HORTICULTURAL MANAGEMENT

When caring for anthurims the farmer's chirf concerns are shade, irrigation, feed and sanitation. Even through it is a tropical bloom it cannot thrive in full sunlight. For this reason the normal varieties pink and white are grown in shade under trees. However commercial varieties, most of which have been genetically altered must have shade cover to eleminates 35%of the sunlight. There are green houses made of saren netting under which which these senitive plants bloom. From seedling to full adulthood, it takes about one year to grow a commerical quality flower of approximately 1 foot long and 4" wide. Flowers grow in size as the plant grows older Sanitation is very important. There are diseases that are minimised by growing the flower under the shade house, as well as spraying them with chemicals to destroy root funigus such as root rot. Spraying also prevents damage by insects that bite the leaves.These bites can leave specks or holes on the flowers, rendering them unsaleable on the commerical market. To prevent diseases such as zantimonas chemical water ponds are placed at the entrance of the shade house for workers/visitors who enter to dip their boots into it . This sanitation  practice helps to prevent the carting of bacterica into the shade house. Gloves prevent hand borne dieases and all other implements, while in use cutting and grooming the plants are sanitized. Untreated pond water cannot irrigate these plants. The water may taken be from tanks or cistern with clean water supply and applied about 3 times per day in dry season by use of sprinklers. The plants are fed by adding the NPK to water before irrigration.
                                                  IRRIGRATION PROCESS      

.diagram showing ground irrigation system