Following a devastating fire in early 2014, Dunnville based cut flower grower, Rosa Flora embarked on a significant expansion of their Lisianthus, Gerbera Daisy and Snapdragon production. The expansion was based on a well considered energy strategy, which included the installation of 4 generators (with a capacity of 2 MW each) to supply power for their supplemental lighting and for heating water as economically as possible. As for 2021, they are now one of North America’s largest greenhouse cut flower farms with over 45 acres in production.
Having been long time customers of P.L. Light Systems, the choice was easy when it came to deciding what luminaires to install in their greenhouses. The high-performance, high-efficiency NXT2 with double-ended HPS lamp technology was an ideal solution for them. The luminaires not only deliver optimal levels of PAR light uniformly to the surface of the crop, but also contribute toward the much needed heat that the crop demands. Supplemental lighting is especially important for cut flower production when light levels are low during the winter months. Cut flowers generally need an average of 18-25+ moles of light per day to ensure consistent quality, stem length and bud size, making supplemental lighting an integral part of their growing operations.
In addition to the HPS luminaires, in their new rose trail greenhouse, they have installed the HortiLED Top luminaires in a hybrid system with legacy P.L. Light Systems’ HPS luminaires. Rosa Flora actually began as a rose focused greenhouse, but made the shift to growing other cut flowers when Canadian growers were unable to compete with the overseas rose markets. Now that demand has increased again for locally grown specialty cut flowers, they have gone back to their roots of growing cut garden roses. By using the HortiLED Top luminaires they are able to decrease their energy usage while providing the rose bushes more of the PAR light energy they need to produce large buds and longer stems.
To learn more on Rosa Flora visit their website, and follow Rosa Flora on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Snapdragon seedlings under propagation.
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