Horticulturist/gardening job?

Question

I am thinking of changing my career from working in catering(hospitality industry) to gardening Horticulturist, can you advice me about this gardening job , I want to know if this job is stress free( where in hospitality they timing me and i have to be in hurry all the time) Do i need to be in hurry with gardening job /Horticulturist, and what requirement i need to have?

Answer 1

if you like to get your hands dirty & a little sweat go for it .but like anything the harder you study the more you will learn.

Answer 2

Is there a need to be in a hurry in Horticultural tasks? Absolutely, all the time continuously. Time is money. Time is plants getting what they need. Time is fruit continuing to grow and becoming ripe and not getting picked/processed. Time is flowers getting to the florist in the peak of freshness. Time is the Super Bowl turf being ready for this Sunday. And you can add your own situations now where green demands hurry for time's sake and having or not having a profit, or exceeding a budget.

"Is this job stress free?" you ask. Absolutly not. Even the lowest paid position has its stressful times. The more responsibility one has in the world of work -- the more probable will the person be subjected to stress. You can see by the examples given above that stress, pressure, conditions are all related to time and money.

Requirements. Don't settle for anything less than a Bachelor of Science having Horticulture or related field as the major, from a college or university accredited by the same national organization that accredits your own state university. Use the junior college/community college system, but don't waste your money on anything less.

Answer 3

I'm not sure where you live, but if you live in the US you can start by enrolling in a technical institution and taking horticulture classes for a certificate (not a degree). The classes I took at our local PTEC were not expensive but were very informative and had lots of hands on experience. The only downside for me was that the industry uses so many chemicals, pesticides, and you have to be willing to apply them on the landscape and the plants.
I wasn't thrilled by the idea so I'm not currently working in the field. There are more and more organic facilities around though and that may be an option for people like me who dislike the use of pesticides. Good luck in your next career!!

Answer 4

I have an Ornamental Hort. cert
you can get hort. certificates at college w/ 1-2 yr degrees
this is a job requiring:
familiar with plant names (latin&common) there are 100's
familiar with plant needs and soils & water requirements
very early mornings to work, rain, shine, or snow
lots of physical labor (how old are you_if you aren't used to working outside and with hands then you will hurt)
work fast since there is production quota to meet
work with Know it alls, and migrant workers (big deal ,right)
always outside, dirty hands shoes jeans
use hands to prune/clip for hours (get a squeeze ball and start using it. your hand will thank you)
lawm mowing, pruning, ball&burlap(plant trees)
propagation, grafting, greenhouse maintanance, and building basic structures
landscape design, retaining walls, slopes


it can be a great hobby, if a career is not the answer

Answer 5

Here's what i did. I went to my local Cornell Cooperative Extension in my county ( every county has one in the U.S.A. and you can find yours on line) as they offer a course called, Master Gardeners. In that course you Will learn all about the field in near every aspect of what you will learn by going to college, of course its the 'short' version. Here where i am, it's a 4 month 1day /week class schedule. You are then able to do volunteer work to get your feet "muddy" and try it all out. Its a community service helping to spread the knowledge. For me, I loved it so much I went for that Hort. Certificate and then my degree. Go for it .. you'll be glad you did. good luck.

Answer 6

If you want to go at it on your own and you have a yard...check out this guy's website....it's found by clicking on "plant tips" on this site: iBtraveling.com You'll see his ad on the lower left hand side. I've signed up for his newsletter and he's wonderful. His web site will give you lots of ideas on starting your own business too. Wish you luck!