1. Releasing your inner Flower Expert
Gay Smith
Technical Consulting Manager
November 2013

2. People Buy from Experts, so what are you waiting for??

3. Topics Where our flowers are grown Turning sunlight into carbohydrates
Temperature Impact on Quality
Four Challenges to Quality
Solution Use—maximize return on investment
Target areas for SUCCESS

4. Where we grow flowers in the Americas* * * * * * * * * * * * *

5. Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity oprah winfrey

6. Cooler set point = 34 - 38F TEMPERATURE MATTERS
 Stem bending  Wilting  Flower opening  Flower drop  Ethylene  Bacterial development  CONDENSATION
Cooler set point = F

7. #1 disease challenge is Botrytis-
Non-specific fungus disease
Needs water or high humidity
Spreads = cross-contamination
Lives on live and dead tissues
Gives off ethylene as it develops

9. Botrytis Control Respect cold chain Keep blooms dry
Keep cooler floors dry
Work CLEAN!!
Careful handling--mechanical damage opens the door to infection

10. Another challenge = Bacteria ….flowers bleed when cut

11. Bacteria = #1 reason stems get clogged
Best line of defense?
Sanitizing with a professional cleaner
Frequent sanitation
Sharp tools

12. Got gas? ETHYLENE GAS Death to flowers
SOURCES:
Fruits, veggies & flowers
Combustion engine exhaust
Cigarette smoke, BBQs, fireplaces,
Bacteria, yeast and fungi
Wounds and bruises trigger ethylene

13. Ethylene Symptoms

14. How to Avoid Ethylene Problems
Buy treated flowers
Don’t peel rose petals unnecessarily
No deco mosses in coolers
No fruit basket items, no lunches in coolers
Work CLEAN
Ethylene Buster for orchid cooler

15. Shifting gears ~ SANITATION
Sanitize tables, tools, trash cans, brooms
Develop daily, weekly, monthly cleaning schedules
Chrysal Cleaner = residual effect
Empty trash 2-3 daily
Paper towels, not rags
Keep hose nozzles up, off floor

16. If you wouldn’t drink it or drink out of it, neither will your flowers

17. Are you a Stripper? …a peeler …a bit heavy-handed?
Impact of handling methods…
Are you a Stripper? …a peeler …a bit heavy-handed?

18. Hydration vs. Flower food
Hydration solutions: Lowers pH
Boost flow
Check bacteria Flower food solutions: Lowers pH
Check bacteria
Provide energy in form of sugar

19. What you would’ve learned in HS Chemistry if you’d been listening
US city water
pH ranges
between 6.5—8
Flowers drink
most efficiently between pH
3.5—5.0

20. “Quick” Hydration vs Sustained
Quick solutions act as stem sanitizers
Fast transfers are super-important
For Wilt-sensitive flowers, use a
hydration solution –allow time for
stems to fill

21. Hydration solutions for hard-to-hydrate or blooms that don’t like sugar
Hydrangeas
Garden roses
Spray roses
Zinnias,
Clematis
Woodies
Bouvardia
Lysimachia, Veronica
Pumpkin Trees
Berries
Anthurium, foliages
Ammi majus

22. Difference between Flower food formulas?
Both contain
Acidifiers  lower pH of tap water
Clarifiers  check pollution
Nutrients  provide energy
1. Processing food = low sugar
2. Vase food = full sugar

23. Why we need glucose (sugar) in flower food
Energy for bud opening and leaf turgidity
Stabilizing color
Enhancing fragrance potential (if exists)

24. SUGAR LOVERS need full-load flower food
Tuberoses
Protea
Lisianthus
Carnations
Peonies

25. Why mix with cold water?
Scientifically proven that cold water flows into stems faster than ambient or warm
The colder the flower (and water) the faster the metabolism rate is reduced which means you save energy for later
Cold temperatures inhibit the aging processes
(eg opening, leaf yellowing etc.)
Bacteria development is reduced in cold

26. Trends in flower care— (one size does not fit all)
Hard to Hydrate flowers
Bulbous flowers
Dirty Flowers
Sugar lovers
Ethylene sensitive

27. Specialty foods ~ Bulb Flowers
Balanced hormones
Increase vase life
Color vibrancy
Foliage quality
All florets open

28. “Dirty” Flowers need Professional Gerbera Pills

29. PROCESSING GAME RULES Start clean: tables, tools, buckets…
Measure when mixing
Remove only leaves falling below water line
Plan ahead—quick transfers
Don’t combine old solutions with fresh
Take out of cooler # of boxes you can process in 30 minutes
Keep petals dry
Don’t peel guards unnecessarily
Top-up with fresh solution, not H2O

30. Sprays
Finishing vs. anti-transpirant

31. Versatile Leaf Shine

32. Get your money’s worth!! a) Use COLD water b) Fast transfers
c) Allow time for stems to fill
d) Avoid stripping too much foliage
e) DRY, Dry, dry
f) Use the right solution for the right job
g) Top-up w/ fresh solution. No ice
h) Never consolidate used solutions
i) Never sell directly from the box
j) Handle with care

33. customer satisfaction on the back end!
Everything we
do on the front end,
maximizes
vase performance
&
customer satisfaction
on the back end!

34. Thank-you!