ORCHIDS ASIA- ORCHIDS COLLECTIBLES,PLANTS,VANILLA,SPICES RESOURCE

HELICONIA FAMILY CULTIVATION

Helconia & Ginger

Amongst the family of the MUSA we have a wide collection of heliconias that are both as pot plant cultivars and cutflower hybrids. We are providing the technical help to set up heliconia cultivation in the tropical areas and we can provide allmost all cutflower heliconia Rhizomes.
The major range covers a wide selection in different growing habits. Some like sun , some in shade. Please check information for growing and cultivation.Links are provided at the bottom of the page.

Orchids, Anthuriums, Heliconias, Pineapple, Foliage

Heliconias are wonderful tropical plants, for the beauty of their flowers, closely resembling their cousin the banana family, their cultivation and care. In the tropics where they grow wild in thick bushes and thickets their flowers catch the eye and are a marvel to watch when they are in bloom. These large tropical flowers are natives to only Central and South America and some islands of the South Pacific, their easy cultivation has made them teh best landscape subject other than canna.. In tropicals you can find the heliconias used largely in landscape gardens and patios. Some varieties have been bred so very well that today their cutflower market has grown triplefold as they seem to perform very well for more than 15 days in terms of shelf life. Even as dried stems they look wonderful.

Most species of heliconias can be found in moist or wet regions, but some are found in seasonally dry areas. Although Heliconias flourish in the humid lowland tropics at elevations below 1500 feet, surprisingly, the greatest number of species are found in middle elevation rain and cloud forest habitats.

The most remarkable members of the genus inhabit open sites in secondary growth along roads, riverbanks and in patches of light in the forest.

HELICONIA STORY

Heliconia is the only genus in the plant family heliconiacea, which is a member of a larger taxonomic category called the order Zingiberales. There are several very obvious characteristics by which they can be recognized, including large leaves and large, colorful, bracteate inflorecences.
Most taxonomists recognize eight separate families in the zingiberales : Musacea (Bananas),Strelitziacea (Bird of Paradise), Lowiacea, Heliconiacea (Heliconias), Zingiberacea (Gingers), Costacea (Costus), Cannacea (Cannas) and Marantacea (Prayer Plants).

Since heliconia needs replanting every 18 months or so, the plantings should be staggered in such a way that production can be maintained at a regular level throughout the year. The planting should be scheduled during the wet season to reduce plant mortality.
For example, one third of the area can be planted during December/January, the next third 9 to 10 months later, at around October, so that by the time the first area is to be replanted, the second is ready for production and so on. The production pattern is expected to stabilise at around the fourth or the fifth year.

For quality Rhizomes which are available as 100 Rhizomes package Please email us to get a quote. All Rhizomes are treated and are clean for growing.

Cultivation aspects

Normally Heliconias thrive in a humid environment with tempearture profile around 15*c to 40 *C which it can tolerate. They love the shade and can also be planted as intercrop in coconut or areca plantations in raised beds.
Usually raised beds are used for cultivation using a mixture of cottony black soil and vermicompost and leaf moulds. Red laterite soils are also have no problems.
Soil should have a good moisture holding capacity and slightly acidic and sticky..Normally we use 1.5-2 m raised beds in which a triangular pattern planting is employed with around 0.75 to 1 m spacing for the plants initially.
Temporary shades are erected over the canopy of the leaves to avoid sunburning of the leaves and also to arrest wind loads which cause damage to the leaves. Plantation should have good hygiene to protect the flowers when they are growing.
A shade of around 30% to 50% shade net is usually recommended.

Weed and Insect Control:

Weeds in young heliconias will need to be manually removed in the first few months. In mature stands, weeds are not a problem. Slashing will be required to keep weeds under control around the block. Currently, there are no major insect/disease problems encountered in heliconias in the area.

Harvesting/Grading/Packing:

All harvesting is assumed to be by hand, using casual labour to pick, trim and grade at the rate ranging from 150 to 200 stems/hour/person, while packing is at 500 stems/ hour/person. Normally dipping the ends in a fungicide after cutting can help reduce rotting.
Cool or air-conditioned storage is required by the wholesale growers/packers. It is envisaged that such facilities are needed to keep the flowers in good condition. However, no prolonged storage is anticipated.

Yield:

Experience indicates that yield can range from 60 to 120 stems/m2. Higher yields could be possible, but then stems would be too small to be marketable. Average yield is assumed to be 80 stems/m2. Many varieties are used as garden hedges.

HELICONIA FAMILY CULTIVATION

Helconia & Ginger

Orchids, Anthuriums, Heliconias, Pineapple, Foliage

HELICONIA STORY

Cultivation aspects

Weed and Insect Control:

Harvesting/Grading/Packing:

Yield:

HELICONIA CULTIVATION GALLERY -GROWER FARMS

ANTHURIUMS

HELICONIAS

BROMELIADS

CUTFLOWERS

GREENS

LOOSE BLOOMS

VANDAS

DENDROBIUMS

MOKARAS

ONCIDIUMS

ARANTHERAS

EPIDENDRUMS

CATTLEYAS

PHALENOPSIS

CYMBIDIUMS

BULBOPHYLLUMS

CATASETUMS

RENENTHERAS

SPATHAGLOTTIS

PAPHIOPEDILIUMS

Collectibles

Orchid Growing Systems

Cutflowers