How do Nurseries Force Blooming?

[Jenny]

Now that I'm more familiar with how plants grow in my own garden, and have started quite a few plants from seed I'm much more aware that the plants I see in the nurseries are flowering well before their usual time.

I'm wondering how the nurseries get plants to flower early. We have quite a few local nurseries and I've examined their greenhouses and don't see any lights. So I'm wondering if they are treating with something special.

In particular, I'm curious how they get the Nonstop begonias going. Mine from last year which I started in pots were much larger than the ones I purchased this year, but they are only now starting to make buds while the purchased ones were blooming madly for Mothers Day

--Jenny

[Lucky]

The best method is to sow as early as possible in a protected environment such as a greenhouse.

Otherwise, the proper fertilizer and environmental conditions are used.

(Environmental Conditions are often bizare. For example, some plants only bloom when they believe they are in danger of dying. Some Nurseries will purposefuly not water these type of plants in order to encourage bloom. Other plants will not bloom if they are crowded together. (Gerbers for example will not bloom if just sown in a pot. The must be individualy grown, and then when they bloom they can be transplanted into pots.) Other plants won't bloom unless they are thinned or pruned.

I've often wondered if there is some plant hormone that encourages blooms as well.

-Jason

[gardenlen]

not sure about over where you are jerry,

but i saw a doco' on a large flower plant nursery over here, they grew chrysanthimums for mothers day, the potted plant that is not the cut flower. and they had their shade houses set so they could regulate the amount of light and dark the plant got , this they said fooled the plant into flowering when they wanted it to.

so guess if you research the plant you like and give it what it wants it will flower too?

snipped With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

-- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand."