Money Maker Cut Flower
Growing Protocol for Money Maker Cut Flower
Growing environment / Greenhouses, tunnelsSoil / All types of drained soils and on detached mediums
Recommended temperature / 15 degrees C during night and 25 degrees C during day (sensitive under 5 degrees C)
Additional requirements
Lighting / A lighting system of 100 lux is in use year round, and a darkening system is applied when natural daylight exceeds 12 hours.
Prolonging daylight to 16 hours should be done once plants have established. Pinching is done after the elongation of the main stem.
Supplementary lighting is also applied after the pruning stage – from the second flush onwards. In order for the initiation to occur, lighting is applied until the side stems that have developed grow 40-50 cm. long. At this stage day length should be 12 hours or less. When days grow longer the darkening system is employed until many flowering buds are apparent.
Irrigation / Overhead system and 2 drip lines.
Planting density / 12 plants per square meter (net). Bed width should be 1 meter wide and the paths between the beds - 0.50 meter.
Flowering flush duration / About 12 weeks from planting / pruning until flowering, depending on the variety, season and growing location – greenhouse, open field and etc. The plants are cut back after flowering and twelve weeks later there will be a second flush of flowers.
Required actions / Planting, establishment of plants, supplementary lighting, pinching, use of supporting nets, continue lighting until subsidiary stems elongate and are 40-50 cm. long, lighting is then stopped and conditions are switched to short day conditions (of less than 12 hours daylight) until budding.
The regular irrigation and plant protection treatments should be given.
After the second flush, plants are pruned usually down to ground level.
Generally thinning out is done leaving 6-7 qualitative branches.
1-2 GA hormone sprayings are applied and the supplementary lighting is employed similar to the instructions above.
Supporting nets (2 nets and number of lengthwise cords) are used and the regular irrigation, and spraying treatments are given according to requirement.
Sensitivity to diseases and pests / Thrips, mites, powdery mildew, caterpillars, leaf miners.
Harvested flower treatment / The flowers should be placed quickly after harvest in solution or water. Solution consists
Silverthiosulphate -0.2%. + 1% sugar.
Flowers should be kept for 2-4 hours in the packinghouse and then transferred to the cold room for 12 –72 hours.