Cut Flower Care and Handling: Rose
At the Flower Care and Handling section of our website, Floralife offers a bunch of useful tips for the postharvest processing of many different varieties of cut flowers. Grower, wholesaler, retailer, enthusiast – there’s something for everybody. Let’s go down the list! Today’s star is the Rose!
The Rose, “a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, represents 100 species and thousands of cultivars” (Wikipedia.) Roses are native to a variety of locations in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, and come in a rainbow of colors. On just about every list you might dig up on the internet, the Rose is the most popular cut flower of them all!
As always, Floralife has some practical Rose care and handling tips for the grower, the wholesaler and the retailer. Here is a preview.
Growers will find a reminder that the Rose is ethylene sensitive, particularly when shipped through mass markets or other high ethylene conditions. So treat them with Floralife products such as EthylBloc™ Technology or EthylGuard 100.
Also, be sure to hydrate right away with Hydraflor® 100 hydrating treatment immediately after harvest and through grading. This is particularly important if you plan to ship roses by dry pack.
When string or shipping the Rose “wet”, be sure to use a storage and transport solution such as Floralife® 200. More details at the original article.
Wholesaler and Retailers: Ask the name of the variety; Rose varieties have different flower qualities. Learn the Rose varieties that work best in your region. Look for flowers with firm stems, foliage and blooms. Avoid fully opened flowers; limp stems and/or soft flowers; damaged or diseased foliage; flower heads with mold.
Unpack your roses, immediately. Remove foliage below solution level, and recut the stems.
Hydrate with Floralife’s Hydraflor® 100 to promote water uptake. OR, try Floralife® Quick Dip 100 instant hydrating treatment. Using one of Floralife’s hydration pretreatments can help prevent bent neck in roses!
Holding Solution: Nourish the Rose with the proper mixture of fresh flower food such as Flower Food 300, Floralife® 200 or Floralife® Clear 200, Floralife® Clear ULTRA 200 or Special Blend 300 storage treatment solutions.
That’s a quick preview of Floralife’s Rose Care and Handling article. There is a lot more at the original piece, including discussion on vase life, ethylene sensitivity, storage temperatures and troubleshooting advice, so take a look! Are you a fan of the Rose, as a professional or an enthusiast? Let us know in the comments section!