Commercial Floriculture

Harvest and Post harvest

• After planting normally it takes 110-120 days to come to peak flowering.

Standards
• Carnation flowers mature in 4-5 months period.
• Standard cultivars are harvested at ''Paint Brush'' stage with half-open flowers, or almost fully open flowers.
• At large bud / tight bud / cross bud stage
• Petals are visible at this stage

Sprays
• When at least 2-3 top flowers have opened & other buds show colour

Time of Harvest
• 15 – 20 weeks after single pinching

Yield
• On an average 10-20 flowers / plant/year or 150-300 flowers / m2/ year
• Yearly production of 300-400 flower/m2 is ideal and economical.
• After planting normally it takes 110-120 days to come to peak flowering.

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Post Harvest Operations

• Harvested flowers are bunched together based on their physical measurements like length of stem, diameter of flower etc.
• For a good post harvest life, flower stems have to be trimmed at the base and should be immediately placed in a bucket of preservative solution (Acidic pH 4.5) with 2-5 % sucrose and biocides for 2 to 4 hours.
• Carnation flowers can be stored for 2-4 weeks before marketing.
• Flowers have to be packed in cartons lined with polyethylene be pre-cooled without lid.
• The plastic is then loosely folded on top of the stems and the lid is closed.
• These cartons are stored in cool chambers designed to maintain 00C with good air circulation and a constant RH of 90-95 %.
• Floral preservatives like, 8-HQS or 8-HQC @ 200-600 ppm; STS (Silver Thio-sulphate) @ 0.2- 4mM; Cytokinin @ 10-100 ppm; Sugar @ 0.5-2% and Citric acid @50-100 ppm.

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