Groundskeeper - Garden Crew (7:00 am)
Job ID - 61521
Closing Date : 02/09/2026
This role functions as a Horticultural Specialist and Grounds Lead, combining high-level nursery management with precision campus landscaping. The position is responsible for the entire lifecycle of plant health, from propagation via seeds and grafting to the advanced care of greenhouse environments, where they manage humidity, nutrient requirements, and integrated pest management. On the campus grounds, the role executes meticulous aesthetic maintenance—including mowing, pruning, and soil excavation for renovations—while ensuring the longevity of landscapes through the strategic application of mulches and specialized soil mixes. Additionally, the position maintains operational readiness by overseeing the safety and mechanical integrity of all manual and power equipment used in daily university operations.
Responsibilities
- Performs campus groundskeeping tasks such as edging, raking, mulching, power blowing, light pruning, trimming spent blooms, watering plants and mowing. Identifies and removes weeds from flowerbeds, gardens, planting areas, and pathways, ensuring the removal of roots to prevent regrowth. This includes utilizing a weed eater and hand weeding with the use of tools like hoes or weed pullers. Transplants plant/flower materials, assists with minor landscape renovations, to include soil excavation and removal. Responsible for debris removal, leaf removal, trash pickup and other tasks to keep grounds clean and presentable. Maintains areas by spreading landscape materials such as pine straw, bark, or rocks.
- Provides care to the greenhouse area and nursery plants to include planting, transplanting, pruning, watering, fertilizing, controlling insects and disease, ventilating, and controlling weeds. Inspects plant materials for disease and insect problems, light levels, temperature and humidity, nutrient requirements. Sprays, dusts, shades, and fumigates plants. Prepares proper soil mixes, waters plants in the greenhouses, unloads and groups plants together as appropriate, locates and groups plants together according to their growing requirements, weeds plant pots and greenhouse floors, fertilizes plants with liquid and granular feed, re-pots plants and determines appropriate soil, checks for signs of insects on plants. Cultivates and propagates plants from seeds, cutting, or grafting. Mixes soil, moss and other plant bed ingredients. Harvests, cleans, treats, and stores seeds.
- Safely operates and maintains grounds equipment to ensure the health and appearance of university grounds. Ensures that all manual and power equipment is in proper working condition and reports maintenance needs to the supervisor. Performs other tasks as assigned by supervisor or higher authorit