2.5 Million Seasonal flower paint the beauty of Muscat
The Directorate General for reforestation and gardens of Muscat Municipality ended the planting of 2.5 million winter seasonal flowers until the end of last year. The flowers adorn the main and service streets, parks and public places with harmonious and consistent color designs of different varieties have been carefully selected to give aesthetic touches of the city. Muscat Municipality gives a particular attention to distribute the green areas in the province and increase greeneries on the main streets, public squares, gardens and parks with a view to provide an outlet for the Omani families and residents. The municipality sets an annual program for planting flowers according to the different seasons; taking into account their temperature, salinity and other factors.
The annual flowers are the main types in parks, public gardens, trails and roads in Muscat which differ in their species, classes, uses and the necessary cultivation of climatic conditions for each type. The flowers are classified into two seasons are; winter flowers which are planting in the nursery in August and September, and in a sustainable place in October and November blooming from November to March such as Petunia, Snapdragon, Marigold (yellow, orange ) and Zinnia. The other kind is summer flowers which are planted in March and April, and grown in a sustainable place in April and May blooming from May to August such as Zinnia, Vinca rose, Marigold and portulaca.
There is a practical way for agriculture by planting the seed directly within the nursery or greenhouse in a certain way, taking into account the special soil for these kinds of flowers, the sites and basins are prepared in a certain areas of Muscat after creating appropriate conditions for their planting.
There is another type of the seasonal flowers agriculture which is the agriculture in a sustainable place including planting flowers in a distance 15-25 cm after ground processing the land and proper soil, adding land improvers at a rate 10 liters / m2 and treated organic fertilizer at a rate 2 kg / m 2, then mixing the soil with fertilizer very well and irrigating the flowers basin before planting for 3 days.
The competent authorities of Muscat Municipality carry a regular maintenance for flowers in order to keep their splendor and beauty. The irrigation is the most important processes that must be taken into account, the neglect of irrigation or excessive it affects the case of flowers leading to yellow color and death. But the moderation and regularity are the most important factors that lead to the success of flowers cultivation representing in the beautiful frame of the planted green areas including the agricultural maintenance program of the organic fertilizing. In the case of chemical fertilizer, the complex chemical fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium elements and other micro-elements is added at a rate ( 150 grams per square meter) , and distributed next to the irrigation points or can be Foliar fertilized through irrigation networks.