Rich Luxury Flowers

Ranunculus

Rijk grew up on his parents' farm, who ran a dairy farm. His brothers stayed in this business, but Rijk found his uncles’ work, who grew flowers, much more interesting. He started on his parents' farm on a piece of land with outdoor flowers. When Rijk started his company 17 years ago, he wanted to specialize in distinctive products. He wanted to distinguish himself from other seasonal growers by growing modern and exclusive products. According to him, this turned out better than he could have dreamed. He places high demands on his cultivation process in order to be able to guarantee high quality to the wholesalers and florists who buy his products. To surprise the consumer with the beauty of seasonal flowers is his reason for working so hard at his nursery every day.

Ranunculus
Rijk grows Ranunculus from the beginning of March to the beginning of June. He has a wide range with many different colors, a number of which fit very well with the upcoming bridal season!

The first ranunculus (the early varieties) are from the Aazur line. Later in the season, this cultivation changes to the Elegance varieties. In terms of flower shape and range of colours, there is little difference between these two lines. The Aazur varieties can be grown earlier in the season. In addition, the Aazur varieties grow from seed and the Elegance varieties from 'claws' (small tubers).

The cuttings of the Aazur species and the claws of the Elegance species are planted manually from mid-October to the end of November. In winter, when the nights are cold and there is little light, growth stops a bit. And that is very convenient, because Rijk is then in full production with its Capsicum and Brassica. The cultivation of Brassica and Ranunculus follow each other nicely, as soon as the last Brassicas have been harvested, the first Ranunculus are ready to be cut.

Soakers
Ranunculus’ natural habitat is the swamp; they therefore need a lot of water. When the plants are flowering, Rijk must water at least two or three times a week, no less than 30 to 35 liters per m2.

After seven to eight weeks, the flowers are ready to be cut; each plant will grow three to four flowers. After cutting, the plants are lifted and the soil is prepared for the Capsicum, Chrysanthemums and Dianthus Kiwi Mellow.

Fleece covers
A few years ago, Rijk had special covers made of fleece fabric. The biggest advantage of these covers is that there is no condensation, so no moisture damage in the flowers and less damage. These sleeves are also used in Italy, but there the ranunculus is bunched on thirty branches. Rijk has had the sleeves made larger, so that he can continue to supply per fifty.

Labor intensive
The cultivation of Ranunculus is extremely labour-intensive; everything is done manually. Planting, cutting, weeding, bunching and wrapping. The advantage of this is that Rijk holds each flower several times and can therefore be sure that only the best quality flowers are sent out! Because a beautiful product, of high quality, is the most important thing for Rijk!

FloraPodium, 02 May 2022