Greenhouse Rose Production--Spectacular Ambience

The three greenhouses on the outskirts of Mississauga are nearing completion. A spike of warm temperature has facilitated construction. We are awaiting the arrival of the glazed glass from a factory in upstate New York.

Commercial cut flowers are increasingly produced using hydroponic methods. In Israel, soilless rose producers are grossing two hundred thousand U.S. dollars for every 2.4 acres of greenhouse space. This might be the highest per acre income from any agricultural endeavor world-wide.

97% of Israel’s rose growers use hydroponics. Many of these greenhouses are computer-controlled. By regulating the bloom stage of rose production, perfect-sized roses can be grown according to the calendar to be harvested just before Valentine’s Day, on February 14th.

Competition from developing countries, such as those in Africa, is threatening cut-flower production in Israel. Field hands in Africa are paid ten dollars per month. The only way the hydroponic growers can compete with that is to computerize more and more of the operation, thus cutting down labor costs.

Low labor costs in Colombia allowed that country’s rose producers to grab 40% of the U.S. market, forcing many California growers out of business.

Mississauga is home to an International Rose Cooperative Auction House, which will allow Pedro and I to sell our flowers in the increasingly competitive marketplace.

When I was growing cut carnations in my basement rec-room I marketed the flowers myself to retail outlets in the area, making my profit margin larger but my distribution costs also increased.

With three huge glass houses producing cut roses that method of distribution would not be feasible. By becoming part of an international marketing process, we’ll be able to sell our flowers strategically. Most cut flowers are sold around the time of the major holidays of Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Thanksgiving.

Roses are by far the most popular flowers sold in the U.S., with 1.5 billion roses sold per annum. Around 1000 acres of greenhouses in America are devoted to rose production. These greenhouses produce flowers year-round and are responsible for double the number of commercially grown roses outdoors in the field.

Flowers have slightly different micronutrient requirements than vegetables. In addition to balancing the NPK of our 100% organic base nutrients—Iguana Juice Grow and Bloom—with the NPK of Colossal Bud Blast, we also plan to add Sensi Cal Mg Mix Grow and Sensi Cal Mg Mix Bloom to our Ebb and Flow system reservoirs, in order to provide the exact micronutrients required by roses.

When our flowers become mature and in extended flower production, we plan to maintain our roses on the bloom nutrients, which are formulated by Advanced Nutrients to keep our rose bushes producing more and more copious flowers.

Sensi Cal Mg Mix Bloom, for instance, not only contains 4.59% of Calcium (Ca) in three different forms, including a chelated form, but also 1.5% of Magnesium (Mg), 0.15% or Iron (Fe), 0.09% of Manganese (Mn), 0.045% of Zinc (Zn), 0.0015% of Copper (Cu), 0.027% of Boron (B), 0.012% of Molybdenum (Mo), and 0.0036% of Cobalt (Co).

In addition to the trace amounts of these micronutrients, which are essential for healthy flowers, Sensi Cal Mg Mix Bloom also has 2.0% of Nitrogen (N) in the form of Calcium Nitrate, which guarantees crisp, robust plant foliage, and plant growth in general.

The macro and micronutrients in this and other Advanced Nutrients products are designed to produce a synergistic effect, which means that they will interact in a very effective way to provide our roses with much needed nutrition and growth and bloom enhancers.

Colossal Bud Blast, for instance, contains a form of urea that increases the pigment content of flowers, helping to produce incredibly vibrant blooms. I used it extensively on my prize-winning carnations and can personally attest to its effectiveness.

The Potassium Nitrate in Colossal Bud Blast has proven to increase the speed of bloom formation, as well as the abundance of flowers. This well-researched product was originally designed as a foliar spray, but it can also be effectively added to the root zone of flowering plants, both during the vegetative and flowering stages.

Speaking of spectacularly colored blooms, Pedro has added another Hybrid Tea Rose to our production list. This one is called Ambiance, and it has a three-tone motif of bright, canary yellow, coral red, and burnt orange. He had a dream about these colors then he spotted the picture in a catalogue.

“I’ve been looking for this rose all my life,” announced Pedro dramatically. “The market for multi-colored roses is increasing, just as more and more people are buying multi-swirl ice cream flavors. The old, single-hued ice creams aren’t exciting enough, according to Pedro, and neither are the single colored roses.

I reminded him that the single biggest sellers are still the red rose varieties, especially around Valentine’s Day, so I’ll insist on growing Alec’s Red. But Granada and Ambience are like the Spanish spices that Pedro likes to add to his cooking.

I also told him about Scorpion Juice and Barricade, two Advanced Nutrients products that are designed to make the lives of flower growers much easier. Pedro knew all about spider mites and aphids and Black Spot and Rust. He’s seen all the pests and diseases to which roses are prone.

Preventative spraying with Scorpion Juice will impart induced systemic resistance to our roses so that insects and pathogens won’t have a chance. Using Scorpion Juice is akin to giving our plants a “vaccination” that arms them with strength to fight off the invaders.

Similarly, adding Barricade to our nutrient mix will build up the cell walls of our rose bushes and flowers so that insects and destructive microorganisms will not be able to penetrate them. The Potassium Silicate in Barricade not only reinforces the walls of rose cells, but it also helps to increase plant metabolism, which causes faster growth and more robust rose plants.

“I will e-mail my father to tell him about these products,” said Pedro. “Our roses on Mallorca could use a good vaccine to keep pests and diseases away.”