Flowers from Turkey
by Barry Marshall on May 23rd
Turkey has been known for its growing of cut flowers since 1925. Some of those are the carnation, gladioli, chrysanthemums and the highest selling being the rose.
The main area for carnation growing is the North-West part of Turkey and in Izmir. The growth of carnations is generally done in smaller family farms in simply made greenhouses. These greenhouses are made of wood with a plastic cover and are said to be difficult to keep the conditions controlled.
Some of the main problems found are due to the growing techniques such as the cuttings, soil preparation, lighting and obtaining the temperature. In order to meet the buyers' expectations and produce a consistently high quality flower, some export companies prefer to get involved in the production. This has an important place in commercial flower production as the exporters offer small farms advice and production input.
Once the flowers are ready they are transported in flat boxes as this allows a high volume of flowers to be packed into small spaces. For those flowers that cannot survive for long periods without water, they are transported in buckets of water. This also has the benefit of the flowers being ready for sale once they have been transported. They are mainly transported by air with great care and speed to ensure they arrive in excellent condition.
Many of the exporters cut the flowers and pack them in a packing house to prevent damage. The flowers are kept refrigerated to keep them fresh. The Turkish exporters believe that the less time the flower is in transit then the longer the customer has to enjoy it.
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