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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 
Horticultural Science

Floriculture / Greenhouses

North Carolina is one of the lead production states for floriculture/greenhouse production, ranked 4th in the nation with over $234M in value based on the 2015 USDA statics.  Research at NC State is primarily focused on problem-solving industry-related production issues.  Basic research and an active ornamental plant breeding program round out a holistic focus of the floriculture research efforts.

Plant Growth Regulators

plant growth regulator example of large to small plants
Plant growth regulator example of large to small plants

The current market for flowering plants includes precise size standards.  Greenhouse growers have at their disposal a wide assortment of plant growth regulators (PGRs) to help stimulate or control plant growth.  North Carolina State University is the lead institution for evaluating new formulations of PGRs, expanding the possible uses of the PGRs, and determining optimal concentrations for use in commercial operations.

Plant Nutrition

morning glory flowers
Flowers in abundant full bloom.

One of the basic building blocks of plant growth is mineral nutrition.  The NC State Floriculture program focuses on optimal pH, electrical conductivity, and fertilizer concentration research. Current projects focus on phosphorus nutrition and hydrangea bluing.  The focus is to optimize fertilizer performance for greenhouse growers in order to minimize the impact on the environment.

Problem Diagnostics

Floriculture Diagnostics of nutrition and diseases
Floriculture diagnostics of nutrition and diseases

For even the best greenhouse operations, plant problems can occur. The development of grower-based tools to help diagnose disorders is a focus area of the floriculture program at NC State. Current projects focus on nutrient disorder symptomology of floriculture and food crops.

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