Growing tulips in a greenhouse as a business

Growing tulips by March 8 in a greenhouse is not easy, but possible. Growing flowers for sale is a very profitable business. Tulips are unpretentious in care and are in demand all year round, and the profit from the sale for the holiday grows tenfold.

General technology for growing tulips in a greenhouse

Growing flowers of different colors is a profitable move for a business, because the buyer has a choice.

Experts recommend leaving most of the room under varieties of red shades that are in demand.

There are two technologies for growing tulips in a greenhouse for forcing by March 8 and other holidays:

1. The classic way – more simple, this is its main advantage. The bulbs are planted in a wooden container and stored in complete darkness until rooting, then moved to the greenhouse. Their growth is controlled by changes in temperature and humidity in the room. There are about 100 bulbs in containers.
2. Dutch method – complicated by more stringent compliance with temperature conditions. After several weeks of exposure, the containers are placed in a refrigerator and only then transferred to a greenhouse, where the temperature is maintained at 18 ° C. The advantage of this method is the reduction in the amount of chemicals used for growth, accelerated forcing of tulips, and the absence of fungal diseases.

How long do tulips grow in a greenhouse

In order not to miscalculate with the appearance of tulips by the desired date, you need to know the time of plant growth in greenhouse conditions. Please note that times may vary due to technical reasons.

It takes 3 months to germinate planting material. It takes another 3-4 weeks before flowering. In total, from the moment of planting to flowering, it takes at least 15-16 weeks, subject to the temperature regime (18 ° C). At t below 13 ° C, the formation of peduncles slows down, which delays forcing.

Advantages of growing in greenhouse conditions

Growing tulips in a greenhouse is a very good idea. This does not require special skills and knowledge, they can be grown without attracting additional labor. On holidays, you can make an impressive profit on flowers, and greenhouse conditions allow you to prepare tulips directly to the desired date.

Then it is easy to occupy the empty greenhouse with vegetables – zucchini, tomato, radish, greens, which gives the business expansion, new opportunities and stable income.

What tulips can be planted in a greenhouse

In the greenhouse, it is recommended to plant varieties of tulips with the same growing conditions.

The most popular for cultivation in the greenhouse are tulips of red, white and yellow colors.

Varieties are selected depending on the requirements for the flowering period. To complete the cultivation of flowers in a greenhouse by Valentine’s Day, it is recommended to use early varieties of tulips; by March 8, it is better to plant varieties with a late and medium flowering period. A good choice would be flowers of the Giants or Triumph class.

Successful people and flower growers consider early varieties reliable for organizing a business:

• “Abba” – double flower, bright red;

  

• Primavera – petals are painted pink;

  

• Christmas Marvel – manages to form buds by February 14th.

  

For medium distillation (by February 23):

• Carola (Tulir Carola) – a large goblet flower of pink color;

  

• Abu Hassan (Abu Hassan) – has a chic burgundy-chocolate shade, framed on the outside with a gold border;

  

• Tosca (Tosca) – a tulip of an unusual red-lilac color.

  

For late forcing (by March 8):

• Parade (Parade) – a large flower of rich scarlet color with a black and yellow middle, goblet shape;

  

• Eric Hofsyu – a huge raspberry-colored peduncle, framed at the edges with a light border;

  

• Diplomate (Diplomate) – a bright pinkish-red color, the middle is white-cream.

  

When to plant tulips in a greenhouse

Flowers in the greenhouse are planted three times:

• in October – the time of cutting comes in February;
• in November – the flowering season is March;
• in mid-March – the collection period in September.

Calculation of the planting date is carried out based on the desired flowering month. The exact ripening period of the variety and the period of exposure in the cold are taken away from it, obtaining the necessary time for planting the plant.

Very early planting can deprive the entire expected tulip crop. Flowers will be fragile and weak, not suitable for trade.

Planting tulips in a greenhouse

Having decided to start breeding tulips, they prepare a greenhouse in advance and carefully select planting material. It is recommended to buy it from July to the first half of September, at which time the bulbs of the current year are sold.

It is better to harvest planting material on your own from plants grown in open ground. When digging, try not to damage the rhizome.

It is better to plant in wooden or plastic containers, 50×50 cm in size.

Bulb selection and preparation

Having turned the cultivation of tulips into a business, it is important to make the forcing in the greenhouse in time, which only strong and strong bulbs can withstand. The size of high-quality planting material is 3-4 cm in diameter, and the weight is at least 25-30 g.

Bulbs must be free of damage and mold

The scales of a tulip should not be too dense and thick. This may indicate that he was overexposed in the ground and he is not suitable for landing.

Preparation for disembarkation consists in keeping the planting material in a dark place at t 9 ° C for 2-3 weeks. Then the scales are removed and the bulb is disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, or with water cooled to 40 ° C.

Greenhouse preparation

The greenhouse is recommended to be placed at a distance of 3-12 m from other structures: fences, outbuildings, houses. It is desirable that buildings or trees are located on the north side of the greenhouse to protect the crop from cold winds. Polycarbonate cladding will reliably protect plants from the cold. The thicker its layer, the more reliable the protection of flowers.

With a lack of funds, it is better to build it in blocks. In addition, the blocks are convenient for growing tulips of different varieties. And the vents for ventilating the greenhouse will significantly reduce the cost of ventilation.

In winter, tulips require strictly controlled heating, so the greenhouse needs heating and 2 thermometers: to measure air and soil temperatures. It is preferable to use phytolamps as winter lighting for the greenhouse.

Landing algorithm

The process of planting plants is simple and includes the following steps:

1. Prepare the soil. Land for tulips should be neutral in acidity. It is disinfected with hot (at least 80 ° C) water and watered with a fungicide, drained, since tulips do not tolerate highly moist soil.
2. A substrate is prepared from sawdust and steamed sand. It is placed in a box with a layer of 10 cm. From above, it is covered with prepared earth.
3. The bulbs are buried in the ground by 3 cm, planted in rows with a distance of 10-15 cm, sprinkled with a substrate on top.

How to grow tulips in a greenhouse

Plants of different varieties are recommended to be placed in different blocks

The planted bulbs are subjected to cooling for 3 weeks, this will help the plants take root and accumulate substances for the active growth of the stem. The humidity in the greenhouse at this time should be 70%. To maintain this level of humidity, it is recommended to water the walls and floor of the greenhouse every 3-4 days. Lighting for flowers is reduced to a minimum. Water them a little, but daily.

After 3 weeks, the tulips will have a stem 5-6 cm long. Unsprouted bulbs should be removed, as they increase the risk of spreading rot to healthy plants.

Forcing tulips by March 8 in a greenhouse

After a cooling period, you can start forcing tulips, gradually increasing the air temperature in the greenhouse. For the first 3-4 days, it is enough to keep it at 11-14°C, then set it to 16-19°C during the day and 14-15°C at night. Such a deception of plants will provoke their active growth and budding. If necessary, accelerate flowering, it is permissible to raise the temperature in the greenhouse to 20 ° C.

Lighting for the first days of distillation is set to be short, preferably dim, no more than 900 lux. And only in February it is permissible to extend it to 10-12 hours. It is recommended to use phytolamps placed at a distance of 0,5 m above the plants as a light source.

Flowers are watered daily, in the early morning, trying not to get water on the leaves. Cool water (+9+12°C) is used for irrigation. Melt water is ideal. At the end of forcing plants can be watered every other day.

Twice during the growing period, it is necessary to water the boxes with plantings with a 0,2% solution of calcium nitrate. The first time this is done 2 days after the containers are placed in the greenhouse. The second is at the moment of active growth.

As soon as budding has begun, the air temperature in the greenhouse is sharply reduced to 15°C. This procedure strengthens the stems, and the color of the leaves and peduncle becomes more saturated.

Terms and rules of cutting

Trimming should be done obliquely, the length of the cut should be no more than 1,5 cm.

The best time for her is the half-bloom period, then the buds will gradually open over the next few days.

By cutting off blooming specimens, a businessman risks losing most of the profit, because they will quickly wither and no one will buy them.

Cut better in the early morning, while the buds of tulips are closed, or late in the evening.

It has become a fashion trend to sell tulips dug up along with the bulb. Businessmen highly appreciated the idea and actively apply it in practice, because this way the bouquet lasts much longer.

Possible problems and solutions

A tulip is an unpretentious flower, caring for it is not difficult, and forcing problems can only appear if its rules are not followed.

It is impossible to transport and store planting material at an unstable temperature.

Even a slight deviation of the air humidity in the greenhouse is unacceptable. Exceeding its level threatens plants with gray rot and leaf defects, and lowering – poor rooting.

Excessive watering leads to decay of the rhizome and bulb, and a lack of water inhibits the development of the flower, contributes to the death of the roots.

If the buds droop and look exhausted, then the air temperature has been exceeded, you should ventilate the greenhouse.

Pale edges and uneven coloration of the tulip indicate an excessively low temperature.

Weak buds indicate a lack of calcium or an excess of night temperature over daytime.

Bulb rot is characteristic of excessively warm soil.

Blind inflorescences and the absence of buds are a sign of insufficient cooling of the plantings.

Conclusion

The flower business is profitable, having managed to grow tulips by March 8 in a greenhouse, you can recoup most of the costs of organizing the process. Demand for them is stable all year round.