Specialty Cut Flower Production and Marketing - UC Agriculture and ...

key here is that you want the seed to bemoist enough to respond to the cold treatment,but still be dry enough to fl ow throughthe seeder when it is time to plant.After two weeks, the seed will be ready togerminate. We sow our larkspur with a walkbehindEarthway planter, using the onionplate. If you want it thicker, use the cucumberplate. We plant four rows in a four-footwide bed. Using primed seed, we get germinationin about a week. This cuts down oncrop time, and more importantly, gives thelarkspur a jump on the weeds. This methodworks well for late plantings in the spring,when soil temperatures are warming up.Bottom heat is useful for seed that needsheat to germinate. See the ATTRA publicationRoot Zone Heating for GreenhouseCrops for ideas.The Homestead Flower Farm Cut FlowerSchedule indicates planting methods theBenders use for a number of species. Someof the fl owers that they transplant are alsoeasily direct seeded. For plants, such aslisianthus, that are diffi cult or especiallytime-consuming to start from seed, somegrowers will purchase plugs. Companiesthat sell seeds, bulbs, plugs, and barerootplants will provide you with informationabout the recommended method touse, depth of planting, spacing, and lightrequirements. Several of the books listedin the Further Resources section alsogive recommendations. You are still leftto decide whether you will plant in rowsor beds, by hand or machine. Many growersfavor the intense production of beds.This allows water and nutrients to be concentratedin the area where the plantswill grow, and not in the walkways. It alsoenables the use of support netting, whichis manufactured to fi t the normal width ofgarden beds.The degree of mechanization you use inplanting will depend to a great extent onthe size of your operation. You will mostlikely want to start small, and the samehand tools you would use for vegetablegardening will work for planting. If thesoil has been freshly tilled, a hand trowelwill work for making holes for transplantsor plugs. They should always be “wateredin” to settle the soilaround the roots. Ifyou are using supportnetting, you canlay it over the top ofthe bed before settingtransplants. Thesix-inch square gridof the netting can beused to space yourplants.If you are plantingbulbs, try digginga flat-bottomedtrench to the desiredplanting depth,rather than using abulb planter to makeindividual holes foreach tulip bulb orgladiolus corm.WeedManagementWeeds compete withfl owers for nutrients,water, and light, andcan harbor insectpests. A heavy stand of weeds in yourplanting can severely reduce cut fl owerquality. Weeding can be one of your mosttime consuming operations, especially ifyou choose not to use chemical herbicides.If you use support netting, mechanicalweeding is impossible once it is in place.Mulches can help suppress weeds and providemany other benefi ts as well, includingcleaner fl owers. Other benefi ts include soilmoisture conservation, soil temperaturemoderation, increased soil organic matter,and habitat for natural enemies of insectpests, depending on your choice of mulchingmaterial.And contrary to what many of us were toldfor years, high-carbon materials do notdeprive plants of nitrogen when they arelaid on the surface as mulch unless thesematerials are mixed into the soil. Nor dooak leaves or pine needles used as mulchmake the soil more acidic. (Reich, 2005)Photo by Janet BachmannFloral netting is stretched across the bed to keeplisianthus stems from falling over.www.attra.ncat.orgATTRAPage 13