Late-season high tunnel planting of specialty cut flowers in the midwestern United States influences yield and stem quality

W. Garrett Owen, Alyssa Hilligoss, Roberto G. Lopez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Production and market value of U.S. grown specialty cut flowers has increased over the past several years due to stem quality issues related to longdistance transport, regional proximity to market centers, and consumer’s willingness to purchase locally. Cut flowers are traditionally grown in field or greenhouse environments; however, high tunnels provide an alternative production environment and a number of cultural and economic advantages. Specialty cut flower species ‘Campana Deep Blue’ bellflower (Campanula carpatica), bells of ireland (Moluccella laevis), ‘Bombay Firosa’ celosia (Celosia cristata), ‘Amazon Neon Purple’ dianthus (Dianthus barbatus), ‘Fireworks’ gomphrena (Gomphrena pulchella), ‘Vegmo Snowball Extra’ matricaria (Tanacetum parthenium), and ‘Potomac Lavender’ snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) were planted in both field and high tunnel environments during the late season (early summer) in the midwestern United States. Compared with field production, high tunnel production yielded 9.1 stems/m2 (75%) for bells of ireland and 9.5 cm (15%), 16.8 cm (16%), 6.7 cm (44%), and 6.3 cm (19%) longer stems for bells of ireland, celosia, gomphrena, and matricaria, respectively. Additionally, stem length and caliper was greatest for high tunnel–grown bells of ireland, celosia, and dianthus. Our results indicate that late-season planting and production in a high tunnel is suitable for most of the species we investigated.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)338-343
Number of pages6
JournalHortTechnology
Volume26
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, American Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Daily light integral
  • Field production
  • Hoop house
  • Stem length

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Horticulture

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