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Part
III Cut Flower Production |
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Frequently
Asked Questions |
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General |
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Is
winter production of cut flowers feasible in unheated high tunnels? |
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Is
there a growers' organization for those who produce cut flowers
in high tunnels? |
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What
is the best stage to harvest cut flowers? |
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Insects
and Diseases |
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What
controls can I use for blister beetles that are damaging my
cut flowers? |
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Are
tospoviruses a concern in specialty cut flower production? |
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Flower
Bulbs |
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How
do you plant tulips? |
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What
causes tulips to bloom short? |
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What
causes tulip flowers to be distorted upon opening? |
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What
unique market niches do trays and pans of bulbs offer? |
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General |
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Is
winter production of cut flowers feasible in unheated high
tunnels?
Based on research in Oklahoma, unheated winter
production of crops like delphinium and lupine is not recommended
in areas with minimum winter temperatures of 29°F (-2°C)
or lower due to the likelihood of frost damage. However, frost-tolerant
species including larkspur, snapdragon, and stock can withstand
at least one night of 22°F
(-6°C)
with no negative effects.(Williams) |
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Is
there a growers' organization for those who produce cut
flowers in high tunnels?
Yes; the Association of Specialty Cut Flower
Growers (ASCFG) provides numerous benefits and resources for
producers of cut flowers. This organization is well-known for
its generous membership which willingly shares information.
It produces a trade publication, The Cut Flower Quarterly, and
a buyers' guide. In addition, regional meetings and an annual
national conference provide information, networking opportunities,
and business contacts.(Williams) |
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What
is the best stage to harvest cut flowers?
The optimal stage to harvest cut flowers varies by species...and
there are so many species! The ideal harvest stage, based on
maximizing the life of the flower after cutting it, is usually
before a flower "peaks" or before all of the flowers
of an inflorescence are open, but there are exceptions to this
rule. For example, dahlias should be cut just as the flower
is fully open. Fortunately, several extensive lists of flowers'
optimum developmental stage at harvest have been compiled, and
two are linked here.(Williams)
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Insects
and Diseases |
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What
controls can I use for blister beetles that are damaging my
cut flowers?
Blister beetles can cause severe damage to horticulture crops.
Their distinctive elongated 'neck-like' section make them easy
to identify. The blister beetles lay eggs in the soil and larvae
feed on grasshopper eggs and larvae of soil-dwelling solitary
bees. Adults of some blister beetle species feed on flowers
and pollen while others favor foliage. The black blister beetle,
Epicauta pensylvania (see photo) is a common pest of
cut flower crops like dianthus, sunflower, amaranthus, and aster.
Because the beetles are very mobile, control requires repeated
application of Sevin (carbaryl) or malathion. (Hodges)
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Blister
beetles on dianthus (Photo courtesy
of Laurie Hodges) |
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Are
tospoviruses a concern in specialty cut flower production?
Tospoviruses are a group of
plant viruses that are transmitted by thrips and affect a wide
range of host plants, including many specialty cut flower species.
Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and impatiens necrotic spot
virus (INSV) are the two tospoviruses that are problematic in
ornamental crop production. The only way to control tospoviruses
is to control their vector, which is the minute insect, thrips.
Once a plant is infected, it should be culled and discarded
to prevent further spread of the virus.
The presence of tospovirus in the lisianthus plants showing
the tan lesions was confirmed via the easy-to-use ImmunoStrip
Test Kits.
Interestingly, nearby plants that did not develop the symptomology
were shown to be uninfected via testing. We surmised that the
virus was transmitted to several lisianthus seedlings that had
been a fed on by infected thrips during plug production in a
greenhouse, while neighboring seedlings that were passed over
by the thrips in the same plug tray remained healthy. (
Williams,
reviewed by Judy O’Mara)
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Symptoms associated with TSWV and INSV often include ring spots
or necrotic lesions on foliage; on lisianthus, the symptoms
appeared as yellow, elliptical lesions on foliage (left) that
become more sunken and tan, and eventually necrotic, with time
(right).
Photos
courtesy of Katherine Stolp |
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Flower
Bulbs |
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How
do you plant tulips?
Most
tulip bulbs for high tunnels are considered annual crops and
are planted at a tighter spacing than is commonly done in home
landscapes. The soil that will be beneath the bulbs should be
worked well to ensure good drainage; this reduces the incidence
of bulb rot and helps ensure uniform emergence in the spring.
Planting into raised beds is another way to provide good drainage.
Tulip bulbs should not touch but can be spaced very closely
(e.g. 36 bulbs in an 18” x 36” area). The tunic,
or the brown "skin" on the bulb, should be left in
place as it has some anti-microbial properties; it can be removed
in the spring as the shoot emerges if it is girdling the stem.
After initial preparation of the planting bed, it took one person
15 to 20 minutes to plant and cover 216 tulip bulbs (see photo).
When
the entire area is planted, soil is pulled over the bulbs and
the beds are watered. Often a fungicide (e.g. Banrot) is applied
to the bulbs as either a dip prior to planting, incorporated
as a granule, or applied as a soil drench after planting. Some
examples of biological inhibitors of root rot pathogens that
offer alternatives to fungicides include Trichoderma harzianum
(PlantShield), Bacillus subtilis strain GB03 (Concept,
Companion, Kodiak), and Streptomyces griseoviridus
strain K61 (Mycostop). (Hodges)
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Tulips
for cut flower production should be planted shallow and at a
tight spacing.
(Photo courtesy
of Laurie Hodges) |
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What
causes tulips to bloom short?
Length of tulip stems at harvest is related to two aspects of
temperature: number of cold weeks before flowering and temperature
during the last stage before flowering, when flower buds are
visible. When tulip bulbs are planted in the fall, they should
already have completely differentiated flower parts. So in the
case of tulips, the dormancy-breaking cold weeks are not necessary
to induce the flower to form; it is already present in the bulb.
However, a requisite amount of time at cold temperatures (which
varies by cultivar) is required for flower stem elongation.
During these cold weeks, a growth hormone called gibberellic
acid (GA) is translocated to the growing point of the bulb,
and this contributes to the development of the long stems that
we desire in cut tulips. If cold weeks are short, the naturally-produced
GA is not present in sufficient quantities to lengthen stems
before the flower opens. The second aspect of temperature that
can dramatically influence the length of cut tulip stems is
how warm it is when the flower stems are elongating; warmer
temperatures contribute to longer and weaker stems; colder temperatures
result in shorter, sturdier stems. (Hodges
& Williams) |
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Some
tulip cultivars that were planted on Nov. 27, 2003 in high tunnels
in Nebraska bloomed very short. The cause may be that soil temperatures
stayed too warm in the high tunnels during part of the winter
to contribute to cold week accumulation; at 8" soil depth,
less than half of the days after planting resulted in soil temperatures
<40F. (Photo courtesy
of Laurie Hodges)
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What
causes tulip flowers to be distorted upon opening?
It
is usually difficult to get to bottom of what causes tulip flowers
to “blast.” Blasting is defined as the failure of
a bulb to develop a marketable flower after the flower parts
have been initiated. Some possible causes include:
1. High temperatures during bulb shipment or storage prior to
planting.
2. Ethylene exposure, which can be a problem is some bulbs are
infected with disease during shipment or storage.
3. Allowing the root medium to dry excessively, especially in
combination with high temperatures.
4. A lack of adequate ventilation during shipment or storage
of bulbs.
5. Poor root system development which might be caused by improper
watering, very high soluble salts, or even very tight tunics.
(Hodges
& Williams)
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Tulip
'Diana' petals are thickened and distorted. (Photo
courtesy
of Laurie Hodges) |
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What
unique market niches do trays and pans of bulbs offer?
Bulbs produced in pans or trays offer florists
a convenient, attractive, and fragrant display. Production in trays or pans
allows for multiple uses of the same plants. For
example, the entire flat could be rented for one event, then
individual stems could sold in cut arrangements for another.
Trays of nearly-ready-to-harvest flowering bulbs store
well in a cooler until they are needed. In addition, some
growers arrange to re-use the flat at no cost to the florist.
The narrated presentation linked at right outlines
culture, budget and marketability information for Muscari armeniacum
stems produced in trays.
(Hodges)
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Muscari
being forced for sale in a decorative pan. (Photo courtesy
of Laurie Hodges)
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