Christmas Care
A variety of cultural and religious celebrations fall in
December. Traditional Christmas sales emphasize red and white flower
arrangements, evergreens and poinsettias but smart business owners know
to look outside the box when planning holiday business. Christmas is
the most marketed December holiday, but Hanukkah (Dec. 5) and Kwanzaa
(Dec. 26) are important too. Mexicans celebrate virgin of Guadalupe on
Dec.12 and don’t forget Boxing Day on Dec. 26. Including holiday
parties, there are flower sale possibilities every week in December.
It’s important that flowers and plants used for decorations have staying power. Blooms produced in winter lack the vigour of spring and summer flowers. Low light is the primary culprit for these less hardy blooms since light has everything to do with photosynthesis.
Processing procedures become important during winter months because flowers need the extra energy boost. Lilies require a bulb solution to ensure florets open and foliage stays vibrant. Anthuriums hate cold temperatures. Tulips need hormones to keep foliage from turning grey and yellowing at the tips. Holly last longer if stored cold at 1 C (33 to 34 F) and is sensitive to ethylene.
Ethylene control is especially important in December when sources of ethylene gas include space heaters, vehicle exhaust and cigarette smoke from employees walking in from outside to escape the cold. Douglas fir and redwood are big ethylene producers so store these greens away from flowers and plants. Ethylene is also produced by many fruits so don’t store fruit-basket produce in the same cooler as flowers. Remember to hydrate eucalyptus to keep it from becoming stressed and gassing other flowers. Put bunches in a hydration solution or a low-sugar processing solution.
The popularity of Gerberas guarantees they will be a part of holiday designs. Gerberas fail for two reasons: stems get clogged with bacteria or Botrytis attacks. To avoid either problem start with clean buckets, vases and solutions. Allow gerbera stems to completely harden off overnight so the hollow stems are filled with bacteria-free solution before you insert into foam. To avoid Botrytis infection, keep blooms dry. Don’t cram too many stems in processing buckets and display gerberas in low-drip areas. Allow plenty of air movement around blooms so condensation evaporates.
With bouvardia, if you receive these blooms dry use your hand to break one to two inches off stems rather than using a knife. Cutting crimps cells together and impedes flow. If the flowers arrive in solution, using a clean cutter is OK. Because the stems are woody, the best treatment is an overnight drink of hydration solution.
Anthuriums and gingers add an elegant tropical touch to holiday designs but these beauties are chill sensitive and suffer if exposed to temperatures colder than 10 C (50 F). Chill damage happens quickly so make sure your delivery people know to protect arrangements when doors are opened. To stop blooms from drying out too fast from dry heat, spray blooms with distilled water to prevent spotting on the flower face from naturally occurring salts in tap water.
If your tropical flower offerings also includes protea or tuberoses, you’ll get the best results processing these blooms in full strength flower food using the food packets given to consumers. The food has a high percentage of sugar that prevents protea foliage from blackening and gives tuberoses the kick they need to keep florets opening.
Eucharis lilies were all the rage in Holland last year so it’s possible they will become popular in North America soon. They require the same care as tulips, iris, alstroe and lilies: process eucharis in a solution containing hormones specific to bulbous flowers. Rebalancing plant-growth hormones improves foliage, bud development, vase life and color stability of flowers coming from bulbs, rhizomes, corms or tubers.
Finally, we come to the mother of decorations, the poinsettia. These beauties represent more than 85 per cent of potted plant sales during the holiday season. Poinsettias need to be unwrapped and unboxed on arrival. Leaves turn yellow when plants are left in boxes too long. The plants are native to Mexico and prefer daytime temperatures of 15-20 C (60-70 F). Night temps can go as low as 12 C (55 F). Make sure no part of the plant touches a window and keep pots away from heater vents. Poinsettias need at least six hours of indirect light per day.
New for Christmas are several varieties of cut flower poinsettias. “Renaissance Red” is sexy with luscious, dark red wavy bracts offset by dark green foliage. Cut poinsettia stems need to be in solution at all times. Despite the many recommendations for dipping stems in boiling water, post-harvest research from North Carolina State University says that distilled water with a bactericide produces the longest vase results. Using commercial flower foods didn’t affect the flower quality but delayed leaf abscission. Remember to give stems a fresh cut and add a new chlorine pill to buckets every three to four days to ensure pollution is kept in check. Follow the same temperature requirements for the cut stems as recommended for pots and avoid dripping or splashing on stems. Happy Holidays!
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