Cultivation Of Crops: hoop houses

Showing posts with label hoop houses. Show all posts

Apr 11, 2017

Spring Flower Series: CAgrown Iris

Springtime on a California flower farm is something to behold, and with two farms located at each end of the state (Northern Arcata and Southern Oxnard), we get to experience this magical season two-fold. Today, our Spring Flower Series brings us to our fabulous Iris. Yes, we grow this crop year-round, but springtime is when it really kicks into high gear.

California Iris

We grow a few crops at both our Oxnard and Arcata farms and Iris is a big one. In warmer Oxnard, our iris is grown in open fields October through May, and in cool, coastal Arcata, we grow iris in hoop houses year-round. This parallel production gives us a steady supply of fresh iris, especially during spring as the both farms take advantage of the perfect iris weather.

Foggy Arcata

When summer brings its heat, it will be too hot for field iris in Oxnard, but our cool and foggy Arcata summers create the perfect environment, so come summer, we will be growing iris in both hoops and the field. Frosty nights are few and far between, and there’s sufficient sun during the day without the oppressive heat that can cause plants to go dormant.

Hoop House Spring Iris

When our iris bulbs arrive from Holland, we store them in heated rooms (heat keeps the bulbs dormant). Once we're ready to start planting, we wake the bulbs by cooling them, and then we plant them in fresh, fertile soil.

Iris bulbs from warm storage to fresh dirt.

If these are hoop house iris, the bulbs are planted in crates, but if they are planted in the field, the bulbs go straight into the ground!

When it comes to harvesting Iris, timing is everything. The heads must be full, which means the tip of the iris will still be sheathed by green leaves, but contains color on the inside. The sheath keeps the iris petals safe during transport, and this picking point is considered the "window pane"-- the iris is still closed, but ready to bloom within a few days. It takes an experienced eye to notice the "window pane," and once it's noticed we have to move fast. At this stage, iris develops quickly and green buds in the morning can turn to colorful heads in the afternoon, which is why our dedicated Iris team sometimes picks two times a day. This hard work pays off, and is the backbone of our successful iris program, which is one of the largest in the country.

We have been growing iris for decades, using time-tested traditions and modern technology to perfect our techniques in both the fields and hoop houses. Our proprietary post-harvest care is something special too -- we are continually testing, innovating, and improving our post-harvest treatments, and that, when used in tandem with our cold-chain management, has created a consistent supply of high-quality, cut iris for the market, direct from our farms.

Telstar Iris in Action

We grow a gorgeous variety of white, yellow, purple and sky-blue iris, but it's our Telstar Iris that really steals the show, and dominates our growing program. The Telstar is a favorite among florists, wholesalers, and floral fanatics alike, guaranteed to be in any Spring Floral Arrangement you may see during the season. They're recognizable by their beautiful blue color, accented by flashes of yellow atop long, thin stems. It is the only blue Iris guaranteed to open every single time, with the strongest stems and longest vase life out of any other iris.

Telstar or not, Iris are a harbinger of spring, known as the "dancing spirit of the fields." Give your sales rep a call and bring that dancing spring spirit into your world today!

Apr 26, 2016

What is a Z-Calla?

calla lilies hoop houses spring z-callas zantedeschia

Many people are well-acquainted with the Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica)—its white trumpet bloom and long, dark stem marks the beginning of spring in many gardens. Many people are also familiar with Mini Callas (or, colored callas) which are often referred to simply as Zantedeschia. "Mini callas" come in a much wider array of colors than their big, white sister, and include: rose, yellow, orange, red, flame, white, dark purple, bi-color, and even black. Now, what are Z-callas?

Gorgeous, dark maroon z-callas

Z-Callas

Technically, Z-Callas are "mini-callas" but the ones we grow are not miniature by any means. Their trumpet-shaped blooms are sized around 4 inches with stem lengths of 20" to 30." How do we grow them so large? It's not crazy hormones or fertilizers...it's all in our methods.

How to Grow Z-Callas

Over the last few years, we've been doing different tests with our Z-Callas: growing some in greenhouses, others in hoops, trying out different varieties, playing with light, dark, warmth, and cool. You name it, we tried it—and the research paid off. Once we found our stride with Z-Callas, we continued with what worked, and kept our practices consistent; now, every spring through fall we can provide florists, stores, and individuals with large, color-saturated zantedeschia.

What we found is that Z-callas need a combination of diffused UV light and cool evenings to really color up and stretch. To obtain properly diffused light, we grow our z-callas in hoop houses which are covered in milky-white plastic. While UV light can still pass through the plastic, the opacity diffuses the sun's rays and allows the light to wrap around z-callas big upper leaves and reach underneath to the dark underbelly. This is key, as z-callas need as much light on as many of their leaves as possible in order to grow tall and color up.

The second part of this equation is cool evenings, as a little bit of cold stress helps z-callas stretch to their elegant length while also infusing their blooms with intense color. If z-callas are kept at a balmy temperature all day and all night, the intensity of their colors will be reduced. Again, hoop houses help with this, as they're open-ended, allowing for cool, evening air to circulate freely. Consistent, cool evenings are what really make the colors of our orange "flame" varieties so vivid.

Super vivid "flame" z-callas

Z-callas are irresistible and their popularity is huge—you can't open an industry publication or peruse Pinterest or Instagram without seeing their colorful heads and trademark shape. In addition to their iconic elegance, they are particularly sought after for their remarkable vase life (3-4 weeks). We grow them from spring (just in time for wedding season!) and continue rolling out new colors and varieties all the way until fall.

So, when you want to add some intense color to your long-lasting arrangements, don't just ask for mini-callas, ask for Z-callas!

Jul 7, 2015

What Zantedeschia Want: Part 2

#Sun Valley #zantedeschia #zants greenhouses hoop houses Lady Aster

Last week, we learned what Zantedeschia really want in a growing environment: Diffused Light and Cool Evenings. Now it's time to reveal the results of our year-long examination--which one of these growing environments--Hoop Houses or Greenhouses--gives Zants the ideal growing conditions that they really want? The winner is.....

....HOOP HOUSES!

HOOP HOUSE

GREENHOUSE

Yes, that's right. Zantedeschia like Hoop Houses more than Greenhouses, but it's not personal, it's business. Here's how they deliver:

Light Diffusion and UV Supply: The plastic coverings we use on our hoop houses are milky white, which provides the best light diffusion. The opaque color scatters (or diffuses) the sun's rays and allows the light to wrap around Zant's big upper leaves and reach underneath to the dark underbelly. The clear, glass windows of a greenhouse typically provide direct light which can create a lot of shadows. Some plants thrive in this environment, but Zants need as much light on as many of their leaves as possible. In addition to the lack of light diffusion, greenhouse glass also acts as a filter for UV light, which means the majority of UV rays are not transmitted (just try to get a suntan in a greenhouse!). However, the plastic on our hoop houses allows the much-needed UV rays to shine on through.

Temperature: As we have learned, Zants like cold nights. Greenhouses can be too warm, which will result in more leaves than flowers. Hoop houses, on the other hand, naturally start off cooler than a greenhouse. This is because hoop houses are open-ended, which allow for cool evening air to circulate freely. Know what else keeps hoops houses cool? Diffused light! It does create heat, but the heat is not nearly as intense as direct light. Consistent, cool evenings leads to rich, saturated color. Plus, the little bit of cold stress is not only good for vivid-looking blooms, it is also just what they need to grow tall and straight.

This year, our hoop house varieties are exhibiting exceptionally vivid colors as well as stem lengths ranging from 14 to 28 inches. We love these beauties for their iconic, elegant appearance and their remarkable vase life. We're quite excited that we have discovered what Zants really want.....and we hope you are too!

Nov 13, 2012

Farm Weather Report

greenhouses hoop houses Humboldt County Iris Lilies Oxnard Rain Redwoods Salmon Tulips

Egrets at Sun Valley Floral Farm, Arcata.

A flock of egrets looks for shelter from the rain on our Arcata farm.

“Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” -Rumi

Our farm here in the north is ready to batten down the hatches, it looks like the classic Humboldt County rains have begun. Puddles are forming, and it appears they are here to stay. Just east of here, our farm in Willow Creek has had a dusting of snow and a few showers in the last week. To the south, our farm in Oxnard is still enjoying a dry, windy autumn. Our farm in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada has already been shoveling some serious snow, and at the farm in Baja, people are still wearing shorts…maybe they always wear shorts?

Here on the rugged north coast we are hardy people, many of which don’t even own a raincoat, while living in what is termed a “temperate rainforest.” The rain is essential to our ecosystem, which includes the tallest trees in the world and some of the most dramatic rivers in America.

Coho and Chinook Salmon are starting their amazing journey up the rivers to their ancient spawning grounds. About 2 miles from the farm, salmon are schooling up and preparing for the water levels on the Mad River to rise so they can begin swimming upstream, in some cases over a 100 miles, to reproduce. We are blessed here in Humboldt County with a stunning natural environment, and an awesome community. This environment, although not ideal for suntans, air conditioners or sunglasses is perfect for growing tulips, lilies and iris.

So what happens on the farm when the rain starts? Luckily, all our field crops have been harvested except our yummy artichokes, which don’t mind the rain.

Our hoop houses are the most exposed to the elements. They don’t have much structure, just plastic sheeting stretched over arched metal poles. I asked grower Tim, “What happens to all the water that runs off the top of these hoops? It seems that you would need huge trenches to keep the water under control.”

Sun Valley Hoop House at our Humboldt County farm

Hoop House drainage system.

Tim explained something you would never know without getting the inside scoop. When a hoop house is built on the farm, it isn’t just put up with metal stuck in the ground and the sheeting pulled over to cover it. Our team actually builds up the ground below the hoop house with about 3 feet of sand, and in that sand is a huge series of drainage pipes. This keeps the area well drained, water run-off is controlled and the flowers growing in the hoop house don’t get flooded. The main crops growing right now in our hoop houses are our Royal LA Hybrid Lilies, Asiatic Lilies, Iris and Freesia.

Sun Valley's "Royal" LA Hybrids are coming on strong for Thanksgiving.

Our large complex of glass Dutch Greenhouses are where we grow the Oriental Lilies and our soil grown Tulips. These greenhouses have a steel infrastructure, thousands of glass panes, sliding doors and create a very controlled temperature atmosphere. When the rain comes; the humidity in the greenhouses spikes. A little humidity is great for the flowers; a lot of humidity is a recipe for disaster. A high level of humidity will encourage botrytis. Botrytis is the scourge of the flower farm. It is a fungus growth that will rot the stems and buds of lilies and turn them brown. No bueno.

Cold and wet outside, warm and dry inside.

Grower Antoon explained to me what they do to keep the humidity levels in check. The first thing they do is turn on the heat. Not your traditional heat, but a long series of white pipes through which they pump boiling water. This radiant heating system warms up the air in the greenhouse. Warm air holds more moisture than cold air, so the moisture which has accumulated in the greenhouse moves into the air, and away from the lilies and tulips. After a few hours of heat to pull the moisture into the air, the growers open up the vents on the greenhouse.

The hot, moist air rushes out of the greenhouse, rising into the sky, leaving the plants dry and safe from the devil botrytis. This clever system is repeated throughout the wet season and keeps our greenhouses producing year round lilies and tulips.