Floral Research: Improving Rose Vase Life
Valentine’s Day approaches! Nearly 40 per cent of us will buy flowers for our special someone, and over 60 per cent of those will be roses. So, as a flower enthusiast or floral professional, keeping roses looking fresher longer should be at the top of your to-do list. Exactly HOW to do that is the topic of a recent floral Research Update…
The premise of this floral Research Update describes the stakes: “No matter the rose variety being sold, proper postharvest care and handing is critical for obtaining optimum vase life, flower opening and brilliant petal color.” How do you go about achieving these optimum results? By feeding roses a flower food that has been specifically formulated for them. Hence the title: “Floralife® Rose Food 300 Use Increases Vase Life.”
Floralife Chief Scientist Anil Ranwala, PhD describes the floral research performed by Floralife’s University of Florida Floral Postharvest Research, and FloraHolland Laboratories.
We purchased several varieties of roses, recut their stems and removed below-the-surface leaves, and placed them in either water or a solution of Floralife® Rose Food 300. We observed the roses and rated for prevention of bent neck, development of intense petal color, proper opening of flowers, and optimum vase life.
As for bent neck, intense petal color and proper opening, the results were impressive. Check out the pictures here.
To compare vase life, we tested Floralife Crystal Clear®, along with water and Rose Food 300. Each of the Floralife solutions provided significantly longer vase life, with Floralife® Rose Food 300 offering the best results overall. Here are the averages:
Vase Life:
- Plain water, 6 days.
- Floralife Crystal Clear®, 12.3 days
- Floralife® Rose Food 300, 14.8 days
Bottom line? Our floral research found that “the use of flower food greatly improved the overall quality and freshness of the flowers versus only using water. Specialty rose food, such as Floralife® Rose Food 300, resulted in enhanced flower petal development, petal color, and optimum vase life versus water.”
Be sure to read the original floral Research Update for the full report, including some very convincing photography!