85103 Nursery and greenhouse labourers

What this occupation covers

Nursery and greenhouse labourers plant, cultivate and harvest trees, shrubs, flowers and plants, and serve nursery and greenhouse customers. They are employed in indoor and outdoor nurseries and greenhouses.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 9 main duties for this code.

• Prepare soil; plant bulbs, seeds and cuttings; graft and bud plants; and transplant seedlings and rooted cuttings
• Monitor plants for healthy growth and potential weed, insect, disease, and fertilizer problems in greenhouse crops
• Spray trees, shrubs, flowers and plants to prevent disease and pests
• Position and regulate greenhouse and outdoor irrigation systems to water plants and fields
• Dig, cut and transplant trees, shrubs, flowers and plants and prepare them for sale
• Provide information to customers on gardening, the use of various garden tools and products and the care of trees, shrubs, flowers, plants and lawns
• May operate tractors and other machinery and equipment to fertilize, cultivate, harvest and spray fields and plants
• Maintain inventory and order materials as required
• Clean working areas.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 9 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 82031 Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services
• 85101 Harvesting labourers
• 85121 Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
• 80021 Managers in horticulture
• 84111 Silviculture and forestry workers

Excluded from this code

• Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services (See 82031 Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services)
• Harvesting labourers (See 85101 Harvesting labourers)
• Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers (See 85121 Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers)
• Managers in horticulture (See 80021 Managers in horticulture)
• Silviculture and forestry workers (See 84111 Silviculture and forestry workers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

cannabis trim labourer · cannabis trimmer · Christmas tree shearer · Christmas tree trimmer · forest assistant nursery · forest nursery labourer · greenhouse labourer · grower - cannabis · hand sprayer - greenhouse · horticulture labourer · horticulturist helper · hothouse labourer · hydroponics labourer · hydroponics worker · interior plantscaper · nursery labourer · plant propagator - greenhouse or nursery · tree grafter - nursery

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school may be required.
• Completion of college courses in horticulture or a related field may be required.
• On-the-job training is provided.
• A provincial licence to apply chemical fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides may be required.