Greenhouse Manager Job Description

Greenhouse managers are responsible for taking care of facilities that cultivate plants for various research and commercial purposes. They are required to oversee the the overall management of the greenhouse, starting from choosing the right seeds for cultivation to maintaining the greenhouse facilities and systems training new employees to maintain the records, orders and supplies.

Greenhouses essentially mean the cultivation and nurturing of plants in a controlled environment, wherein the right climate and favorable conditions are maintained using innovative ways and specialized equipment and so a thorough knowledge of the agricultural practices added with the right technical knowledge relevant to this field are very essential for a greenhouse manager.

A typical greenhouse manger has the knowledge of cultivation of various commercial, ornamental and economical plants and various cross-hybridization, cutting, plant-breeding, plant-nutrition and nurturing techniques. They are required to interact with individual clients to know about their requirements or with commercial clients and improve the commercial value of the greenhouse.

Greenhouse Manager Responsibilities

Greenhouse managers are employed by universities for research and teaching by agricultural companies, commercial greenhouses and wholesale plant dealers.

Greenhouse manager responsibilities may widely differ with the place they choose to work in or are employed and so the set of responsibilities we present here should just be considered as a reference to the overall roles that could be played by a greenhouse manager throughout their tenure.

It should be understood that any added responsibilities might also be endowed upon them. Here is the general list of responsibilities put upon a greenhouse manager in general:

Assign duties and tasks to the staff and supervise them
Study various greenhouse projects in hand and make correct choices regarding the seeds, ways of breeding and quantity of plants to be grown by managing the budget as well.
Look for safety policies and regulations and explain them to the staff under them.
Determine the demand of the market and plan the cultivation accordingly.
Hire new employees and train them well in various gardening and greenhouse techniques.
Identify the best plants commercially and economically and look for problems like diseases, various insects and pests affecting them.
Select the best seeds for cultivation, the best plant nutrients, fertilizers, pesticides and the best gardening equipment.
Constantly visit the work areas to understand the soil conditions, inspect plants and crops and manage the work over there.
Demonstrate the various techniques to take care of plants, nurseries in front of individual gardeners, commercial gardeners and clients.
Apply artistic overlook in cutting and pruning trees, shrubs and flowers, etc.
Inspect the gardening equipment and other greenhouse facilities to check for disrepairs and maintain them properly.
Undertake any other responsibilities as said by the organization.

Educational Qualifications for Greenhouse Managers

A career in this field generally requires an associate degree in gardening techniques, horticulture, greenhouse management or other relevant sciences. Many universities also provide a full-fledged bachelor's degree in plant breeding and nurturing techniques.

Having such a bachelor's degrees can also qualify an individual for this post. A high school diploma with some specialization courses done also qualifies well for this post. Some universities also offer some extension/ part time programs in greenhouse management, which is also considered as a qualifying asset for this post.

Additional Essential Skills

Greenhouse managers should have expertise in various gardening and horticulture techniques.
They should be well versed in the various disease and pest control techniques by using pesticides and medicines. They should have good management skills, be good supervisors and trainers.
They should be keen about the adverse effects of some techniques and pesticides on the global environment and should take attempts to avoid them at all costs.
They should have the basic knowledge of computers so that the records could be properly maintained.
Good communication and interaction skills and customer service skills are necessary for the ones employed in commercial greenhouses.
People management skills are also important for a greenhouse manager. They should be able to work in damp and warm conditions.

So as to gain some prior knowledge before the actual job, some part-time work should also be taken at nearby nurseries or greenhouses. This experience will let the candidate gain good on-job knowledge of some gardening skills and could help immensely in the future and such candidates can start their careers early in this field.

Career prospects and Economic Outlook for Greenhouse Management Careers

Greenhouse Managers have demand in various universities, commercial large and small scale greenhouses/nurseries and in research institutes. They typically earn around 40- 45 thousand dollars on an average, in a year.

Even when not employed at commercial greenhouses, a candidate having learned all such sciences can work in their own fields doing farming or could rent a piece of farm to start work.

Farming is the core business of every economy and people with proficiency in technologies associated with it could not only make good money, but could help other non-trained farmers understand the need of learning.

Farming presents a a very good career opportunity for all those who believe in working on their own, love to remain closely to the nature and wish to serve the society, literally from the grass root level. Having gone through the greenhouse manager responsibilities, if you think that you can do the work well and would enjoy it, think of this career seriously; it pays well and has unending opportunities.

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