The 41°F. Cut Tulip Program A Commercial Reality
Subject:
New York State Flower Industries , Inc
Abstract:
In earlier issues of this Bulletin experiments were discussed which pointed to the commercial value of holding tulip bulbs in the shipping cases as received from Holland at 41T for 10-12 weeks and then planting them directly in a greenhouse for flowering. Better results were obtained by giving the 41° storage treatment at or near the site of the greenhouses where the bulbs will be flowered, rather than in Holland because of the possibility of exposure to adverse temperature conditions during the pro longed shipping period. When the experiments on 41°F storage began to show promise, one Long Island grower tried the procedure. In the short period of two years he has replaced his old production program with this method. By last year, he and another wholesale grower were treating tulip bulbs in their own 41°F storage facilities and forcing them. Again this year they are continuing to use this procedure exclusively. Four other wholesale growers, several smaller growers, and a large New Jersey grower are also on a program of continuous winter production of cut tulip flowers using bulbs treated at the Cornell-U.S.D.A. Ornamentals Research Laboratory at Farmingdale
Keywords: Flowering storage Adverse temperature conditions Holland Bulbs
Libraries: Floriculture