Trends act as stimulators that guide and persuade consumers into purchasing. What trends are the drivers in our floral industry? Definitely, the trend of sustainability persists as businesses realize how green actions make sense not only for the environment, but also, the bottom line. The mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle is fuelled by common sense, community awareness and exploding energy prices. Just recently I have started receiving requests to present programs on flower care and handling with an emphasis on green actions and sustainability. The most important aspect in this trend (rooted in care and handling) is to make the connection between sustainability and how it links us directly to the consumer.
In floral, we can illustrate the concept of sustainability by using the example of water conservation – a sustainable action realized by reusing hydration solutions. No more tossing solution when the flowers are pulled for design or sold, instead skim green bits and reuse the hydration solution to process incoming flowers throughout the week. Reusing (or using for entire period a solution is active) is a sustainable action because it allows you to conserve water, reduce utility and labour costs.
Another trend in flower care that’s gaining momentum under the sustainable umbrella is the introduction of flower-specific formulas, e.g., using the right solution for the right job. One size fits most is passé as new formulas are developed to address specific needs of various flower types. Roses, a group commonly called “wilt-sensitive” because of its delicate vascular system, suffer far more bent neck problems than acceptable. Through years of testing, there is now new food available, specifically geared to roses (and all wilt-sensitive flowers) because it contains a special ingredient to boost flow and ensure stems get completely filled with solution.
Reducing flower loss/waste is another aspect of respecting sustainability. We now have special bulb formulas that correct the weakness inherent in flowers harvested from bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes – an imbalance of hormones. You’ve seen the symptoms of this chemical imbalance and it’s not pretty: short vase life, yellowing foliage, buds that never open and loss of colour vibrancy. These symptoms spoil the beauty of irises, freesia, tuberoses and lilies. Even the graceful twisted foliage of alstroe is stripped off because this imbalance results in premature leaf yellowing. Treat bulbous blooms in bulb T-bags, which restores the flower’s internal chemistry.
Another steady trend over the past decade is the popularity of liquid flower food concentrates over powder formulas. Liquids mix immediately and provide a homogenous solution. They are not as messy as powders and are easier to measure properly. The newest liquid product is the consumer flower food for roses packaged in liquid sticks. Available for the past nine months, these liquid sticks are still gaining popularity. The packaging is sophisticated and the sticks provide consumers with an improved formula so flowers last an additional one to three days longer at home.
Trends in basic handling methods are emerging too, as growers, wholesalers and retailers make changes to incorporate handling protocols and implement programs relying on tracking and tracing methods that ensure top quality at each step of the chain. Of all the new protocols, the recommendation generating the most questions has to do with the temperature of the starting water when mixing flower foods. Current research (both in the U.S. and Holland) has proven that in most flower species, cold water moves into stems faster than warm water. Consequently, I’ve been recommending the use of cold water to mix solutions or pre-chilling solutions a day ahead for speedy uptake.
Post-harvest protocols and best practices of product handling relate directly to the quality of product the consumer enjoys. Growers can produce terrific flowers, but quality is negatively impacted if the blooms are placed in water with no treatment in the grading room or sold to a retailer who sticks the cuts in dirty solution. Everything we do on the front end ultimately determines the satisfaction consumers experience on their end. During tough economic times, there’s a trend to consider post-harvest treatments as a cost rather than an insurance policy for repeat sales. One dirty, industry secret we insiders know is there are so many poorly treated flowers in the pipeline that Joe Consumer sometimes gets a fabulous product and other times, gets junk. Until consumers feel comfortable that their flower purchases will last more than two to three days, flowers won’t gain the everyday purchase confidence so desperately needed to grow our industry. Product consistency is not a genie in a bottle. It is the trend on which we need to focus.
Gayle Smith draws information from more than 30 years of floral industry experience. She currently works as the technical manager for Chrysal, USA.
|
