Horticulturist

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Work Tasks

• Do experiments to find better ways to make, grow, and store flowers, trees, plants, nuts, fruits, and vegetables
• Finds ways to make plants produce more food, make better food, and keep from getting diseases
• Find the best ways to plant, spray, and collect crops
• Find ways to improve plants for landscaping and growing in parks, public grounds, and homes
• Work for farms, schools, the government, research labs, wholesale distributors, food companies, public gardens, private homes, golf courses, and for newspapers and magazines
• Work with fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables, flowers, shrubs, trees, lab equipment, computers, reports, test data, fertilizers and pesticides

Salary, Size & Growth

• $60,000 average per year ($28.75 per hour)
• A small occupation (12,100 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow moderately (1.5% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A 4-year degree
• Employers Prefer: A Ph.D. degree
• Skills/Courses: College courses include in agriculture, biology, chemistry, math, physics, and computer science.
• Certification/Licensing: A pesticide license is needed.