overreliance on chemicals: Prioritize cultural and biological controls; rotate MoAs and maintain records to prevent resistance.
• Bad availability data: Outdated lists and mislabels kill trust; barcode and reconcile daily during peak.
• Scheduling misses: Back-plan from retail/landscaper windows; run weekly S&OP with sales to align supply and demand.

Interview Tips (Be Specific)

• Two quantified stories:
  • “Cut culls 31% on mums by re-zoning irrigation and adjusting EC; gross margin +5.2 pts.”
  • “Lifted OTIF to 4% across spring surge by barcoded staging and dock scheduling; credits –38%.”
• Explain your fertigation logic: Injector ratios, EC/pH targets, substrate choices, and diagnostics.
• Demonstrate IPM discipline: Scouting cadence, thresholds, biocontrol release plans, and when/how you escalate.
• Labor & safety: Standards per station, training checklists, PPE compliance, incident reduction.
• Customer lens: How you handled a short crop or substitution without losing the account.

Resume Bullet Examples (Steal This Structure)

• Raised grade-out yield +13 pts on spring annuals via VPD control and substrate mix changes; shrink –29%, margin +5.6 pts.
• Reduced labor per 1,000 pots 18% with transplanter adoption and bench layout redesign; throughput +21% at peak.
• Improved OTIF to 98–99% for 180 wholesale orders over 10 weeks by instituting barcoded pulls and S&OP; customer credits –44%.
• Lowered thrips pressure 55% using banker plants + predatory mites; chemical apps –47% with no quality loss.
• Implemented climate computer and sensor network; daytime VPD in-range >90%; uniformity +10 pts; reduced fuel usage –8% winter season.

Education & Development Blueprint

Year 1–2

• Propagation/greenhouse fundamentals; pass pesticide license; complete extension IPM course; own a small crop/bench.

Year 3–4

• House/block lead; implement scouting and sanitation SOPs; take greenhouse climate/CEA coursework; start ERP/POS basics and Excel tracking.

Year 5–6

• Manager scope; supervise crews, publish availability, negotiate inputs; add Lean/Six Sigma Yellow/Green Belt for process flow; water recycling planning.

Year 7–10

• Head Grower/Ops; multi-site coordination, automation pilots, substrate/water sustainability projects; expand retail merchandising/e-commerce if applicable.

Year 10+

• GM/Owner; brand building, contract grows, grants/cost-share, co-op leadership; mentor successor leads.

Pros, Cons, and “Real Talk”

Pros

• Tangible results and pride of craft, your success is visible on every bench and in every truck.
• Autonomy and variety: science, operations, sales, and leadership.
• Multiple business models (wholesale, retail, contract, CEA) for diversification.
• Strong community and customer relationships.

Cons

• Seasonality and weather volatility; early mornings/weekends in peak.
• Live inventory risk, disease, pests, and equipment failures can erase margins.
• Physical/hazard exposure (chemicals, heat, repetitive tasks).
• Tight margins require disciplined planning and data.

Who thrives here?

• Observant, steady leaders who love plants, plan meticulously, coach teams well, and communicate transparently with customers.

Is This Career a Good Fit for You?

Your long-term satisfaction depends on whether your motivational wiring favors hands-on biology, rhythmic seasonality, and steady process improvement balanced with customer service and business ownership. The MAPP Career Assessment can help you confirm that alignment.

Is this career a good fit for you?
Take the MAPP assessment to find out: www.assessment.com

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