What Does a Horticulture Technician Do?
For plant researchers, commercial growers and public gardens, horticulture technicians ensure the health of the plants that trials and displays depend on. They make sure that watering and feeding schedules are kept, and that growth data is accurate and recorded on time. Technicians work in greenhouses, nurseries and university research plots and spend a lot of time bending over benches or walking crop rows.
Also known as: Horticulture Assistant, Horticultural Technician
Horticulture Technician Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a horticulture technician include:
- Propagate plants from seed, cuttings and grafts for research trials, teaching collections and plant sales.
- Water, feed and pot up greenhouse stock; move plants between benches as they grow.
- Set and check greenhouse heating, venting, shade and misting controls several times a day.
- Scout benches and field plots for insects and disease; record findings and treat outbreaks.
- Collect plant height, yield and flowering data for researchers and enter it into spreadsheets.
- Mix and apply fertilizers and pesticides following label directions and the research protocol.
- Prepare potting mixes, sterilize soil and clean pots, flats and benches between crops.
- Label plants and keep track of seed lots, plant sources and planting dates.
- Plant, weed and harvest field plots, operating tractors, tillers and small sprayers.
- Train student workers and volunteers in plant care, safety and greenhouse routines.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a horticulture technician, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Plant identification and propagation techniques
- Greenhouse climate controls and irrigation systems
- Integrated pest management (IPM) scouting
- Data recording in Microsoft Excel
- Safe handling of fertilizers and pesticides
- Tractor, tiller and sprayer operation
- Stamina for lifting, kneeling and hot greenhouse days
- Patience with repetitive, exact work
Education and Training
Associate degrees in horticulture or plant science are the typical route into this work. Seasonal shifts at a nursery or garden center count as experience too, especially if they involved propagating plants from seed or cuttings. New hires usually get several months of training on the job, and coursework in soil science is worth having.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $40,950 - $63,630 per year, with a median of $49,630.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Agricultural Technicians.
BLS projects employment of agricultural technicians, the wider group that takes in horticulture technicians, to grow about 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, with roughly 2,800 openings a year. Openings often are tied to research grants and nursery sales, but technicians always will be needed as growers test new plant varieties and as experienced staff retire.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Agricultural technicians.