lilium bulbs are costly so I want to use the polyhouse efficiently, how many cycles can I fit in a year
2 Answers
Lilium is a relatively short cycle bulb crop, from planting to harvest is broadly around 60 to 100 days depending on type and temperature, Asiatic faster, Oriental slower, so the house is not occupied as long as a perennial like rose or carnation. That means you can in principle take more than one cycle in a year if you have a steady supply of bulbs and your climate or polyhouse temperature control allows it, and many growers do staggered and back to back plantings to keep the house productive and to hit different market windows. The limit is bulb supply, bulb cost, and keeping the right cool temperature, since lilium does not like heat. Plan your cycles around the high demand wedding and festival dates. Confirm the days to flower for your variety and whether your site temperature supports off season cycles with your bulb supplier and KVK before committing to multiple rounds.
I run back to back batches to keep the house earning, the short cycle is the advantage of lilium over a year long crop. Just make sure your bulb supply and cash for bulbs is lined up for each round.