Used machines for Flower bulbs

About second-hand machines for Flower bulbs

For growers of flower bulbs, the focus is on growing large bulbs. The bigger the flower bulb, the more valuable it is. Many of the Dutch flower bulbs are exported, but also a large share of the bulbs is used for the growth of flowers, such as tulips.

The professional bulb production started around the town of Haarlem, in the nineteenth century. Long ago, flower bulb growers discovered that the sandy soil behind the dunes is particularly suitable for this. The fact is that flower bulbs are not comfortable with an excess of water and that is what the sandy soils behind the dunes have a lack of. The rain water will easily sink through the sand, as a result of which the ground water is deep. For a long time, the growers thought that flower bulbs could only be grown on sandy soils, which does apply to daffodils and hyacinths. But later it was discovered that tulips, lilies and gladioli will also grow on light clay. As a result, flower bulb fields can also be found in other parts of the Netherlands.

During the blossoming of the flowers, the Dutch bulb fields are an attraction to people from all over the world, due to the many colours.

Net growing machines

The growing of flower bulbs on heavier soil required other techniques and machines, such as the growing of bulbs in nets. In case of net growing, the bulbs are in between two nets. The advantages of growing flower bulbs in nets are:

• Less soil involved during harvesting
• The harvesting is easier
• Flower bulbs are being grubbed more gently, as a result of which they get damaged to lesser extent
• Fewer little bulbs are lost. As a result, they can be used as basic material

Net growing can be applied on both heavy and lighter soils. Manufacturers of planting machines and harvesters for the net growing are, for instance Pink Innovation, Koops and Vlaming.

Flower bulb planting machines

Planting machines for flower bulbs come in different types, such as slot maker planting machines, boat planters, row planters, plant hole drilling machines or net planting machines. Depending on the type of flower bulb, the soil and the purpose, a choice is made with respect to a planting machine. Usually the flower bulbs are planted in October and sometimes, during the winter, the bulbs are covered with a layer of straw, by a straw covering machine, against spraying and the freezing cold.

The flower bulbs are planted in beds between the wheels of the tractor. That is why it is important that the tractors and the machines run on the same track. In the bulbs industry, 150 cm pipe rails are commonly used (beds +/- 120 cm breed) or 180 cm (beds +/- 150 cm breed).

Flower bulb harvesters

Harvesters for flower bulbs can be designed with a box lift or an elevator. Regarding the box harvesters, the cubic crates at the back of the machine are tilted and filled with bulbs. The bedlifters with elevator discharge the bulbs to a kipper that is driving next to the harvester. This type of harvester is also known as harvesting machine with elevator.

The V-slide, shaking shovel container, long sieve web, eccentric as with beaters, star cleaner and vibratory pre-grader are all typical for a bulbs harvester. They all aim to separate the bulbs and the surplus sand as much as possible. The speed and intensity of the lifters is easily adjustable, due to the hydraulic propulsion of the machine. The famous manufacturers of flower bulb harvesters are Nobels and MH (Mechanisation Haarlemmermeer).

Processing lines for flower bulbs

A processing line for flower bulbs consists of a series of connected machines, where the flower bulbs overflow from one to the other machine. When compiling a processing line, it is essential that the capacity/work width of the machines mutually corresponds. The processing line usually consists of the following machines:

• Box tipper
• Dosing bunker or crop elevator, the dosed feed of bulbs is very important
• Vibratory pre-grader/roller sieve, for the sieving of sand and undersized flower bulbs
• Extraction devices, for the separation of the flower bulbs and their roots
• Shavers, for the removal of the roots
• Sorting machines with sorting plates for sorting, as per circumference of the bulb (sieve measure)
• Peeling machine or peeling belts, detaching and removal of tunic leaves and the detaching of compacted flower bulbs
• Counting machine, since the flower bulbs are sold individually
• Box fillers

For the export to America or other countries outside Europe, it may be necessary that the flower bulbs or completely free from sand and soil. This can be achieved by means of rinsing with water, for example in a barrel washer. Disadvantage is an increased risk of cross-contamination.

Growing flowers from the bulbs

A large share of the flower bulbs is used for the growing of flowers, such as tulips and lilies. Tulips are, for instance, are scalded in greenhouses, on water systems. These tulip scalding installations make use of specific machines, such as planting machines, de-bulbing machines, bucket filling systems, flower processing machines and bunching machines. This where the Havatec and Bercomex bunching machines sort the flowers by, for instance, length, size, bud and shape of the stem. This is all done to create a uniform bunch.