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
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Agricultural Research Technician (Agricultural Research Tech), Agricultural Research Technologist, Agricultural Technician (Agricultural Tech), Agriculture Assistant, Agronomy Research Technician (Agronomy Research Tech), Field Assistant, Insect Research Technician (Insect Research Tech), Lab Tech (Laboratory 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.
Horticulture Technician Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $35,980 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $40,950 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $49,630 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $63,630 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $76,480 |
Highest-Paying States for Horticulture Technicians
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Iowa ($64,070), Wyoming ($63,120), Arizona ($62,990), California ($60,320), Kentucky ($59,860). Pay is lowest in South Carolina ($41,290), Virginia ($41,210), Oklahoma ($37,840).
Median pay in all 39 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Arizona | $62,990 |
| Arkansas | $46,750 |
| California | $60,320 |
| Colorado | $47,020 |
| Delaware | $52,510 |
| Florida | $42,700 |
| Georgia | $48,960 |
| Hawaii | $47,960 |
| Idaho | $48,870 |
| Illinois | $46,410 |
| Indiana | $46,170 |
| Iowa | $64,070 |
| Kansas | $47,200 |
| Kentucky | $59,860 |
| Maine | $47,410 |
| Maryland | $49,680 |
| Michigan | $42,780 |
| Minnesota | $57,310 |
| Mississippi | $48,800 |
| Missouri | $54,060 |
| Nebraska | $47,420 |
| Nevada | $43,590 |
| New Hampshire | $42,520 |
| New Jersey | $54,370 |
| New York | $45,830 |
| North Carolina | $51,470 |
| North Dakota | $46,960 |
| Oklahoma | $37,840 |
| Oregon | $46,800 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,800 |
| South Carolina | $41,290 |
| South Dakota | $41,420 |
| Tennessee | $45,130 |
| Texas | $50,270 |
| Utah | $46,560 |
| Virginia | $41,210 |
| Washington | $48,220 |
| Wisconsin | $46,470 |
| Wyoming | $63,120 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as agricultural technicians about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 94% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 74% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 72% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 66% use email every day
- 54% work outdoors in all kinds of weather every day
- 44% spend more than half the day walking or moving around
- 42% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 41% |
| Bachelor's degree | 18% |
| Associate's degree | 13% |
| Doctoral degree | 7% |
Tools and Software Horticulture Technicians Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as analyzing problems and working with ideas.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Writing, Active Learning, Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: Food Production, Biology, Chemistry, Mechanical, Mathematics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 19-4012.00 (Agricultural Technicians). View on O*NET OnLine.
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