How do tools of the trade affect quality? Floral designs are linked with colour and fashion. The popularity of celebrity bling is reflected in flowers through the use of trendy embellishments like beads and deco wire. When it comes to personal flowers, glue has almost eliminated traditional wiring and taping style mechanics. The big question is, do these accessory items negatively affect the quality of the flower and is vase life compromised? Here’s a look at what these new trends mean for your flowers.
First off, achieving great vase life begins when processing flowers for design work. Start clean – fresh solution in dirty buckets makes no sense. Use the correct dose and cut off at least once inch from the stem. Removing less than an inch means a risk of leaving bacteria and gunk at bottom of stems and this will stop free flow into xylem tubes.
Now that you’re off to a clean start, my guess is that when it comes to event work, some of you question why it’s important if the flowers last past the reception or prom date? Yes, the event is all about delivering wow, but many people take party flowers home to extend the memory a few days longer. Flowers that last make a big impression and you can be sure it will be mentioned as party-goers compare notes.
Looking specifically at design mechanics, let’s discuss the effects of wiring blooms for good positioning in arrangements. If wire is used as a method of enclosing the arrangement, that’s fine, but anytime a stem, petal or calyx is punctured with wire or a pin, several reactions are set into place. The wound site becomes highly susceptible to bacterial invasion and any kind of damage (cuts, bruises, peeling guard petals) to plant tissues triggers the internal production of ethylene. Ethylene is the stress hormone naturally produced internally by fruits, flowers and vegetables. It can be problematic from external sources as well (e.g cigarette smoke, BBQs, bacteria and rotting green plants, veggies and fruits). Aside from ethylene, mechanical damage from heavy-handed wiring can knock off leaves and removing leaves is another way to compromise a roses’ ability to take up solution.
Cold glue, especially formulated for flowers, allows precise floret placement without excessive handling. Using this method, blooms don’t suffer mechanical damage from petals getting ”loved to death” which can happen with wiring and taping. Sometime excessive touching results in petal browning – exactly the same response you notice when apples and avocados are sliced. Glue doesn’t shorten vase life on its own, instead it is the handing involved with placements that can result in bruising.
Does foam have an affect on vase life? It does if it’s not used properly. The hollow stems of amaryllis and gerberas, for example, can get plugged when shoved into block of foam. If you’re using floral foam in a design, make sure it is soaked in fresh flower food. Remember to let the solution sink on its own to avoid dry spots, rather than pushing the foam down into the solution. It’s also important to keep refilling the reservoir with flower food solution. Foam provides a source of moisture for blooms, giving it a leg up over designs that are glued, wired or taped.
No matter which method you use, it is very important to practice good processing techniques before design begins. Allow the internal reserves to fill completely four to 12 hours prior so the stems are at maximum condition going into the party or prom prep. Leave foliage intact while flowers like roses are drinking as foliage is where the specialized cells (stomata) that pull solution up the stem are located. It’s also crucial that you process flowers quickly and efficiently, as timing is crucial. Work in a way that buckets and vases are first prepped. Remove a volume of flower boxes from cooler that you can work through in 20 to 30 minutes. Cut bunches with sharp, clean cutters or choppers and immediately place cut bunches into buckets. If you get interrupted with a phone call between cut and bucket plunge, give stems another fresh cut before placing in solution. This action removes any air bubbles that get sucked into stems when they are cut. It only takes one to 10 seconds for stems to gulp air because tugor pressure in stems is Mother Nature’s way of moving solution against the flow of gravity. Of course flowers don’t know if they are sucking moisture from the soil or sucking air once cut. Making fast transfers into solutions after cutting stems ensures that a liquid shield covers raw tissues to prevent air bubbles from entering. This way stems are sucking solution rather than air.
Next time you’re looking to add some extra flair and fashion to your designs through the use of accessories, wire or foam, you don’t have to sacrifice stems for style. By following the above guidelines and always ensuring that you handle blooms with tender love and care, you can present your customer with a trendy look that will last.
Gayle Smith draws information from more than 30 years of floral industry experience. She currently works at the technical manager for Chrysal, USA.
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