Taking Care Of Fresh Cut Flowers

By Author: Jeremy Peter
Total Articles: 3
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For those of us who love the beauty and fragrance of fresh cut floral bouquets or flowers around the home or workplace, it's a sad truth that the moment a flower is cut, the flower will eventually wilt and shed its petals.

A good quality flower bouquet or arrangement must be able to keep a fresh look, at least seven days. Few things can shorten or prolong his life but a vase. Perhaps the most important factor to buy cut flowers is to choose a reliable and trusted source.

Many of our fresh cut flowers purchased online or from a local flower wholesaler are cut in the fields or greenhouses, and then transported over long distances - in some cases around the world - before they reach the final consumer. In addition, it may have been bought and sold several times along the path. Farm in South America may sell some flowers to the distributor or collective, which in turn sells them to the broker. The broker then sells them to a flower wholesaler, who in turn sells them to a florist or supermarket who then sells to you. All this occurs after the flowers have been cut.

Hopefully, this will be done quickly and efficiently, ...
... and flowers will remain in the purified water in a clean bucket and at the proper temperature, cool it all the time. Often, however, the process can take several days, and cut flowers are sometimes transferred from the field in dirty buckets of water, or exposed to hot temperatures while sitting on the tarmac airport resulting in reduced vase life.

Well disciplined growers, wholesalers and retailers will ensure that flower colors are properly handled at every step, and moved quickly through the supply chain. Following are the some tips which will help you in taking care of fresh cut flowers.

Keep cut flowers from the fruit and vegetables. Fruit releases ethylene gas that causes flowers to age faster. You should spray the flowers with a soft mist of water daily and remove any dying flowers and dried leaves. Flower food contains a biocide that helps inhibit bacterial growth. Food is available at local florists and nurseries. If you do not have a package of plant foods, add a little sugar in the water with drops of lemon juice. Bleach can also be used, too.

Take care of wholesale flowers every day. Remove faded and wilted flowers. Rotting leaves and flowers can make water toxic to the flowers. Change the water every other day. Make sure you add preservative each time you change the water. You should also re-cut the stem when changing the water for better water absorption. Below room temperature, down to 40F, the more flowers will last. However, some flowers such as tropical flowers can only go down to about 65F. Before cooling any flowers down, be sure to know how to properly store those flowers to prevent damage.

Rose Williams is an active mother of three and writes regularly throughout Florida trade journals to provide recommendations on fresh cut flowers and wholesale flowers