Horticulture Unit 1 To obtain an overview of the horticulture industry and jobs available in the field so that a career choice can be made

Definitions Horticulture: The processing, cultivation, and sale of fruits, vegetables, nuts, ornamental plants, and flowers. Pomology: The science and practice of growing, harvesting, handling, storing, processing and marketing fruit trees Olericulture: The science and practice of growing, harvesting, storing, processing and marketing vegetables. Floriculture: The science and practice of growing, harvesting, storing, designing, and marketing flowering plants. Landscape and Nursery Industry: The science and practice of propagating, maintaining, and using grasses, annual plants, shrubs, and trees in the landscape.

Careers in Horticulture Greenhouse worker: Screen, mix, and sterilize soil, sow seed, start cuttings, and transplant seedlings and plants. Water, weed, prune, thin, fertilize and spray growing plants. Involves a great deal of manual labor. Qualifications are a high school diploma with vocational courses in agriculture. Nursery Employee: Grows seedlings and plants for landscaping, fruit production and forest plantings. Mostly works outside and in the greenhouse. Includes manual labor. Qualifications are HS diploma, plant knowledge. Garden Center Employee: Caring for plants, moving plants and supplies for display, selling, and arranging displays. Qualifications include HS diploma, plant knowledge and good people and communication skills Maintenance employee: Cares for the area surrounding industrial bldg, businesses, churches, schools, airports, etc. Responsible for planting and care of lawns and ornamental plants. Mostly outdoor work. Qualifications include being able to work alone, enjoying working with plants, tools and small garden equipment. Should have high school diploma. Golf course employee: Responsible for the overall maintenance of golf courses. Care for the turf, install irrigation and drainage equipment, clean and maintain sand traps, change location of cups, prune shrubs and trees, replace soil and repair equipment as needed. Qualifications are good health, enjoy working outdoors, get along with others and a high school education.

City, State or National Park Employee: A park employee does the work necessary for maintenance of the park. Includes maintaining trees, shrubs, flowers, and lawns. Work will include mowing grass, edging, planting, pruning, and caring for trees, shrubs, hedges, lawns and flower beds, controlling insects, diseases, weeds and caring for the soil. Work is outdoors and manual labor. Qualifications include HS diploma and health. Opportunities for College Graduates: Each year, there are about 14% more jobs in agriculture than there are graduates to fill them. Included are: landscape architect, teacher, plant breeder, sales, greenhouse manager, garden center manager, pesticide specialist, consultant, researcher, officer supervisor, plant disease specialist, nursery manager, pest control specialist, landscape contractor, forester, etc.

The Future of the Horticulture Industry The horticulture industry is in a state of rapid growth. It is full of career opportunities and is making use of the newest technology. Production of horticulture crops will increase in demand. Service Industries such as production of seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, growth regulators, hand tools, and equipment are needed. Marketing and distribution of horticulture products will increase in volume. Inspection services by governmental agencies for both fresh and processed product will employ more workers. Private firms will also employ field inspectors to spot diseases and insect outbreaks. Teaching and extension workers will be needed to work with producers with the quickly changing technologies. Research demands will greater as more plants species are developed.

Student Activities 1. Using the telephone book, make a list of horticulture businesses in our area. 2. Using the local newspaper, list the horticulture jobs advertised in the classified. 3. Select one business and interview the owner and several employees. Write a paper on the jobs available and the duties and working conditions involved with each job. 4. Write to your local agriculture college (or ) and ask about jobs offered to its graduates in horticulture and the colleges placement services. 5. Complete the self evaluation at the end of the chapter