The Plant Propagator is responsible for the propagation, establishment, and management of plant material required to support the Botanic Gardens’ living collections, displays, conservation programmes, and horticulture operations. The role applies a range of propagation methods, including seeds, cuttings, grafting, division, and other vegetative techniques, to produce healthy and genetically appropriate plant stock.
The Plant Propagator will manage nursery areas and propagation stock, develop and refine propagation protocols for rare, endangered, and difficult-to-propagate species, and monitor plants through the different stages of establishment. The role will maintain detailed propagation records and evaluate success rates to continuously improve propagation techniques and support the long-term sustainability and conservation value of the Botanic Gardens' plant collections.
Scope of Work
- Propagate plants using a range of techniques, including seeds, cuttings, grafting, budding, layering, division, and other appropriate vegetative propagation methods.
- Select appropriate propagation techniques according to species characteristics, seasonal requirements, plant condition, and collection objectives.
- Collect, prepare, process, and appropriately store seeds and vegetative propagation material.
- Assess the quality and viability of propagation material prior to use.
- Prepare appropriate propagation media and containers according to species-specific requirements.
- Apply appropriate seed treatments, including scarification, stratification, soaking, or other pre-germination treatments where required.
- Prepare and treat cuttings and other vegetative material to promote successful rooting and establishment.
- Undertake grafting, budding, division, and other specialist propagation activities where appropriate.
- Monitor germination, rooting, establishment, growth, and overall plant health throughout the propagation process.
- Propagate plants using a range of techniques, including seeds, cuttings, grafting, budding, layering, division, and other appropriate vegetative propagation methods.
- Select appropriate propagation techniques according to species characteristics, seasonal requirements, plant condition, and collection objectives.
- Collect, prepare, process, and appropriately store seeds and vegetative propagation material.
- Assess the quality and viability of propagation material prior to use.
- Prepare appropriate propagation media and containers according to species-specific requirements.
- Apply appropriate seed treatments, including scarification, stratification, soaking, or other pre-germination treatments where required.
- Prepare and treat cuttings and other vegetative material to promote successful rooting and establishment.
- Undertake grafting, budding, division, and other specialist propagation activities where appropriate.
- Monitor germination, rooting, establishment, growth, and overall plant health throughout the propagation process.
- Identify and address propagation problems, including poor germination, rooting failure, disease, pest infestation, nutrient deficiencies, and environmental stress.
- Manage and maintain nursery and propagation areas, ensuring appropriate growing conditions, hygiene, organisation, and plant-care standards.
- Manage nursery plant stock to meet the requirements of garden collections, seasonal displays, replacement planting, conservation programmes, and other horticulture activities.
- Monitor and manage irrigation, humidity, shade, temperature, growing media, fertilisation, and plant nutrition within propagation and nursery areas.
- Coordinate the movement of successfully propagated plants from propagation areas into nursery, greenhouse, indoor, or outdoor garden environments.
- Support appropriate hardening and acclimatisation of young plants prior to establishment within garden collections.
- Develop, test, document, and refine species-specific propagation protocols, particularly for rare, endangered, sensitive, and difficult-to-propagate plant species.
- Conduct propagation trials to identify methods that improve germination, rooting, survival, and establishment rates.
- Collaborate with curators, botanists, horticulturists, conservation specialists, and other technical staff to identify propagation priorities.
- Support ex situ conservation and collection-development programmes through propagation of priority plant species.
- Ensure propagation activities maintain appropriate provenance and collection information for conservation and scientifically important material.
- Maintain detailed records of propagation activities, methods, source material, dates, treatments, environmental conditions, quantities, germination rates, rooting rates, losses, and overall success rates.
- Maintain accurate nursery stock inventories and update relevant plant collection or propagation databases.
- Analyse propagation outcomes and use results to improve future propagation protocols and practices.
- Implement appropriate nursery hygiene, sanitation, plant-health, and biosecurity procedures.
- Support Integrated Pest Management (IPM) within nursery and propagation areas.
- Maintain propagation tools, equipment, facilities, and work areas in a clean, safe, and operational condition.
- Ensure propagation activities comply with applicable health and safety, environment, biosecurity, and horticulture operating procedures.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Horticulture, Botany, Plant Sciences, Plant Biology, or a related discipline.
- Specialist training or certification in plant propagation, nursery management, seed technology, grafting, or related horticulture disciplines is advantageous.
- Additional training in rare plant propagation, seed conservation, nursery biosecurity, or plant conservation is advantageous.
- Minimum 5+ years of relevant professional experience in plant propagation and nursery horticulture.
- Demonstrated experience propagating plants using multiple methods, including seeds and cuttings.
- Practical experience with grafting, budding, layering, division, and other vegetative propagation techniques is highly desirable.
- Experience selecting, collecting, preparing, and handling seed and vegetative propagation material.
- Demonstrated experience with seed germination, dormancy-breaking treatments, and seedling establishment.
- Practical experience preparing and rooting cuttings using appropriate growing media, environmental conditions, and rooting treatments.
- Experience managing nursery areas and plant stock for botanic, horticulture, landscape, conservation, or comparable plant collections.
- Experience monitoring and managing irrigation, humidity, temperature, shade, growing media, and plant nutrition within nursery and propagation environments.
- Experience monitoring plant health and addressing pests, diseases, nutrient deficiencies, and environmental stresses during propagation.
- Demonstrated experience developing, testing, or refining plant propagation protocols.
- Experience propagating rare, endangered, sensitive, or difficult-to-propagate species is preferred.
- Experience supporting ex situ conservation, botanical collection development, or conservation propagation programmes is advantageous.
- Experience with the hardening, acclimatisation, and establishment of propagated plants into nursery, greenhouse, or garden environments.
- Demonstrated experience maintaining detailed propagation records and monitoring germination, rooting, survival, and success rates.
- Experience maintaining nursery stock inventories and plant provenance or accession information.
- Experience implementing nursery hygiene, sanitation, biosecurity, and Integrated Pest Management practices.
- Experience collaborating with horticulturists, botanists, curators, researchers, and conservation specialists on propagation programmes.
- Previous experience within a botanic garden, nursery, arboretum, conservation facility, research institution, seed facility, or comparable horticulture environment is preferred.