The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will expand the climate-controlled storage-cum-propagation chamber at its high-tech nursery in Lodhi Garden in a bid to boost the proportion of locally propagated tulip bulbs, senior civic officials said.
According to officials, the new chamber will be spread over 540 square feet (sq ft) and will have the capacity to store over 200,000 tulip bulbs or other exotic bulbous species. The facility will regulate humidity, temperature, and ethylene exposure for plant storage. NDMC has invited bids for the project, estimated to cost ₹50 lakh, with a construction timeline of two months.
The civic body had developed its first such chamber in 2023 to promote the indigenisation and reuse of harvested tulip bulbs. "The harvested tulips are propagated in a controlled environment by altering relative humidity, temperature, light, and exposure to ethylene," an official said.
Tulip plantation in the NDMC area generally begins in the second week of December, and it takes 30–40 days for the flowers to bloom. "It is observed that the flowers bloom fully in the month of February, sometimes by early March. After the blooming cycle is complete, the plant is allowed to dry up for several weeks," the official added.
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