Flower farming is neither capital nor labour-intensive as compared to other horticultural (vegetables) crops. Rather, it lies between the skilled labour force and modern farming techniques. Investment in this sector yields high returns. The sale of cut-flowers is around 10,000 to 12,000 tons per annum.
The traditional methods are prevalent with the fields yet not mechanized.
To produce top quality flowers plenty of sunlight and air is essential with slight shade in the early afternoon. Shelter from north and east winds helps in the growth of healthy plants. A hedge or fence is useful which should not shade the bush. Medium loam, slightly acid and rich soil is suitable while soils can also be prepared to grow fine flowers. A highly clay content is not suitable as it does not improve by adding humus in the soils.
The land is ploughed at least two and a half feet deep as it ensures moisture down the roots for better-quality flowers. A lot of time and labour in land preparation is beneficial. After ploughing, the land is left for few days for air and sunlight. Beds are dug at least two and half feet deep and filled with well-mixed canal silt and rotten farm yard manure. The best time for planting flowers is November to February but they can be planted any time from October to March. The planting material should be healthy and strong. The spacing and distance are recommended for better produce.
It is important to estimate and mark the places of plantation. A hole of 6-12” is formed by digging out the soil. The plant is firmly placed after covering the budding point with one inch of soil while filling the hole to normal level. Standard and half-standard flowers should not be planted deeply. Climbing and rambling type should be planted loosely for some support to protect shoots from the damage. Care should be taken to avoid too many varieties in one bed.
Flower nursery is a good source of income. There are many commercial nurseries. The size varies from a few plants to a few acres. The cost involved is minimum.
The seeds are planted in prepared field which needs irrigation with an interval of 10–15 days, until the plants become healthy. Irrigation, the FYM and inter-culturing of a nursery must continue as per the plant’s requirements. After sometime, these plants are ready for transplanting to flower fields.
However, some technical deficiencies observed in commercial flower nurseries are: nursery beds close to big trees; poor inter-culturing practices; absence of labelling the plant and the stock; poor selection of seedling stock; extensive plant population; seeds procured from the local growers; and grafting performed in traditional ways.
Healthy material helps in good yield and quality produce. Therefore, these traditionally managed nurseries need to be improved. A commercial nursery must improve the way of producing planting material by using new planting techniques with modern technology such as:
(a) Select rootstock from known cultivars and rogue out abnormal seedlings at an early stage;
(b) Select scion bud wood from known mother plant and;
(c) Select proper method of budding/grafting of nursery rootstocks.
In addition, the nursery site must be away from big trees with wide spacing. Well-trained staff should carry out budding and grafting and all planting material must be correctly labelled.
Most material is produced by the private sector. The available rootstock is mostly unknown with low genetic capability to produce high yield, and available for sale without any from of certification.
To keep the flower healthy, vigorous and productive, it is necessary to assess the nutritional requirements of a plant. Soil fertility should be maintained. The use of FYM varies with the age of a plant. Young flower plant of two years) need less FYM as compared to the mature plants (6 years). The main reason reported by the respondents is that in mature flower fields growers do not practice any intercropping, and thus do not use any fertilizer in flower field. Growers keep a continuous supply of FYM in mature fields.
Flower draws heavily on soil nutrients and removes a substantial amount, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Survey results show that most apply chemical fertilizer in flower fields. It has been observed that grower do not recognize the importance of potash although potash requirement for flower is higher than any other nutrient. Zinc deficiency has also been observed and can be rectified by soil application of 0.4 per cent Zn SO4 before the flowering stage.
Water management is important but little information is available. It plays an important role. Growers of the study area irrigated the fields once a week in summer and after every 12 to 15 days in winter. It is not necessary to irrigate established plants frequently.
A number of insects, pests and disease cause damage to the plant. At initial flowering stage, cloudy and rainy weather conditions encourage the insects and pests resulting in production losses such as green fly (aphid), caterpillar, leaf rolling sawfly, thrips, leaf hopper, caspid bug leaf minor, powdery mildew, black spot, chamker, diebacle and rust.
Around 70 per cent respondents applied two sprays and the remaining 30 per cent three sprays to control the insect, pest and disease. The average cost of per spray ranges from Rs2,000 to Rs2,500/ha. It varies from one grower to another. The variation in cost is due to the quantity and quality of the insecticide applications.
Growers should apply insecticides and fungicides, or Bordeaux mixture according to type, intensity and economic injury level. To control insects, pests and disease or physiological disorders, preventive measures such as general sanitation of the field and health condition of the plants should receive proper attention along with curative aspects.
The purpose of pruning is to encourage regular development of strong and healthy stems. The knife must be sharp, secure and well adjusted. Thick shoots of old plants needed to be cut off. The best time for rose pruning is from January to March. Systematic plant population is a must. The growers have now realized the importance of plant spacing and have reduced the population to below 1,200 plants per hectare.
Establishment of flower field is an economic and resource allocation decision, wherein growers have to decide by taking into account both fixed and variable costs. The fixed costs include all costs for planting.
All costs are calculated and presented in (table).
Lack of capital and the non-availability of institutional credit among growers are main hurdles. Growers face difficulty in buying seasonal inputs and to make payment to labour and machinery.
In such conditions income generated daily by selling flowers on cash basis could be utilized to buy inputs for other crops and pay for labour, machinery and the government taxes. There is a high demand of labour for picking the flowers. Producers and contractors arrange labour by extending advances to them to ensure their availability on regular basis.
The foregoing investigation indicates that there are sufficient incentives for growers, particularly for large growers, to bring land under flower cultivation.
Flower cultivation is more profitable than the most of the crops in the study area. There are possibilities for growers to enhance their incomes. Improving management practices, adopting recommended technology and marketing their own produce could help them in the long run.