Horticulture Principles and Practices

. Foliage or green plants. Foliage plants are nonflowering plants grown for
the beauty of their foliage.
3. Bedding plants. Bedding plants are grown to the seedling stage and sold to be
transplanted to beds and pots. There are two classes:
a. Ornamental plants. Ornamentals include certain vegetables that are grown
for aesthetic purposes.
b. Vegetables. Vegetables are grown to maturity and harvested for sale.
Bedding Plants
Largely annual plants
produced especially for
planting in beds and in
containers.
Another basis for grouping greenhouse plants is how they are grown. Plants may be
grown in containers (pots), on benches or ground beds, in hanging baskets, or in soilless
media (hydroponics).
13.1 I MPORTANCE OF GREENHOUSES IN PLANT PRODUCTION
Greenhouses may be used to produce crops on a small or large scale. In fact, for certain
crops, commercial production is primarily done in a controlled environment for best
quality. Greenhouse production has advantages and disadvantages.
Some of the major advantages and disadvantages of greenhouse production are as
follows:
13.1.1 ADVANTAGES
1. Greenhouses may be used to provide a head start on field production. Seedlings
of plants that are transplanted may be raised in the greenhouse in the off-season
and timed to coincide with the beginning of the growing season so that early
crops can be produced for premium prices.
2. Crops and ornamental plants may be produced in the off-season to prolong the
availability of fresh produce or products.
3. Produce quality is usually high because growers can manipulate the growing
environment for optimal production conditions.
4. Tropical crops can be grown in temperate zones and vice versa.
13.1.2 DISADVANTAGES
1. The initial costs of buildings and equipment are high.
2. Greenhouses operate at very high overhead (e.g., heating, cooling, and
lighting), and thus their use is limited to the production of high-premium crops
and plants.
3. Greenhouse production is not suitable for all crops and is economically applicable
to small-sized plants (e.g., vegetables, ornamentals, and herbaceous plants) but not
fruit trees.
13.2 PRODUCTION REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES
The Netherlands, Japan, and the United States lead the world in floricultural production.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data indicate the bedding plants are
the most important greenhouse-produced floricultural plants, accounting for about 35
percent of total production. They are followed by potted flowering plants (24 percent),
foliage plants (18 percent), cut flowers (18 percent), and cut cultivated greens (4 percent).
The most important bedding plant production states are California, Florida,
Texas, and Michigan, accounting for about 50 percent of total crop value. Plug technology
has greatly facilitated the production of bedding plants and green potted plants.
The most important production states for cut green plants are Florida, California, and
Greenhouse Production 439