Transcript File

Releasing your inner Flower Expert
Gay Smith
Technical Consulting Manager
November 2013
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People Buy from Experts,
so what are you waiting for??
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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
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Where we
grow flowers
in
the
Americas
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Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity
oprah winfrey
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TEMPERATURE MATTERS
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Stem bending
Wilting
Flower opening
Flower drop
Ethylene
Bacterial development
CONDENSATION
Cooler set point = 34 - 38F
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#1 disease challenge is Botrytis•
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Non-specific fungus disease
Needs water or high humidity
Spreads = cross-contamination
Lives on live and dead tissues
Gives off ethylene as it develops
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Botrytis Control
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Respect cold chain
Keep blooms dry
Keep cooler floors dry
Work CLEAN!!
Careful handling--mechanical damage
opens the door to infection
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Another challenge = Bacteria
….flowers bleed when cut
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Bacteria = #1 reason stems get clogged
Best line of defense?
Sanitizing with a professional cleaner
Frequent sanitation
Sharp tools
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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
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Ethylene Symptoms
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How to Avoid Ethylene Problems
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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
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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
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If you wouldn’t drink it or drink out of it,
neither will your flowers
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Impact of handling methods…
Are you a Stripper?
…a peeler
…a bit heavy-handed?
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Hydration vs. Flower food
Hydration solutions: Lowers pH
Boost flow
Check bacteria
Flower food solutions:
Lowers pH
Boost flow
Check bacteria
Provide energy in form of sugar
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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
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“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
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Hydration solutions for
hard-to-hydrate or blooms that
don’t like sugar • Hydrangeas
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Garden roses
Spray roses
Zinnias,
Clematis
Woodies
Bouvardia
Lysimachia, Veronica
Pumpkin Trees
Berries
Anthurium, foliages
Ammi majus
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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
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Why we need glucose (sugar) in flower food
Energy for bud opening and leaf turgidity
Stabilizing color
Enhancing fragrance potential (if exists)
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SUGAR LOVERS need
full-load flower food
• Tuberoses
• Protea
• Lisianthus
• Carnations
• Peonies
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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
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Trends in flower care—
(one size does not fit all)
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Hard to Hydrate flowers
Bulbous flowers
Dirty Flowers
Sugar lovers
Ethylene sensitive
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Specialty foods ~ Bulb
Flowers
Balanced hormones
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Increase vase life
Color vibrancy
Foliage quality
All florets open
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“Dirty” Flowers
need Professional Gerbera Pills
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PROCESSING GAME RULES
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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
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Sprays
Finishing
vs.
anti-transpirant
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Versatile Leaf Shine
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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
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Everything we
do on the front end,
maximizes
vase performance
&
customer satisfaction
on the back end!
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Thank-you!
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