Navigating Daily Challenges in Fresh-cut Flower Growing
Floraldaily.com November 2024, powered by FloraLife
“The fresh-cut flower industry is a booming sector, with growers supplying blooms to supermarkets, wholesalers, and florists globally. However, this industry presents various challenges that growers must overcome to ensure flower quality and longevity. From managing crop health to maintaining quality post-harvest, flower growers must address these obstacles consistently,” states the FloraLife team. This article discusses challenges in fresh-cut flower production and solutions to ensure better flower quality and longer vase life.
Selecting the right flower varieties
According to the FloraLife team, one of the key challenges for flower growers is selecting varieties that will perform well throughout the supply chain. With shifting consumer preferences and evolving market demands, choosing the right flowers is “vital” for success. Growers must balance factors such as flower size, color, scent, productivity and longevity, ensuring that the varieties they select are not only desirable in the marketplace but also capable of withstanding the stresses of transport, storage, and display. The right varieties are not only marketable but must also endure post-harvest handling processes like shipping, storage, and cold chain management.
Understanding each flower variety’s needs — such as temperature, hydration, and nutrition requirements — is “crucial”. Improper handling during transit can lead to poor flower performance, resulting in shorter vase life. By selecting the best varieties and using proper post-harvest care, growers can improve flower quality, presentation, and consumer satisfaction.
Crop health and pest management
The team adds that maintaining plant health is another significant challenge for flower growers, as fresh-cut flowers are highly susceptible to pests and diseases. Regular monitoring for pests such as aphids, spider mites, and thrips is essential, as well as managing fungal and bacterial infections. One common threat is Botrytis, or “gray mold,” a fungal disease that thrives in humid, cool environments and spreads quickly. It causes rapid decay and reduces the flowers’ marketability.
To combat Botrytis, growers must ensure dry, well-ventilated storage and maintain hygiene to reduce fungal spores. Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies — combining biological, mechanical, and chemical methods — are used to control pests, but finding the right balance is tricky. Overuse of products can harm plants, while underuse can lead to infestations. Extreme weather conditions, such as sudden temperature fluctuations or high humidity, can further exacerbate pest problems.
Post-harvest handling and storage
“Proper post-harvest handling is critical to maintaining flower quality. Fresh-cut flowers are highly perishable and require optimal hydration, nutrition, temperature, and humidity conditions to retain their freshness. Poor conditioning after harvest can result in shorter vase life and reduced marketability.”
The FloraLife team explains that Ethylene, a natural plant hormone, is one of the most significant post-harvest challenges faced by fresh-cut flower growers. This colorless gas, which is produced by many fruits, vegetables, and even the flowers themselves, accelerates the aging process of flowers and leads to premature wilting, fading, and a shorter vase life. Ethylene exposure can cause a range of negative effects on flowers, such as the premature opening of buds, leaf drop, and accelerated senescence. In a greenhouse or storage environment where flowers are often kept close to other products, ethylene can easily accumulate, putting the quality of the flowers at risk. To mitigate the damaging effects of ethylene, growers must implement careful handling practices and maintain optimal environmental conditions for flowers. They must also have treatments in place to manage the negative effects of ethylene and help neutralize the harm done during storage and transport, reducing the risk of premature flower aging.
Supply chain coordination and timing
At FloraLife they see that another major challenge is the timing of harvests, transportation, and delivery. “Fresh-cut flowers have a short shelf life, so delays or improper handling during transport can result in flowers arriving in poor condition. Coordinating harvest schedules with delivery timing is essential to minimize spoilage. Packaging and transportation must also prevent physical damage to flowers.
This is especially challenging during peak seasons like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day, when demand surges, and growers struggle to adjust production schedules to meet supply chain needs. Ensuring timely and efficient transport is critical to maintaining flower quality.”
Sustainability and environmental considerations
Increasingly, consumers and retailers are prioritizing sustainability in their purchasing decisions, claims FloraLife. Fresh-cut flower growers face pressure to adopt more eco-friendly practices, such as reducing pesticide use, water consumption, and minimizing waste. This can require significant investment in new technologies and methods, which may not always be immediately feasible for smaller growers. “Many flower growers are exploring alternatives to traditional flower production, such as growing flowers with less environmental impact or even exploring hydroponic systems for more efficient use of resources.”
The importance of maintaining the cold chain
Maintaining the cold chain — the uninterrupted temperature-controlled process from harvest to consumer — is “crucial” to preserving the freshness of flowers. Even brief exposure to warm conditions can cause rapid deterioration, leading to wilting and a shorter vase life. The cold chain begins as soon as flowers are harvested, with immediate cooling to remove field heat. During transit, flowers must be kept at optimal temperatures to avoid stress.
If flowers are subjected to temperature fluctuations, the effects can be irreversible, resulting in poor-quality flowers reaching the market. Growers must coordinate carefully with logistics partners to ensure that flowers stay within the required temperature range throughout their journey.
How FloraLife can support flower growers
FloraLife®, a brand in post-harvest care products for fresh-cut flowers, says that it can be an ally to growers in addressing many of the challenges outlined above. FloraLife offers a range of solutions designed to maximize vase life and improve the quality of flowers after harvest.
“Fresh-cut flowers are a visual product, and their longevity in the consumer’s home is a key factor in their appeal. FloraLife’s post-harvest treatments, protocols and know-how help reduce waste and ensure that flowers last longer in the vase, which increase their marketability and customer satisfaction. FloraLife’s expertise in post-harvest care ensures that growers can meet the demands of the marketplace while reducing waste, improving sustainability, and enhancing their overall profitability.”