How To Use Floral Finishing Sprays?
Floriology Institute February 2021, powered by FloraLife
You work hard to create beautiful arrangements your customers will love. So how can you preserve all that delicate handiwork, helping to maintain quality and freshness? The answer lies in finishing sprays.
Finishing sprays are the final post-harvest treatment that is applied to “finish” the product/arrangement before it leaves your shop. There are different types of finishing sprays, yielding different results, so it’s important to understand what certain finishing spray products are designed to do before applying.
One example is FloraLife® Crowning Glory®, a ready-to-use spray that provides a clear polymer coating to the flower, stem and foliage. This spray is all about reducing water loss. This protective clear coating effectively reduces water loss on floral arrangements and products that have limited or no access to water (e.g. corsages, boutonnieres, headpieces and hand-tied bouquets).
Cut flower foliage, and, to a lesser extent, flower petals and stems, contain microscopic pores called stomata. Functioning stomata are made of two guard cells that permit the stomate (pore) to open and close in response to changing environmental conditions. Stomata occur primarily on the undersides of leaves.
The pores allow for the exchange of gasses like carbon dioxide and oxygen, but they also serve as the primary means of transporting water up the flower stem. As water evaporates from the leaf surface via the open stomata, it “pulls” water up the stem’s plumbing system or xylem – this process is called transpiration.
Cut flowers such as hydrangea, which have a high leaf surface area, are prone to wilting because they can potentially lose more water from their leaves than can be replenished by uptake through the stem. The relationship between the water loss from the stomata and uptake through the stem is called water balance, and when the cut flower is out of balance it tends to expire very quickly.
The protective coating FloraLife® Crowning Glory® provides reduces this water loss. After you’ve created your design, simply apply evenly as directed to the flower, stem and foliage of the finished arrangement, corsage, etc. The spray should be allowed to dry before placing the flowers in the flower cooler where it will be held prior to the event.
Another example of a finishing spray product is ready-to-use FloraLife® Finishing Touch, which fortifies the finished arrangement to promote flower opening, color development, foliage quality and hydration. A good choice for weddings and events, it is specifically formulated for use on finished arrangements that are utilized for longer durations and have access to a water source via vase or foam.
The active ingredients in FloraLife® Finishing Touch are absorbed by the flower petals and leaves, working to fortify the cut flower from the inside out. The spray should be evenly applied to the finished vase or foam arrangement and allowed to dry before holding in the flower cooler.
Read the full article on: www.floriologyinstitute.com
To learn about best practices from the experts in flower care or to inquire about products and availability in your region, visit www.floralife.com or contact your local FloraLife representative.
*Product availability depends upon geographical region