On one of our social media channels we were asked if we would also like to do something with irises! Being approached so enthusiastically by a grower, we were immediately interested in meeting them. We went to visit Flowers Horticulture B.V., where we were warmly welcomed by Zülküf Arslan and his uncle Ferhat Arslan!

Flowers Horticulture B.V.

Flowers Horticulture B.V. is a real family business, founded by Ismail Arslan (Zülküf's father) and Ferhat Arslan (Zülküf's uncle). About 45 years ago, Ismail came to the Netherlands from Turkey. Fifteen years later he also brought his brother Ferhat to the Netherlands. Both have been working in greenhouse horticulture from day one. Twenty-two years ago they were given the opportunity to rent their own greenhouse and that is where the adventure began from which Flowers Horticulture B.V. originated.
In addition to irises, the brothers grow pansies in the summer months. This way they can offer year-round work to the staff. Zülküf, his brothers and cousin also work hard themselves, while in many cases also doing studies and other jobs.

Iris Blue Magic

Blue Magic is one of the most famous iris varieties. According to Ferhat also the only variety, together with White Magic, that can be grown indoors; most other types are not suitable for that. Originally the iris comes from the Mediterranean region. The flowers are cut very raw, but once open it’s a beautiful flower to see.

Master planner

Through trial and error, Ferhat and Ismail have completely mastered iris cultivation. Ferhat has become a true master of crop planning and control over the years. As a result cultivation can now be done very efficiently and there is stable production all year round. About eight million irises are scalded each year; for the most part indoors, in the summer months also outside. Ninety percent of the cultivation consists of 'Blue Magic', the other ten percent is 'White Magic'. The ‘White Magic’ variety is only a small part of the cultivation because there are only a few bulbs to be found and the market cannot handle a large amount of 'White Magic'.

Cultivation

The bulbs are grown at a bulb grower. This is a two-year process. Each "mother bulb" produces two baby bulbs, called tangles. These tangles go back into the ground to continue growing for another year, the mother bulb is sold to the growers who force the flowers.
Growing irises is physically quite demanding work; planting, harvesting and processing is all done by hand; from planting to harvesting the whole process takes about 8 weeks.
The harvested flowers are stripped of their bulbs in the shed, then selected for ripeness and bunched.

Quality

Flowers Horticulture B.V. is MPS A and Global Gap certified. The soil is steamed once a year and few pesticides need to be used with this crop.
The quality and flowering guarantee is paramount at Flowers Horticulture B.V. They were therefore one of the first to start pre-treating the irises. This pre-treatment is very important for the vase life of the irises and the flowers will never leave the nursery without this treatment, no matter how much a customer wants them.

Tip from the grower

Irises are flowers that are cut quite raw. Ferhat gave the tip to dissolve a little sugar in the water before the flowers go into the vase. The sugars stimulate flowering and the color becomes even more beautiful!

FloraPodium, 10 March 2022