In FLORES DEL LAGO, the production of flowers starts with receiving the in-vitro materials received from Holland and breeders of Colombia. Only the highest quality materials are used to prevent viruses and floral diseases from entering the propagation. These varieties have been selected from specific breeders such as Deliflor, Fides, Dekker, Royal Van Zanten, Dazinger, and many others. After conducting countless tests to ensure their quality, productivity and market acceptance, they pass through the following processes:

1. Mother plants: this area accounts for 14% of Flores del Lago’s production area and concentrates on the development of seeds and plant cuttings. Cuttings are grown and divided by flower type and are always of the highest quality.

2. Rooting: in this stage, all the mature cuttings are taken to a special greenhouse where strong, homogenous root production is completed in order to prepare them for the next stage. This area accounts for 4% of Flores del Lago’s production area.

3. Preparation and Growth: before the cuttings are taken to the production beds, the soil is sterilized with steam and fertilized with organic materials in order to obtain the best conditions for the growing and development of the plants. At this point, Flores del Lago’s own compost is introduced to supplement the growth of the plants.

 

Production Process

 

4. Culturing Process: This process involves the following steps.

  • Watering is the activity where nutrition and water is supplied to all the plants. A special high-quality fertilizer is added to the water in order to obtain thicker stems and bigger flowers. This process sets us apart from our competitors with results you can really see.
  • We maintain the highest standards in pest and disease control. The objective of this task is to keep the flower plants free of any sort of insects, pests, or diseases that would affect our production and quality. We use only environmentally-friendly techniques our entire process meets with all USDA requirements.
  • We also take additional steps using proven techniques that guarantee a better development for our plants. One example is a technique known as “longer days” in which additional lighting cycles are provided to the plants during the night for the first 30 days after planting the stems. This process helps the young plant mature, grow larger, and produce more flowers. We also ensure the proper height before the plant blooms so that we can meet our customer’s quality standards. Another example is our use of guiding nets which keep the proper distance between plants and also prevents the stems from bending as they grow. We deliver our flowers to you in the highest possible condition and once in our client’s possession, this process allows for the flowers to last longer and remain more beautiful.

5. Pruning the Excess Buds: this process removes flower buds on lower branches in order to allow the primary flower to grow uninhibited at an equal rate as the rest of the flowers in the bed.

6. Cutting and Post-harvest: this process is very important at Flores del Lago because we cut and pack the produced flowers entirely depending on each customer’s individual order. We have the ability to maintain this high level of customer service because of our attention to quality. After cutting each flower, we place it in preservative-filled water to ensure its durability and quality until it reaches our customer. Our production facility is only 3 km from the airport and once the flowers are packed, they are briefly stored inside a temperature- controlled environment (2-4°C) and then transported by refrigerated-trucks to José Maria Córdova airport for international distribution.