Horticulture

Exploring A Wonderful Industry!

Please Write the Following Objectives on your worksheet

• By the end of this unit I will be able to:– Define horticulture and describe its

relationship to science and technology– Identify the three major segments of the

horticulture industry– Identify and define activities included in the

ornamental horticulture industry

Terms to Know

• Botany• Floriculture• Foliage plants• Horticulture• Horticulture industry• Horticulture science• Horticulture technology• Landscape horticulture• Nursery• Olericulture• Ornamental horticulture• Pomology

What is Horticulture?

• Horticulture is the culture of plants for food, comfort, and beautification purposes– In Latin, the term horticulture means “garden

culture”– However, advancements in horticulture

science and technology have helped the field of horticulture become more than just garden culture

How Does Horticulture Relate to Science and Technology?

• The field of science that deals with the cultivation of horticultural plants is known as horticulture science– Botany is the study of plants and their

processes• What are some plant processes that you are

familiar with?

How Does Horticulture Relate to Science and Technology?

• As in other areas of agriculture, technology has found its way into horticulture– Horticulture technology is the application of

science to horticulture– Successfully raising plants takes more than

just a daily watering• Time, patience, and an understanding of the

scientific processes of plants is needed to grow beautiful plants and flowers

How Does Horticulture Relate to Science and Technology?

• The horticulture industry is the combination of scientific, technological, and production activities that insure the satisfaction of the consumer

• Science + Technology + Production = THE HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY

The Three Major Segments of the Horticulture Industry

• The growth and use of plants for their beauty is the area of horticulture known as ornamental horticulture– Ornamental horticulture involves the

production and use of flowering and foliage plants used both indoors and out.

The Three Major Segments of the Horticulture Industry

• The area of horticulture that involves the production of vegetable food crops is olericulture– Olericulture includes the planting, harvesting,

storing, processing, and marketing of vegetable crops

– Sweet corn, tomatoes, and lettuce are examples of vegetable crops

The Three Major Segments of the Horticulture Industry

• Another food crop production area of horticulture is pomology– Pomology is the planting, harvesting, storing,

processing, and marketing of fruit and nut crops

– Examples of fruit and nut crops include peaches, strawberries, and walnuts

Different Segments of the Ornamental Horticulture Industry

• Ornamental horticulture, which is one of the three segments of the horticulture industry, can itself be broken down into two categories– These are floriculture and landscape

horticulture– Both involve the use of flowering and foliage

plants• Foliage plants are those used for their colorful

greenery or leaves

Different Segments of the Ornamental Horticulture Industry

• Floriculture is the area of horticulture associated with cut flowers, potted plants, and annual bedding plants– Producing, transporting, and using flowering

and foliage plants is known as floriculture

Different Segments of the Ornamental Horticulture Industry

• Before plants are placed in the landscape, they are grown and cared for in a nursery– A nursery is a place which specializes in

starting plants, shrubs, and ornamental trees which can later be transplanted to landscape areas

– The production and use of plants to beautify the environment is landscape horticulture

• Landscape horticulture also includes designing landscaping plans and landscape maintenance

References

• All information contained in this presentation is derived from the CD entitled “Utah Agricultural Education – Nursery & Landscape Management, Floriculture & Greenhouse Management Lesson Plans

©2006 Utah State Office of Education: Career and Technical Education

• Information on the CD and on this presentation contains materials from CAERT, Inc. lesson plan library and specifically from the CAERT Horticulture Lesson Plan Library: Lesson A1-1

Field Grown Cut Flowers

Year-round Production

Field Grown Cut FlowerYear-round production

• Early spring – woody trees, shrubs, vines and bulbs

• Mid spring – Perennials and biennials

• Summer – Annuals, perennials and woody

• Fall – perennials, woody plants with berries and decorative fruits

• Winter – woody plants with decorative stems

Marketing Channels

• Local, niche markets

• Local florists or other retailers

• Direct marketing – farmers’ markets, bucket shops, pick-your-own, subscription selling

• Wholesale markets

• Mixture of markets

• Fresh vs. dried product

Site Selection

• Sunny location• Flat land• Well-drained soil• Accessible at all times even after rain• Water for irrigation• Post harvest requirements• Air circulation but protection from

excessive winds

Years ago florists grew their own product, so there was a great variety of products.

Now florists are clamoring for fresh, hard-to-find, hard-to-ship items.

Production Systems

• Row system wide enough for tiller or tractor

• 2.5 – 4 foot wide beds with 2 or more rows of plants within each bed

• Raised beds 2-8 inches• Mulched to reduce weeds and water loss• Support provided by plastic mesh and t-

posts spaced in pairs every 20-30 feet• Aisles to allow movement between beds

Soil Preparation

• Soil test

• Adjust pH

• Provide nutrients

• Add organic matter

• Plant a cover crop

• Legume cover crops fix nitrogen

Field Establishment

• Direct sow

• Purchase or grow transplants

• Bigger plugs are better

• Divisions and rooted cuttings

• Bulbs, tubers, corms and tuberous roots

Plant Spacing

• Tight = increases yield and profit per square foot and increase stem length

• but decreases yield per plant and air circulation

• 4 X 4 to 18 X 18 inches for annuals

• 12 X 12 to 24 X 24 inches for perennials

• 2 to 6 feet for woody shrubs and trees

Other Cultural Needs

• Irrigation with drip tape• Weed control

– Timing– Hand weeding– Mechanical cultivation– Flame weeding– Herbicides pre and post emergent– Mulches

• Fall and winter preparation

Annual Specialty Cut Flowers

1. Ageratum houstonianum ‘Blue Horizon’

2. Celosia spicata ‘Flamingo Feather’

3. Centaurea cyanus ‘Polka Dot Mix’

4. Cosmos bipinnatus ’Early Wonder’

5. Craspedia globosa

Annual Specialty Cut Flowers

6. Helianthus annuus ‘ Sunrich Lemon’

7. Limonium sinuatum ‘Pastel Shades’

8. Salvia farinacea ‘ Victoria’

9. Scabiosa atropurpurea ‘Olympian hybrid’

10. Verbena benariensis

11. Zinnia elegans ‘Ruffles’

Perennial Specialty Cut Flowers

1. Achillea filipendulina ‘Cloth of Gold’

2. Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’

3. Geum quellyon ‘Mrs. Bradshaw Imp.’

4. Liatris spicata

5. Physostegia purpurea