Nursery Growing Manager Jobs York SC 2026

Metrolina Greenhouses is hiring a Nursery Growing Manager — Trees & Shrubs at its York, South Carolina location. You will make sure woody ornamental crops are produced to the highest quality standards and set specifications, while supervising Assistant Growers and keeping the growing team safe. The position calls for advanced expertise in tree and shrub propagation, grafting, stock-plant management, production scheduling, finishing, plant health, and disease prevention. If you have five or more years of hands-on commercial experience in woody ornamental propagation, grafting, and finish growing, this is a strong next step.

About the Role — Metrolina Greenhouses, York SC

Business: A commercial greenhouse and nursery operation growing ornamental plants at scale

Site: York, South Carolina — propagation houses, stock blocks, nursery beds, and outdoor production areas

Team: You supervise Assistant Growers and report issues to the Head Grower / Director

Culture: Safety first, ethical management, and respectful, consistent leadership

What You Will Grow

Trees & Shrubs: Woody ornamental crops from propagation through finished, ship-ready plants

Cuttings & Liners: Vegetative cuttings, rooted liners, seed, division, grafting, and budding

Stock Blocks: Indexed stock and mother stock for cultivar identity, uniformity, and clean plant health

Schedules: Propagation-to-finish plans covering sticking, rooting, transplanting, spacing, pruning, overwintering, and shipping

Trials: Propagation, graft compatibility, disease management, substrate, nutrition, and overwintering trials

Why This Nursery Growing Manager Role Stands Out: This is a hands-on, science-driven growing position where you cover the whole life of a woody crop — from a cutting or graft all the way to a finished tree or shrub. You will use plant physiology, IPM, and detailed scheduling to hit quality and ship-week targets, and you will train the next generation of growers. For an experienced propagator or nursery grower in the Carolinas, it is a leadership role with real technical depth.

Position Overview

As Nursery Growing Manager (Trees & Shrubs) at Metrolina Greenhouses in York, you will lead the propagation, growing, and finishing of woody ornamental crops. You will manage irrigation and fertilisation programs (including daily EC and pH checks), lead propagation and grafting, set cutting-harvest standards, and run indexed stock blocks and mother stock. You will build and update propagation-to-finish schedules, forecast liner and finished-crop availability, and apply IPM, disease management, and PGR programs. You will also run trials, keep full records and traceability, and train and coach Assistant Growers while building a strong safety culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Understand irrigation and fertilisation systems for trees, shrubs, liners, containers, and propagation crops, and apply them accurately.
• Monitor and report EC and pH daily, adjusting programs for crop stage, substrate, container size, weather, and water quality; mix fertiliser in ppm and check injector accuracy.
• Lead propagation by vegetative cuttings, seed, division, grafting, budding, and other approved methods.
• Set cutting-harvest standards for maturity, time of day, hydration, sanitation, handling, storage, and traceability.
• Manage indexed stock blocks and mother stock for cultivar identity, uniformity, sanitation, vigour, and yield.

• Build and maintain detailed propagation-to-finish schedules — sticking, callusing, rooting, transplanting, spacing, pruning, overwintering, and ship readiness.
• Forecast rooted-liner and finished-crop availability and tell planning and operations about shortages, delays, substitutions, and excess.
• Update schedules as rooting, growth, dormancy, weather, labour, and inventory change, and plan contingencies for slow rooting, graft failure, disease events, and overwintering losses.

IPM, Disease & PGR Management

• Use biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools to keep pests below acceptable thresholds.
• Show extensive knowledge of woody ornamental diseases — root and crown rots, vascular diseases, foliar blights, cankers, bacterial diseases, and viruses — and run scouting, sampling, sanitation, containment, and treatment steps.
• Plan and apply PGR programs with the right chemistry, timing, and treated and untreated controls.

Trials, Plant Physiology & Records

• Run trials with a written hypothesis, protocol, results, conclusion, and production recommendation, plus photo documentation.
• Apply plant physiology — juvenility, dormancy, chilling, photoperiod, cold hardiness, apical dominance, and carbohydrate reserves — to each cultivar.
• Keep accurate records for propagation, grafting, stock blocks, pesticides, fertiliser, trials, and losses, and ensure lot traceability from mother stock to finished crop.

Personnel & Equipment

• Teach and train Assistant Growers in cutting harvest, sticking, grafting, sanitation, scouting, and recordkeeping.
• Resolve conflicts consistently, raise issues with the Head Grower / Director, and build a culture of safety.
• Spot and report electrical and mechanical issues right away, and keep a list of maintenance needs for greenhouse, irrigation, mist, boom, and potting equipment.

 Minimum Qualifications

commercial tree and shrub propagation, grafting, and finish growing — or an equivalent mix of education and nursery experience.

5+ years of hands-on experience with woody ornamental scheduling, cutting harvest, stock-plant production, indexed stock, liner production, and finished crops.

Extensive knowledge of woody ornamental diseases and practical experience with recognition, sampling, sanitation, containment, and treatment.

Proven grafting and budding skill, including scion and rootstock management, compatibility, aftercare, and graft-take evaluation.

 Who Should Apply?

• Experienced Woody Ornamental Growers: People with 5+ years of propagation, grafting, and finish growing in a commercial nursery or greenhouse.
• Propagation & Stock-Plant Specialists: Growers who manage cuttings, indexed stock, and mother stock and understand clean plant material.
• Plant Health & IPM Professionals: Candidates with strong disease recognition, scouting, sanitation, and treatment experience.
• Horticulture & Plant Science Graduates with Field Time: BS holders who have built real production experience and want to lead a growing team.
• Carolinas-Based Growers: Nursery professionals in or near York, SC, comfortable with seasonal, outdoor, and flexible-hour work.

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