When you enter a supermarket, you are often greeted by the sight of cheerful bouquets of flowers and even some potted plants. These are usually the result of floriculture, a branch of horticulture dedicated to cultivating flowers to be sold to the general public. If you are interested in starting your own operation, the guide below looks closer at what this process entails.

What Does Floriculture Involve?

Flower farming is a multi-billion dollar industry. According to a 2018 U.S. Department of Agriculture report, the total crop value for wholesale growers was $4.77 billion.

For their business to thrive, farmers who specialize in breeding and growing flowers need to know the unique needs of each plant. This way, they can grow species with similar requirements together under the right conditions to ensure bright, beautiful blooms.   

While it used to be that the kinds of flowers that you could grow depended on your locality and season, recent advances in farming technology have made it possible to cultivate these plants indoors in limited space in a process known as vertical farming. Since the plants are in an environment where you can control how much light and water they get—and keep them away from pests without the use of pesticides—you can grow whatever you think will sell the most regardless of the time of year. 

What to Grow

Bedding Plants

The biggest segment of the floriculture industry are annuals and perennials like petunias and geraniums. You can grow the seedlings indoors using a hydroponics set-up and then transfer the plants to soil for consumers. While an indoor farm can allow you to grow these plants year-round, most buyers will want to transfer them to their own gardens. Therefore, the selling season for bedding flowers is usually from May to June.

Cut Flowers

Floriculturists often grow flowers specifically to be used in cut arrangements. Customers planning winter weddings will love being able to choose from a wide variety of flowers in spite of the cold weather, so consider growing popular favorites such as roses, calla lilies, and peonies.

Grow roses in favorite prom dress colors for the May-June season for those hoping to match a boutonnière to their partner or purchase a corsage for them to wear on their wrist. 

Potted Plants

Many people love the idea of keeping fresh herbs in potted plants around their homes for cooking. You can help them by growing crops like chives, mint, or aloe in your vertical farm, transferring them to pots, and selling them. You could also grow seasonal favorites, like poinsettias, that people will use to decorate for the holidays.

With more than three decades of industry experience, Horticulture Tech LLC is one of the leading experts in vertical farming in the Midwest. Their team will assure your plants will thrive in an optimal environment with farming solutions like irrigation and climate control systems, remote monitoring, and custom-made LED light technology. For more information, check out their website. Call (810) 522-2794 with questions.