How to Become a Floriculturist

About Floriculturist

Floriculture is regarded as the best career for those who are passionate about flowers. Floriculture, also known as flower farming is an interesting discipline of horticulture that deals with the study of growing flowering plants. Floriculture also includes farming of ornamental and flowering plants that can be used as raw materials in the pharmaceutical sector and perfume industry. In the recent years, the career scope in the field of floriculture has expanded. Cultivation of flowery plants can be done in greenhouses/ poly houses/ open fields. Some of the crops that come under floriculture are bedding plants, flowering garden, houseplants and pot plants. The people working in the field of floriculture are called as floriculturist. The major responsibility of the floriculturist is the cultivation of plants that produce beautiful flowers. They also focus on the farming of ornamental plants for floral industry and gardens.

Roles & Responsibilities of a Floriculturist

• Flower, foliage, and seed cultivation and harvesting. You will be in charge of the commercial growth and production of flowering plants, ornamental foliage, and seeds
• Maintaining the farming environment while taking into account external factors. You must create cultivable conditions by taking into account factors such as climate, irrigation, temperature, fertility, and so on
• Plant disease treatment and prevention. The floriculturist must constantly monitor the health and well-being of the plants. Plants are prone to illness in certain climates, and the floriculturist must sometimes be resourceful in eliminating such risks. Adequate and timely application of chemicals and fertilisers can aid in plant protection
• Harvesting produce and post-harvest plant care. During the harvesting season, you must create favourable storage conditions. This practise prolongs the life of the flowers and foliage
• Increasing business through meetings and showcases. You will need to meet people to inform them of the quality of the crops before they become useless and to gather sales orders. Although dealing with potential customers may not be your strong suit, it is necessary to do so in order to maintain the occupation's commercial viability

Eligibility to become Floriculturist

The following are the requirements for candidates interested in a career in floriculture:

• Must have obtained a minimum cumulative grade of 50% while completing the 10+2 programme from an accredited board with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, and Agriculture as required subjects
• To be considered for admission to the Master's programme, candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in the pertinent field
• Some colleges and other organisations have their own entrance tests
• A competitive GRE score or any other exam score (as specified by the university) is required for those who want to pursue higher education abroad
• English language proficiency tests like the PTE, TOEFL, and IELTS
• Essays, SOPs, and LORs in accordance with the university's requirements for admission

After Class 12: A wide range of courses available in the field of floriculture at Master’s level, UG level and Certificate level. Students can choose different coursed depending on their requirement. The following are some of the courses that students can take up in the field of floriculture: 

Popular Floriculture Courses

The following is a list of all the well-known courses that aspirants can take to launch their careers in floriculture:

Diploma and Certificate Programs (3 – 12 Months)

• Certificate in Floriculture Technology
• Certificate in Floriculture
• Diploma programme in Horticulture
• Diploma programme in Floriculture
• Postgraduate Certificate in Landscape and Horticulture

Courses for Undergraduates (3 – 4 Years)

• BSc (Floriculture and Landscaping)
• BSc Floriculture
• Postgraduate Programs (1 – 2 Years)
• MSc (Floriculture and Landscaping)
• MSc (Floriculture Business Management)
• Doctorate in Floriculture

The duration of certificate courses ranges from six months to one year. For admission in UG courses, students need to clear All India Entrance Exam conducted by ICAR. However, states also conduct state-level entrance exams for agriculture, fishery, horticulture and floriculture courses.

Subjects Combination: Students who wish to take up UG course in Floriculture must have passed Class 12 with Biology as one of the major subjects.

How do you become a Horticulturist?

To become a Floriculturist, the following steps must be taken:

Step 1: After completing 12 classes, preferably in science. A BSc in Agriculture or a related UG course is required. To provide admission to the course, some institutes may administer an entrance exam.

Step 2: After finishing this undergraduate course, you can apply for a job in the government or public sector, or you can pursue a post-graduate degree in a specialised field. At the postgraduate level, MSc in Floriculture or Horticulture offers specialisations in floriculture.

Step 3: After achieving the required qualifications, one can either join a large corporate house involved in this industry or look for government jobs advertised in newspapers from time to time.

Admissions Procedure for Career as Floriculturist

After passing the 10+2 examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, you can apply for undergraduate floriculture courses (Science courses after 12th). Admission will be granted based on the All India Entrance Examination or the entrance examinations administered by various universities. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) will conduct the All India Entrance Examination (ICAR AIEEA) for admission to master's programmes (ICAR).

Types of Job Roles Floriculturist

Floriculturists are required in diverse jobs. Some of the important job profiles for floriculturists are elaborated below: -

Cultivator:The major responsibility of the cultivator is to grow plants that provide beautiful followers. They are associated with Wholesale Florist who buys their flowers and sells to retailers.

Floral Designers: Floral designers prepare and arrange flowers for businesses, weddings, hotels and other events. They take orders from clients or customers and provide necessary followers based on the occasion.

Interior Decorators:Usually, interior decorators or designers associated with floriculture play a vital role in decorating the house, function halls for occasions like festivals, marriages and other events.

Wholesale Florist:Whole florists provide floral design services. They work directly with cultivators to supply flowers and merchandise to retailers. Wholesale florists pitch their services to retail florists, who in turn sell the flowers to consumers.

Landscape Technician:Landscape technicians carry out various activities such as pruning, trimming, edging, mowing, fertilising and watering of plants. They spray trees, plants and grass with pesticides to control destructive insects and diseases.

Lecturer:A person with a degree in Floriculture/ Horticulture can become lecturer/ professor in Agriculture colleges after clearing UGC NET.

Employment Opportunities for Floriculturists:

Floriculturists have a wide range of employment options. After obtaining the necessary qualification and skills in the field of floriculture, floriculturists can find employment in: -

• Farm Companies
• Botanical Gardens
• Nurseries
• Agriculture Product Companies
• Genetic Companies
• Cosmetic and Perfume Manufacturing Companies
• Outdoor Design Consultancy Firms
• Agriculture Colleges/ Universities
• Researcher

Apart from the above, floriculturists can also set up their own business in growing flowers for the export markets, running nurseries, providing gardening and landscaping for advisory services, growing ornamental plants etc.

Top Recruiting Agencies for Floriculturists:

Floriculturists can find employment in government and the private sector. Here is the list of agencies (government and private) that require the services of floriculturists: -

• ICAR (Indian Council for Agricultural Research)
• National Botanical Research Institute
• Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute
• Birla Floriculture, Pune
• Turbo Industries Ltd, Punjab
• Nagarjuna Agritech Ltd, Bangalore
• Century Flowers, Pune
• Eden Park Agro Products Ltd, Pune
• Indus Floritech Ltd, Hyderabad

Skills Required by a Floriculturist

Being passionate about flowers and having a love for working outside in all types of weather are the two main qualifications needed to become a floriculturist. A career in floriculture is constantly demanding. So, someone who wants to become a floriculturist needs a broad range of skills. Since one cannot relax, a potential floriculturist needs to be extremely diligent and hardworking. He/she needs to be extremely resilient and adaptable to adhere to strict time constraints. He/she must also have a strong sense of teamwork because he may be working with people from various backgrounds. This is not a time-bound job and requires a thorough knowledge of demography, climatic conditions, and a variety of other expectations related to the cultivation and marketing of flowers.

To be considered for the best floriculturist, candidates must have the following skill set:

• You should be well-versed in demography, geography, climatic conditions, and other aspects of flowering plant production and commercialization
• Working in any weather conditions
• You should be able to adapt and adjust to any routine changes due to different schedules and routines
• Researching and developing new flower varieties or species requires creativity and innovation
• Willingness to collaborate as a group with people from various backgrounds
• Attention to detail 
• Excellent organisational skills
• The ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• Deal with stressful situations or failures in an effective manner.
• Excellent communication abilities

Pay Scale/Salary of Floriculturist

Floriculturist can earn a satisfactory salary in India depending on their experience and creativity.

Career Path for Floriculturist

Florists can work as farm/estate managers, plantation experts, supervisors, and so on. Other options for employment in the field include research and teaching. Aside from that, marketing floriculture products for various social and economic ventures is emerging as a promising segment of this field. Experienced professionals in this field can work as consultants, for example. One can also work as an entrepreneur, providing jobs to others. In the public sector, floriculturists make between INR 25,000 and INR 30,000 per month, and they can make as much as INR 45,000 to INR 50,000 per month working for themselves. Graduates in the field of floriculture can start their careers. The floral industry employs individuals in the design, production, and sales of flowers for florists, garden centres, and nurseries. These individuals hold the positions of floral designers, production managers, and sales representatives. Plant cutting and breeding experts can find employment in both the public and private sectors. You can find a wide range of professional jobs in the broad field of horticulture, from entry-level positions at garden centres to highly specialised ones in research. After completing this course, students who want to continue their education can enroll in a PhD programme in this field to pursue a career as a Floriculture scientist in the business.

Books & Study Material to Become Floriculturist

Here are some of the important books that a person can refer to excel in the field of floriculture: -

• Introduction to Floriculture by Roy A Larson
• Floriculture in India by GS Randhawa
• Commercial Floriculture by S. Prasad
• Objective Floriculture, Desh Raj
• Floriculture and Landscaping by TK Bose
• Floriculture at Glance, Desh Raj
• Indian Floriculture, Role of CSIR by Subhodh Kumar Datta
• Commercial Floriculture by S. K. Chattopadhyay
• Commercial Flower Cultivation by Dr. V. Shanmugam
• Landscaping, Irrigation and Floriculture Terminology by Neeraj Pratap Singh

Pros of becoming a Floriculturist

• Floriculture is an exciting career where a person can use his/ her creative skills to the full extent.
• People working in the field of floriculture have more flexibility in work, and they get a lot of exposure to the prevailing market conditions.

Cons of becoming a Floriculturist

• One of the major drawbacks for floriculturists in India is a highly competitive job market. Nowadays, people without qualification in the field of floriculture are setting up their own business and providing floral services to marriages and other events.