Los Angeles Community College District

Monitors and maintains one or more instructional horticulture laboratories; operates and maintains a college nursery and arboretum; assists students and faculty with instructional activities related to the assigned program; maintains horticulture equipment; and orders, issues, receives, and stores classroom materials and supplies.

Plans, oversees, and participates in the following functions:

Preparing and maintaining a stock of soil and compost for planting.

Sterilizing pots, flats, cans, and soil.

Preparing and maintaining seed beds and other plant plots.

Propagating flowering plants, shrubs, vines, hedges, and trees.

Planting, lifting, drying, and storing bulbs.

Potting and preparing propagated plants for sale.

Fertilizing, irrigating, cultivating, and transplanting plants.

Controlling pests by using various pesticides.

Planting, pruning, and trimming trees, shrubs, and hedges.

Monitoring the proper irrigation of the nursery, arboretum, and plant plots.

Selling plants to the public.

Schedules and oversees the use of one or more instructional horticulture laboratories by students, faculty, and staff.

Instructs students individually on the proper and safe use and operation of a variety of equipment and tools and orients students to established policies within the instructional laboratory.

Oversees and participates in the planting, labeling, and maintaining of trees, shrubs, ground covers, and herbaceous plants in the arboretum and horticultural area.

Oversees the receipt of plant materials, supplies, equipment, and other requisitioned items.

Issues and receives supplies, materials, and equipment for student use in laboratory and classroom assignments, keeps records, and effects the return of supplies and equipment checked out to students.

Assists instructional staff with demonstrations and maintenance of plant histories and materials.

Maintains inventories of plants produced in the glass and lath houses and prepares periodic inventory reports.

Contacts nurseries, selects stock, recommends the ordering of plant materials, and prepares requisitions as needed.

Operates, adjusts, and performs minor maintenance and repairs on equipment used in cultivation, moving plants, soil mixing, and spraying.

Maintains lath and glass houses, and cold frames.

Maintains laboratory attendance and progress records for instructional staff.

May provide training and work direction to student employees.

Performs related duties as assigned.

An Instructional Assistant, Horticulture, applies knowledge of horticulture in assisting students and faculty with instructional activities related to a broad range of duties related to the day-to-day operations of a horticulture department which include: preparation of supplies, materials, and equipment; maintaining and operating a college nursery and arboretum; storekeeping functions; and proper and safe use of equipment and materials.

Instructional Assistants in others academic disciplines provide tutorial assistance to students in the fundamentals of their specialized fields and are responsible for the day-to-day operations of learning laboratories on the campus.

A Gardener performs general maintenance gardening of college grounds under immediate supervision.

General supervision is received from an academic supervisor. Functional supervision is received from instructional staff. Work direction may be provided to student employees.

Knowledge of:

Characteristics and methods of propagation of nursery and arboretum plants, especially those common to California

Proper and safe use of pesticides including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides

Soils and fertilizers used in Southern California

Common horticultural pests

Materials, equipment, and tools used in nursery, arboretum, and other horticultural operations

Health and safety precautions, practices, and procedures related to horticultural equipment and hazardous materials

Capabilities of computer systems, software, and hardware common to instructional laboratories

Recordkeeping procedures

Skill in:

Proper and safe use of power gardening equipment, hand tools, and other horticultural equipment

Ability to:

Provide instructional assistance to students and instructional staff

Propagate plants from seeds and cuttings and apply propagation methods

Mix and apply pesticides according to written instructions

Apply fertilizers and soil amendments in proper proportions and sequence

Effectively and safely operate, adjust, and make minor repairs to equipment in a horticulture department

Secure and store supplies

Give clear and concise instructions

Follow written and oral instructions

Work effectively and cooperatively with District staff, students, and the public

Keep detailed and accurate records

Effectively utilize computer hardware and software

Learn general and specialized software applications

Education and Experience:

A. An associate degree or its equivalent from a recognized college or university with a major in horticulture, nursery management, or a  related field.

OR

B. Graduation from high school or its equivalent AND two years of full-time, paid experience in nursery plant cultivation and care, including planting of seeds and cuttings, watering, fertilizing, transplanting, and pruning. College-level courses in botany, horticulture, floriculture, arboriculture, or a related field are desirable.

Special:

A valid Class “C” California driver's license may be required for some positions.

Travel to locations throughout the District may be required for some positions.

Our class specification generally describes the duties, responsibilities, and requirements characteristic of the position(s) within this job class. The duties, responsibilities, and requirements of a particular position within this class may vary from the duties of other positions within the class.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Los Angeles Community College District provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with covered disabilities on a case-by-case basis throughout the application, examination, and hiring processes and throughout employment. If an individual is in doubt about his or her ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of a position or possession of any other requirement noted in a class specification or job announcement, he or she should always apply for a position and request reasonable accommodation at the appropriate time.