Post Harvest Care and Handling
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Transcript of Post Harvest Care and Handling
Post Harvest Care and Handling
1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.
Las Vegas, NV
Jay Winnerman
Director North American Sales
March 12, 2011
Quality Takes Commitment
• Worldwide research and development
• Trusted and used by florists throughout the globe
• Inventor and world leader of floral foam and post harvest products
• Most requested brand of floral foam
• Most recognized brand of flower food (Floralife – category leader)
• Most active and experienced R & D and product testing in the floral industry
• Committed to product and service excellence
Things to Remember
• Quiz questions throughout the talk
• Raise your hand to answer - don’t blurt out what you think is right
• Feel free to ask questions during the talk
• Practices in post harvest care have changed
• Real vs. Ideal
• If you can eat it, so can bacteria
Steps for Proper Post Harvest Care
• Why is Care and Handling Important?
• Inspection and Variety Knowledge
• The 3 Pillars of Cut Flower Care
1. Temperature
2. Time
3. Sanitation
• Cut Flower Processing & Hydration
• Flower Food
• Floral Foam
• Consumer Education
• Ethylene and Botrytis
Why is care & handling so important?
Why is Care & Handling Important?
• Flowers are a perishable commodity!
• Consumer satisfaction equals repeat customers and sales!
o Customers expect seven days of vase-life in their home
• Reduce scrap
o Proper care & handling can add between 2% to 4% of NET profit to your operation
• Commissioned by Smithers-Oasis from
Prince & Prince Floral Market Research
• Survey developed in 1996 and implemented four times
o Historical data from 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2007
• Surveyed more than 5,000 floral buyers
across the US over a 10 year period
Why is Care & Handling Important?
Influencing Customer Behavior
Based on a consumer study of 1,200 flower-buying households in the U.S., over 10
years and three surveys, consumers rated the following positive/negative influencers
In the Mind of the Consumer
What will make or break your customer relationship?
Three factors:
1. Value
2. Over-Priced
3. Poor Quality
What keeps customers in your shop?
• Sales Assistance/ Courtesy
• Delivery of Custom Orders
Receiver Perceptual Map
Source: AFE, Dr. Yue – July 2010
In the Mind of the Consumer
Inspection and Cultivar Knowledge
Name that car!
Choosing the Right Cultivar
• A cultivar is the name of the
flower
i.e. Cherry Love is the
cultivar name for a kind of
rose
• Many postharvest problems
can be solved by choosing
the correct cultivar
• Order by cultivar name, not
by color
Vase-life study with 4 different
rose cultivars (in days)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
'Emblem' 'Osiana' 'Kardinal' 'Sonia'
Water
Floralife Clear
Inspection
• Inspect your flowers upon arrival.
• Invest in a probe-type thermometer to measure the
temperature of the flower heads in the box upon arrival.
• If you have received damaged or unusable flowers, notify
your supplier.
o Have the labels on the end of the box hand as these
labels have important information pertaining to the
farm and airway bill that helps identify and correct the
problem.
• Take notes of which flower varieties work best for you,
which varieties last the longest, which varieties open or do
not open, so you can fine tune your buying.
Source: Dr. George Staby
The 3 Pillars of Cut Flower Care:
Time ● Temperature ● Sanitation
What is important when talking about
proper care & handling?
The 3 pillars of cut flower care:
1. Temperature
2. Time
3. Sanitationwww.chainoflifenetwork.org
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
Temperature
• Temperature has the most influence on vase-
life as it effects the metabolism rate of the
flower – low temperature slows metabolism
• High humidity slows water loss
• Hydrated flowers are healthy flowers
• High temperatures have a negative effect on
the vase-life of flowers
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
Temperature
Cool chain should not be disrupted.
From the field to the Point-Of-Sale, a working cold chain is very important to assure good quality and maximum vase-life.
Grower Importer Wholesaler Florist Shop
Transport Transport Transport
The optimum storage temperature for most flowers is between 33 – 38 F°.
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
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500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
0 C 12 C 18 C
Respiration rate Heat production
Temperature
• Cut flowers respire 3 x more at 54°F than at 34°F
• Increased respiration rate leads to shorter vase-life
• Respiration creates additional heat
32F 54F 65F
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
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Influence of temperture on vase life in days
Temperature and Relative Air Humidity During Storage
• A relative air humidity between 80 - 93% slows down the aging process
• Cut flowers should ALWAYS be stored in a cool environment between 33 and 38°F!
• Exception: Tropicals should be stored between 56 and 60°F
39F 45F 68F
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
Pick the proper temperature range for a cooler?
• 39-42 degrees F
• 33-38 degrees F
• 41-45 degrees F
• 33-38 degrees F
Quiz Question
Which is not a true
about a properly maintained cooler?
• It decreases damaging effects of ethylene
• It increases respiration
• It increases flower life
• It increases respiration
Quiz Question
Time
• Keep flowers away from heats as much as possible
• Keep the time outside water / solution as short as possible
• Develop standardized procedures so quality does not become a coincidence – plan your time!
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
• FACT: Bacteria clogs stems.
• FACT: Clogged stems lead to hydration
problems and bent neck.
• FACT: Bacteria produce ethylene.
• FACT: Fungi are opportunists.
• FACT: The effectiveness of all post
harvest products is dependent
on a clean environment.
Fungicide, bactericide, cleaner is needed.
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
Sanitation
1. Cut flowers were stored in vases for two weeks.
2. Water was discarded.
3. One vase was not washed. One was washed with water. One was washed
with DCD.
4. Flowers were put all three vases with clean water only.
Not cleaned Cleaned with water Cleaned with DCD
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
• Microscopic small organisms (0.1 to 400 Microns)
with high growth rates
• Growth rate is dependent upon temperature and
availability of food
• Vase water and flower stems offer a good growth
environment for bacteria
Effect of Bacteria
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
Effect of BacteriaBacteria block the Xylem of the Flowers
Result: The water uptake gets disturbed and the vase-life is shortened.
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
Effect of Bacteria
• The vase water becomes dirty
• The vase water smells rotten
• Vase-life is shortened
Low Bacterial Growth
High Bacterial Growth
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
• Keep all buckets and cutters clean– Research has shown that buckets left dirty for four days can
reduce rose vase-life 20%.
• D.C.D. keeps buckets disinfected for several days
– Bleach looses it’s disinfecting ability after only a few hours.
• D.C.D. is less expensive than bleach per use
• D.C.D. will not stain clothing
• Only government approved bucket cleaner
How can you control bacterial growth?
Use a Flower Food Solution!
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
• Bleach is not you best cleaning agent
o Sanitizes but does not CLEAN!
• Bleach’s shelf life is very short (1 hour to 4 hours) and has no
residual effects
o It kills bacteria immediately but it does not continue fighting and killing
bacteria
• Use a cleaning detergent, not bleach
o Similar cleaning detergents are used in
hospitals as disinfectants
• Clean your cooler at least once every quarter
(3 months) with a cleaning detergent
Source: Dr. George Staby
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
At which stages do the three pillars
have an influence on flower life?
Grower
Wholesaler
Florist
Consumer
The Three Pillars of Cut Flower Care
Is bleach an effective bacteria killer?
• Yes!
Quiz Question
How long does bleach kill bacteria in a bucket?
• A few hours
• 2 to 3 days
• 1 week
• A few hours
Quiz Question
Cut Flower Processing and Hydration
How should flowers be handled?
• Ensure all containers are clean – Use Floralife® Cleaner
• Strip only the foliage that will fall below the solution level
• Cut the stems by ¾ to 1” with a sharp and clean knife
• Place the flowers in a cold water flower food solution. Use only
Clean Buckets. Cold means as cold as your cooler temperature –
not tap water
• Do not place the flowers in direct sunlight.
Keep them away from draughts
• Do not place the flowers close to fruits or
vegetables
Cut Flower Processing and Hydration
Which leaves should be removed and why?
Usually leaves contain high loads of bacteria
and increase the bacterial growth in the water.
• Only remove leaves under the
water level
• Above the water level only
remove damaged leaves.
Leaves are important for the
respiration of the flower and as
energy depot
Cut Flower Processing and Hydration
Always re-cut the stems. But why?
A flower always tries to take up
water and nutrients. When you
remove a flower from the water,
the flower sucks air. The air
bubbles block the Xylem.
Also bacteria can block the
stems. Both are main reasons
for bent neck.
Always use a sharp and clean
knife or scissor which cut the
stems and does not crush
them.
Capillars (Xylem)
Cut Flower Processing and Hydration
• Movement of water through the plant
• No roots, No leaves, Big problem
• Xylem and Phloem
• Transpiration – evaporation of water from plants
o Light
o Temperature
o Humidity
Vase
solution
Cross Section
Phloem- distributes food made in
the leaves to all other parts of the
plant.
Xylem- distributes water up
through the plant.
What is hydration?
Cut Flower Processing and Hydration
Hydration Solutions
Quick Dip
• Pour into container 1 inch deep
• Cut flowers
• Dip stem ends in quick dip solution for 2 seconds
• Place flowers in flower food
Hydraflor 100
•Mix 1/2 oz into 1 gallon of water
•Cut flowers
•Place flowers in Hydraflor 100 solution for 1 hour
•Remove and place in flower food
Hydration solutions acclimate your flowers to take food.
•Stem Un-pluggers
•Acidifiers
Cut Flower Processing and Hydration
Which of these isn’t recommended when
hydrating flowers?
• Re-cut stems underwater
• Use a hydration solution per the manufacturer’s direction
• Place flowers in warm water to speed hydration
• First and third points above
• All of the above
• None of the above
• First and third points above
Quiz Question
Flower Food
50% of florists don’t use flower food!
25% of florists who do use flower food incorrectly!
25% of florists use flower food correctly!
Source: Perishables
research organization
Flower Food
Flower Food
• Sugar: The food source
• Acidifiers: To lower ph and increase solution uptake
• Stem-unpluggers: To keep the stem free flowing
What’s in a flower food?
Storage Solutions
Provides Hydration
Lower in Sugar
Acidifier to adjust the pH of water
Floralife Crystal Clear®Floralife Clear 2X Professional®
Vase Solutions
Provides Hydration
Higher in Sugar
Acidifier to adjust the pH of water
Aluminum Sulfate – opalescent or pearly when mixed (Floralife® Original)
Citric Acid – clear when mixed (Floralife® Crystal Clear)
Flower Food
Types of Flower Food
Effects of
Flower Food
Water Flower Food
Day 7
• Photosynthesis makes
sugar
• Very low photosynthesis
due to low light levels and
not enough leaves
Flower Food
0% 25% 50% 100%
Important: Correct Dosing!
Flower Food
What’s the better investment?
• A $300.00 investment can pay for itself in a short time through reduced flower
losses, increased quality and labor savings
• Every creditable flower shop should have a dispensing system. It’s as
important as the computer, delivery truck and cooler
A $300 dispensing system? A $1700 decorative wrap for the van?
Flower Food
Or, make a dip-stick!
Always measure your flower food!
Flower Food
•Works on all bulb crops
•Stops leaf yellowing in alstroemaria
and lilies
•Keeps tulip stems from bending
•Improves vase-life on all your bulb
crops
•Available in a 10 lb powder and 10
gram packets
Specialty Flower Foods
•Increased vase-life (20%+) than
regular flower food formulas
•Brilliant flower color
•Solution stays totally clear until
gone
•Can be used on all flowers
Flower Food
True or false:
7-UP mixed half and half in water
is better for flowers than plain water?
• True• Sugar ( Food)
• Citric Acid (Acidifier)
• Calcium Disodium EDTA ( Stem-unpluggers)
Quiz Question
True or False:
Flower food is just as effective
at half, regular, or double strength?
• False
Quiz Question
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife –
a post-harvest product!
• Flowers live longer in a vase of water
• Water in a vase is better than floral foam for flowers
• All floral foams are the same, buy the cheapest
• Arranging flowers in foam takes more time than a vase arrangement
• Certain flowers don’t last in floral foam
• Floral foam isn’t good for all flower types
Myths & Perceptions in Our Industry
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
We are about to shatter
these myths & perceptions!
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
• Improves flower life – by up to 50% compared to other design mechanics
• Beats every competitive floral foam on flower life – proven in the lab
• Maximizes flower life for nearly EVERY type of flower (even the problematic ones)
• Roses last as long or longer than in a vase
• Prevents stem burn, petal drop, browning and bent-neck
Introducing OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
• Keeps flowers living longer even when consumers don’t water
• For the first time, meets or beats flower life in a vase of water
• Lasts longer even if you forget to water
• Color stable, so no more brown foam
• Mold spores; no more!
Introducing OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
DAY 10
Seeing is Believing!
OASIS® Floral Foam MaxlifeADVANTAGE Plus Floral Foam
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Day 7 Results – Susan Clarke
Seeing is Believing!
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Day 11
Seeing is Believing!
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
ADVANTAGE Plus Floral Foam OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Advantage Plus on Day 7 Advantage Plus on Day 15
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife on Day 7 OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife on Day 15
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife Day 7 OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife on Day 15
Syndicate Aquafoam on Day 7 Syndicate Aquafoam on Day 15
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
See Maxlife work at Youtube.com/OASISFloral
http://www.youtube.com/OASISFloral#p/u/0/rKJ8wBQmykU
• Provides longer life for flowers – up to 50 percent longer
than any previous floral foam
.
• For the first time, the only floral foam in the industry proven
to meet or beat flower life in a vase
• This singular benefit, maximizing flower life, addresses the number-one desire
of consumers who purchase flowers
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife is on YouTube!
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Seeing is Believing – No More Browning!
OASIS® Floral Foam MaxlifeOther floral foam
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Current Floral Foam - Mold OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife - No Mold
Seeing is Believing – No More Mold Spores!
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
More than just bricks!
All OASIS® Designer Shapes and Articles
are made with OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife!
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife Packaging
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Method – Key Messaging to the Florist
Retails for $49.99
Lasted 10 days
Customer pays
$4.99 a day!
Retails for $49.99
Lasted 6 days
Customer pays
$8.33 a day!
For only 10¢ more, your arrangement will last 50% longer!
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
No brown, no burn, no bend.
NO KIDDING.
• Flowers live longer in OASIS® Floral Foam
Maxlife than in any previous floral foam – up
to 50% longer
• OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife is the first and
only floral foam proven to provide as long,
or longer, flower life than flowers in a vase
of water
• Prevents premature petal burn, wilting,
browning and petal drop
• Stops premature bent neck in flowers with
soft stems
• Stops leaves from premature yellowing,
browning and falling off stems
• Prevents stem burn
Day 1 MaxLife
Day 8 MaxLife Day 8 Water
Day 1 Water
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Method – Key Messaging to the Florist
Floral Foam Basics
• Hydrate all flowers before arranging in
foam
• Soak foam in flower food
• Never forcibly submerge foam
• Change soaking solution regularly
• All foams are not the same - remember
that foam is a post harvest product like
flower foods
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Presentation Method Under 35 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65 & Older
Flowers arranged in a
ceramic or other non-
glass container. 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.0
Flowers arranged in a
basket. 3.8 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9
Flowers in a glass vase.* 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.5
Flowers sent in a box for
recipient to arrange.* 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.9
Values are mean ratings with scale of 1= dislike to 5 = like.
* indicates statistically significant differences across groups.
Prince and Prince Consumer Survey:
OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife
Consumer Education
• Educate your staff to educate customers on
how to take care of their flowers
•Inform them as to what to expect from
individual varieties
• Give your customers at least 10-grams of
flower food and explain the importance of
properly mixing
o 10-grams makes only 1-quart of solution
o 5-grams makes only 1-pint of solution
•Sell flowers by variety or cultivar names
Educate Your Customers
Consumer Education
Ethylene and Botrytis
• Ethylene has been reported to contribute 30% of all post harvest dump
in horticulture crops.
• Ethylene damage can come from ethylene produced internally or from
external sources.
• Ethylene is the death hormone.
•Fruit ripening
•Abscission (petal
drop)
•Increases respiration
•Growth promotion
•Flower Initiation
What is ethylene and why do I care?
What does ethylene do?
Ethylene and Botrytis
Ethylene Sources
Internal
• Plants, fruits and vegetables produce
ethylene
External
• From other flowers
• Plants and vegetables
• Bacteria
• Burning organic material
• Cigarette smoke
• Exhaust
Ethylene and Botrytis
Major Cut Flowers that are Ethylene Sensitive
• Many cultivars of Roses!
• Alstroemeria
• Carnations
• Delphinium/Larkspur
• Snapdragon
• Lily
• Stock
• Many more!
Ethylene ExposureNo Ethylene
Ethylene and Botrytis
1. Air FiltersPositive: Very Inexpensive Negative: Not effective
2. TemperaturePositive: Slows effects internal & External ethylene Negative : Only effective while exposed
3. Ethylene Action Inhibitors - STS / MCP-EthylblocPositive: Inhibits ethylene action Negative: MCP requires containment field to be effective.
S.T.S. requires reclaiming units to remove heavy metals
Tools to Prevent Ethylene
Do not store produce or food with your flowers!
Ethylene and Botrytis
Botrytis
• Look for free water inside sleeves. This would likely indicate a temperature problem.
• Free water promotes botrytis infection.
• Look for legions where the flowers contact the sleeve.
Ethylene and Botrytis
Which of these is not true about ethylene?
• It’s a gas
• It increases respiration of the flower
• Ethylene does not affect roses
• Ethylene has negative effects on some plants
• Ethylene does not affect
roses
Quiz Question
Floral Accounting 101:
Doing the Business Math
Arrangement #1:
OASIS® Floral Foam flower design in woven basket container with Floralife® flower food
Retail price point: $37.50
Material Cost to the Florist:
•2 Stems Lilies @ $1.29 per stem = $2.58
•3 stem Mini-carnations @ $0.40 per stem = $1.20
•3 Stems Hypericum @ $0.80 per stem = $2.40
•3 stems leather leaf fern @ $0.72 per stem = $2.16
•1 woven basket container @ $2.00
•Ribbon (not pictured) @ $0.50
•1/3 brick OASIS® floral foam @ $0.21
•1 quart/liter Floralife Crystal Clear® flower food solution soaked in foam and in container @ $.06
All Occasion Flower Arrangement
•Total cost of flowers = $8.34
•Total woven basket cost = $2.00
• Ribbon = $0.50
•Total OASIS® Floral Foam cost = $0.21
•Total Floralife® Flower Food cost = $0.06
Grand total material costs = $11.11
Do the business math!
Design Materials Cost % of Design Arrangement Cost
Flowers $8.34 75.07%
Basket $2.00 18.00%
Ribbon $0.50 4.50%
OASIS® Floral Foam $0.21 1.89%
Floralife® Flower Food $0.06 0.54%
Grand Total $11.11 100%
Money saved by using a lower priced foam at 20% less,
for example, would be only $0.042, or 0.38% of total material costs!
The difference in using a quality floral foam is insignificant for the benefits gained.
All Occasion Flower Arrangement
Arrangement #2:
Fresh flower design in glass vase
with Floralife® Flower Food
Retail Price Point: $37.50
Material Cost to the Florist:
• Premade bouquet of mixed flowers @ $7.99 a bunch
• Ribbon @ $0.50
• Glass vase @ $2.50
• 3 pints(1.5 liter) Floralife Crystal Clear® flower food @
$0.09
Grand Total Cost: $11.08
Glass Floral Arrangements
Do the business math!
Design Materials Cost
% of Design
Arrangement Cost
Flowers $7.99 72.12%
Glass Vase $2.50 22.56%
Ribbon $0.50 4.51%
Floralife® Flower Food $0.09 0.81%
Grand Total $11.08 100%
Not using flower food in an arrangement can reduce flower life by more than half and
saves you less than 1% of the cost of the materials.
Wouldn’t your customer enjoy their arrangement for an additional 3-5 days or more?
Think of the repeat sales opportunities!
Glass Floral Arrangements
• Care and Handling is important because consumers want and
expect QUALITY from a florist!
• The 3 Pillars of Cut Flower Care
1. Temperature / Cold Chain
2. Time
3. Sanitation
• Know your cultivars and inspect for quality.
• Proper flower processing and proper use of flower food aids in
customer satisfaction!
• Floral foam is now a post-harvest product and can equal or exceed
the vase-life of flowers in water
• Ethylene and botrytis have a negative influence on vase-life
• Don’t forget to educate the consumer!
Summary
Questions?