Rose Newsletter: 1st July

Updated: Dec 7, 2024

We can't believe it's already July! Time flies. And with it being Winter in Australia, that makes it even harder to imagine we're halfway through 2024. Brrr! We hope you're staying warm and well!

Blooming Business: Growing Cut Flower Roses in Glasshouses

Roses, are a timeless symbol of love and beauty, they grace our homes and celebrations year-round. But have you ever wondered how these stunning blooms defy the seasons? The answer lies in the world of environmentally controlled glasshouses. Grandiflora has 5 hectares of environmentally controlled glasshouses allowing us to grow our cut flower rose varieties year-round.

Advantages of Glasshouses:

Climate Control: Unlike unpredictable outdoor conditions, glasshouses allow for enhanced control over temperature, humidity, and light. This is crucial for roses, which thrive in specific conditions.
Pest and Disease Protection: The physical barrier of the glasshouse keeps harmful insects and diseases at bay, reducing the need for pesticides, leading to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach.
Extended Season: Roses can be grown year-round, regardless of the climate outside. This allows growers to meet peak demand periods like Valentine's Day and special events including Mother's Day, Christmas etc.
Improved Quality: Controlled environments lead to healthier plants with stronger stems, larger blooms, and extended vase life for the roses we grow.
Water Conservation: Utilising drip irrigation systems and rainwater harvesting techniques significantly reduce our water usage. This means we can capture the water from the glasshouse roofs, keeping them in a multiple dams located around the farm. Then when required we can use the water from our dams to water our roses every single day.

The Art of Growing Roses Under Glass:

Choosing the Right Variety: Not all roses are created equal. As a Rose Breeder, Grandiflora develops specific cut flower varieties with long stems, large booms & vibrant colours, with good disease resistance that are ideal for glasshouse production, that also have excellent vase life.
Planting and Care: our Roses are grown in hydroponic raised gutter trough systems which allows for a well-draining, aerated growing medium. Regular fertilization, irrigation, and monitoring for pests and diseases are essential.
Light and Temperature: Roses need ample sunlight - for photosynthesis which is the process by which the green leaf matter transforms light energy into chemical energy, allowing our roses to grow. The optimal temperature range varies depending on the rose variety and growth stage.
Pruning and Support: Regular pruning encourages bushier plants and promotes flower production. Everyday after we harvest the roses, we have many staff looking after the roses. Each plant needs care and maintenance every single day.
Water Conservation: every rose plant has their own water drip irrigation. In Summer we can water our roses up to 16 times a day and during Winter that can drop to 8 times per day. We recycle 100% of the water and rainwater harvesting techniques can significantly reduce water usage.

Facts:

At different times of the year roses may slightly change in colour due to variance in temperature and sunlight. Like our skin, roses have pigments and the change in sunlight and temperatures can affect the colour of rose petals. We endeavour to take pictures as true to its colour as possible, however the change in varieties is beyond our control and are influenced by Mother Nature.
Grandiflora specialises in Cut Flower Rose varieties, and these are not suitable for garden conditions. Garden roses have different genetic characteristics that allow them to grow in all conditions. Cut Flower roses are specifically bred for glasshouse growing.