CARNATION

SN: Dianthus caryophyllus

F: Caryophyllaceae
Most popular commercial
cut flower of the world, ranking second in
commercial importance next only to Rose
Genus name Dianthus is derived from the
Greek words “dios” meaning God or Divine
& “anthos” meaning flower and hence known
as Divine Flower
Species name caryophyllus is derived from
the Greek word “caryan” meaning “nut” and
“phyllon” meaning “leaf”
Carnation
It is more preferred to other cut flowers
due to its
Large array of colours
Excellent keeping quality
Wide range of forms
Ability to with stand long distance of
transportation
It is commonly called as Carnation,
Divine flower, Clove pink, Gilly flower
Importance and Uses:
Excellent cut flowers, bedding,
pots, borders, edging, indoors and
rock gardens
Often worn on special occasions,
Mother’s Day & Weddings
Also used on Teachers’ Day to
express admiration & gratitude to
teachers
Importance and Uses:
Commercially utilized for extraction of
perfume in France & Netherlands
100g of oil is obtained from 500kg of
flowers [40% benzyl benzoate, 30%
eugenol, 7% phenyl ethyl alcohol, 5%
benzyl salicylate & 1% methyl salicylate]
Flowers also have medicinal properties
and used as cardio tonic
Varieties: Carnation is very rich in its
varietal wealth
Standard Types: Terminal bud is encouraged
by removing all the side buds
EX: Killer, Malaga, Delphi, Madame Colette,
Varna, Solar, Lady Green - are popular
standard types. Some other varieties like
Pink Dona, Tundra, White Tundra
Spray Types: Lateral buds are encouraged by
removing the terminal bud
EX: Estimade, Indira, Vera, Durago, Amore,
Kiss Siga
 TUNDRA

PINK DONA

WHITE TUNDRA
Climatic conditions:
Carnations are grown in GHs-optimum
growing environment
The growth & flowering are usually
influenced by plant genotype, light,
temperature, carbon dioxide
concentration & cultural practices
Temperature: Ideal night temp. 10-110C
during winter & 13-15.50C in summer.
Ideal day temperature is 18-240C.
Climatic conditions
Light: Long day plant, The critical
photoperiod for most standard & spray type is
about 13hours
Humidity: GH should be 80-85% during
beginning of vegetative growth & 60-65%
during full growth stage
Carbon dioxide: 10-30% increase in yield
influenced by C02 treatment & tempe. & light
conditions. Best quality flower can be produced
when C02 conc. 500-750 ppm during day time
under high light intensity and in a temperature
range of 14-150C
Propagation
 Carnations are multiplied vegetatively
through cuttings,10-15cm cuttings with 3-4
nodes weighing around 10g is ideal
 Rooting hormone such as IBA @500ppm is
used prior to planting of cuttings for rooting.
Terminal cuttings give rise to good plants
 High percentage of rooting is observed in
cool months than summer months
 River sand mixed with burnt rice husk,
mixed in equal proportion is better than
alone sand/burnt rice husk/vermiculite
Propagation
 The rooting medium should be sterilized
before planting. Drenching with fungicide is
ideal to control fungal problem during
rooting
 Cuttings are spaced at 5cm apart and
intermittent misting should be used for good
rooting
 Cuttings normally develop good root system
within 21 days
 Cuttings can be stored at 0-10C before
planting for several weeks
Land preparation
Sandy loam soil with a pH of 6-7 is suitable
Add soil, sand, farm yard manure in 2:1:1
ratio & addition of coir pith (2kg/m2) will
improve the drainage
Media should be sterilized by using 2%
formaldehyde
After putting formaldehyde to media,
completely cover with plastic sheet for about
4-5 days
Then media is flushed with water to drain out
the left over chemical
Bed preparation
Raised bed of 75-80 cm width and 30 cm
height are prepared along the greenhouse
length
Leave 50-60 cm path in between the two
beds
Add100g calcium nitrate, 600g super
phosphate, 50g potassium chloride, 50g
magnesium sulphate (total =800g)per m2
area & mix
Polyhouse management
Day temp:20-250C,
Night temp:10-150C,
providing 30-50% shading
net inside the GH
Humidity 50-60 %
Fluctuation in day and night
temperature results in calyx
splitting and malformation
of flower. Keep ventilators open during day
time. Foggers operation: 2-3 min every hour &
2-3 min every half an hour during summer
Planting
Spacing: 15 x15 or 15X20 or 20X20
cm is maintained
Density: 15-20 plants/m2
Irrigation:4-5 L/ m2/day
Planting should not be done too deep
to avoid stem rotting as it is highly
susceptible to Fusarium wilt and
Rhizoctonia root rot
Support Material/ Netting
Carnation crop has the tendency to
bend unless supported properly. Hence
the crop needs support while growing
Good support material is metallic wire
woven with nylon mesh
At every two meters the wire should be
supported with poles
The poles at both the ends of bed should
be strong
Support Material/ Netting
Metallic wire is tied around the bed
along the length with the support from
supporting poles
Across the bed, nylon wires are woven
like net
For an optimum support, an increasing
width of the meshes can be used
Bottom net can be of 10x10cm,then two
nets of 12.5x12.5cm and the upper most
can be 15x15cm

Netting practice in Carnation
Special practices
Netting for plant support: 4
layers
1st layer : 7.5 x 7.5 cm
2nd layer : 10 x 10 cm
3 rd layer : 12.5 x 12.5 cm
4 th layer : 15 x 15 cm
 POLYHOUSE
CULTIVATION

SUPPORT/
NETTING
MATERIAL
FYM: 10kg/m2/year
Fertigation schedule for intensive production
under polyhouse conditions
Nutrients Quantity(g/m2/week)
Tank – A Till bud Bud formation
[Monday & Thursday] formation to Harvest
Ammonium nitrate 3.0 2.0
19:19:19: 3.0 2.0
Magnesium sulphate 2.5 2.5
Boron 1.0 1.0
Trace elements 1.0 1.0
Tank-B
[Tuesday & Friday]
Potassium nitrate 5.0 5.0
Calcium nitrate 8.0 9.0
Drip lines should be placed between two rows
and drippers should be fixed at every 30 cm
The optimum water requirement of the crop is
4-5 lit/m2/day
Pinching
Pinching refers to
breaking the tip &
encouraging growth of
side Shoots
Pinching is done leaving 6paris of basal
leaves which are inductive
Depending upon the need of crop
spread a) single, b) one and half &
c) double pinches are given
Ideal time for pinching is morning
Single Pinching:
21-25 days after planting, Retaining 4-6 pairs
of leaves
Single and Half Pinching:
Out of 4-6 laterals produced 2-3 pinched
retaining 4 pairs of leaves, this is for staggered
flowering
Double Pinching:
All the laterals pinched retaining 4 pairs of
leaves, flowering will be delayed, if
temperature is more, second pinching is not
preferred
Disbudding:
Removal of side buds so that the
central / terminal bud receives
maximum food for the full
development
In standard carnations - side buds
should be removed where as
spray carnations-the terminal bud has
to be removed
Harvesting
Flower starts after 4 months of planting &
continues up to one and half years
Standard type flowers harvested when their
outer petals starts to elongate outside calyx
(Paint brush stage)
Spray type flowers harvested with 2-3 open
flowers on each stem
Daily harvest is made leaving bottom 5 nodes
of stalk to facilitate side shoot development
Yield
Standard type: 300-350 flowers/m2
(8-12 flowers /plant)
Spray type: 250 flowers/m2
Grading:
The grading is based on the
degree of bud opening, minimum
flower diameter and stem length.
The Society of American Florists has
recommended following grades for the
standard carnations in U.S.A.
Society of American Florists , the following
grades for the standard carnations in U.S.A.
Grade Minimum flower Minimum stem
Diameter (mm) length (cm)
Blue Tight 50
(fancy) Fairly tight 62 55

Open 75
Red Tight 44
(standard) Fairly tight 56 43

Open 69
Green Tight None
(short) Fairly tight None 30
Packing:
Standard carnations are classified
based on the stem length and made
into a bundle containing 20-25 stems,
then it is wrapped with soft
corrugated sheet by putting a rubber
band and such 20 bundled are kept in
corrugated box of size 122X50X30cm
and sent to market.
Spray carnations are packed in a
bundle containing 5 stems.
The flowers after packing are pre-
cooled at 00C temperature and can
be stored for 3 weeks at 3-40C
storage temperature
Plant Protection
1. Red spider mite: Plant varieties having
straight and flat leaves, Spray Dicofol
@ 2 ml/l
2. Thrips: Spray Dimethoate 1ml/l or
Malathion 2ml/l
3. Nematode: Carbofuran 7-8 kg/ha is
applied at the time of planting
4. Leaf spot: Spray Carbendazim or
Mancozeb 2 g/l
5. Blight, Wilt, Root rot: Spray Mancozeb @
2.5 g/l
6. Grey Mould rot: Remove old flowers from
growing area. Maintain horizontal air
movement. Lower the humidity where
possible. Cut and destroy all infected
blossoms as soon as they droop or die. Spray
Carbendazim @ 1g or Chlorothalonil 2g or
Mancozeb 2g / liter of water.
Physiological Disorders
1. Calyx Splitting
The calyx may split down
either half or completely
The petals are deprived of their support,
which results in bending down of petals. Thus,
the regularity of shape and structure of the
flower get destroyed
Cultivars with too many petals are susceptible
Varying temp. & environmental conditions
also influences
Selection of cultivars like Epson, Palmir etc.
that are less prone to splitting
Regulation of temperature and maintenance
of optimal fertilizer level can minimize this
disorder.
Spray borax @ 1g/l at fortnightly intervals
till flower bud appearance and weekly
intervals thereafter.
This can also be reduced by placing a rubber
band or 6mm wide clear plastic tape is used
around the calyx of the flowers which are just
start opening.
2. Curly tip
This disorder affects the growing tips which
curl and become distorted.
Tips of the young shoots fail to separate and
continuation of growth results in a
characteristic curvature.
Poor light and other adverse conditions are
thought to be the causes of the disorder.
Water stress and potassium deficiency are
suspected causes for a physiological curly tip
and die-back of carnation flowers .