Phase II Technician

Walla Walla Nursery Co

Sticking Technician Job Description

Job Title: Sticking Technician

Reports To: Sticking Lead

Position Status: Full Time

Compensation: $Min - 19.5 (DOE)

General Job Description:

Assist the Sticking Lead with activities related to propagating annuals, grasses, perennials, and shrubs. Includes manual(hand) sticking and working with the TTA sticking machine. Will assist with planting large liner material as directed. Will achieve and document daily/personal production goals.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Willing to go through a training course with testing to best understand the practices and expectation of the position
• Follow planting guidelines set by the Sticking Lead for soil depth and composition, germination time, and moisture levels to ensure that the majority of seeds, cuttings, and divisions survive
• May need to assist with receiving cutting material which includes grading, sorting, preparing material for planting
• May need to assist the cutting specialist with the retrieval of cuttings or clumps out in the field
• Helps maintain potting sheets by giving accurate planting counts and locations
• Keeps their equipment and area clean and sanitized to prevent the spread of plant diseases
• Reports any plant material that is below quality or is infected
• May work with grow team to consolidate material to make space for new material or to adjust moisture levels with watering equipment
• Assist with cutting preparation for TTA machine and/or hand sticking of seeds/TC/URC/Divisions.
• Place material in their appropriate growing location per direction of potting sheet and/or propagation lead
• Maintaining production speed and daily count expectations
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Production expectations

• Receiving and collection of material should only take a duration of 1-3 hours (depending on production load and type of material being produced.)
• Calculating cuttings per container - 1-10 minutes per variety
• Pruning of material approximately 1-3 hours depending on production quantity and weather conditions
• Receiving vendor material can take a duration of 15 minutes if 1-5 varieties. 1-3 hours for 1-5 boxes, or 4-7 hours if 5+ boxes

Production expectations when assisting in Propagation sticking or TTA

• Sowing by hand 15-20 trays of 128/72 per employee per hour
• Sticking tissue culture 45-90 trays of 72 per house, 25-50 trays of 128 per hour
• 4000-8000 cuttings per 8 hour shift, or 500-1000 URC per hour

Production expectations when assisting in Growing or Phase II departments

• Grading cuttings from calluses or semi rooted material 720-1000 plugs per hour
• Weeding and consolidation

• Light weeding: 30-40 days per hours
• Standard consolidation/weeding: 20-30 trays per hour
• Heavy weeding/consolidation: 15-20 trays per hour

• Pruning liners:

-Mechanical pruning (hedger, weed wacker with hedger attachment, Agronomic pruning machine):19200+ units per 8 hour shift

-Hand pruning expectation: 5600-7200 units per 8 hours

Training and Testing

• Must be willing to receive training in regards to practices and critical thinking needs for position.
• Pass (in class and hands on) modules 2-9 with a minimum score of 50%+ on each module
• Willing to take extra training in areas that pertains but doesn’t directly correspond with role: modules1 and 10

Skills and Abilities:

• Minimum high school diploma or equivalent knowledge
• Strong skills with verbal and written communication
• Basic computer skills and strong math skills
• Horticulture knowledge a plus but not required
• Skills and ability in time management and task prioritization
• Ability to be self-motivating while paying close attention to detail
• An adaptive personality with an ability to remain flexible

Physical Requirements

• Extensive pulling and/or pushing of tools, wheelbarrows, containers, etc.
• Sit and/or walk for extensive periods of time while sorting, picking, examining, weeding, transporting, spacing, pruning, etc.
• Stoop and/or bend over while performing farm balfour such as weeding, irrigating, pruning, spacing, picking, removing debris, etc.
• Performing repetitive movements such as picking, sorting, pruning, shoveling, weeding, etc.
• Lift or load up to 50 pounds.
• Fieldwork begins at an assigned time shortly after daylight.
• Work may be performed during environmental extremes including but not limited to light rain and in high humidity and in freezing or high temperatures.
• May be required to work when crops are wet with dew/rain and should have suitable clothing for variable weather conditions
• Must be able to walk across uneven terrain.

Other requirements

• Must go through annual WPS training

Direct Reports: None

Employee Signature___________________________________ Date_____________________________