Expert advice_mutliple products-1790x2560

Use of Multiple Products: In sequence or mixed together?

Use of Multiple Products: In sequence or mixed together?

In certain situations, or for certain crops, it is helpful or even needed to use multiple postharvest products with the same plant material. For example, in order to improve the uptake of a postharvest product it may help to use a hydration product as well. Or a crop may need nutrients, but also a hormone treatment that keeps foliage green. One of the reasons why there are multiple products on the market instead of just one product that has all ingredients a cut flower would need is that not all chemicals are compatible. They may react with each other, cause a chemical to precipitate out of the solution or cause instability of the mix. Another reason is that certain chemicals may cause negative effects on certain crops, while they can be very beneficial for other crops.

Using products in combination may help a grower or cut flower exporter save time. Instead of waiting while the treatment by one product is finished before the next treatment can be started, one would apply both products at the same time.

FloraLife® Hydrate Plus* and FloraLife® HydraFlor hydration solutions, help cut stems take up solution, and can be used in combination with FloraLife® EthylGuard* or FloraLife® EthylGuard Ultra* (products that contain STS). A situation where this can be applied is when one wants to ship out cut roses by sea. Due to the long shipment duration, it is necessary to protect the roses against ethylene.

FloraLife® Hydrate Plus* can also be combined with FloraLife® Bulb 100*. The hydration product would help take up the hormones in FloraLife® Bulb 100* (gibbererelins and 6-benzyladenine), shortening the time this treatment would need.

Asiatic lilies, for instance, would need a treatment to protect them against ethylene, but they also need a treatment to inhibit the leaf yellowing. It is therefore possible to combine FloraLife® EthylGuard (Ultra)* with FloraLife® Bulb 100*.

Oriental and LA lilies benefit from a treatment with FloraLife® Bulb 100* to prevent leaf yellowing, but also to promote flower development. These crops also need nutrients for the postharvest flower development. It is possible to combine products like FloraLife® Clear Ultra 200, FloraLife® Express 200 and FloraLife® Express 300 with FloraLife® Bulb 100*.

FloraLife® PRG* can be combined with FloraLife® flower food, offering cut flowers extra protection for a clean solution that may be in a contaminated vase or bucket.

EthylBloc™ Tablets* or EthylBloc™ Sachets*, releasing 1-MCP (a gas), to protect the cut flowers against ethylene, can be combined with any Treat, Hydration, Store & Transport, Feed or Customer Care product, but the treatment needs to take place in a closed environment, to prevent the 1-MCP to escape.

FloraLife® Transport Paper*, releasing chlorine dioxide, can be combined with any Treat, Hydration, Store & Transport, Feed or Customer Care product as well.

There are also products that should not be mixed together as they could harm cut flowers or could make a product ineffective. For these products it is better to apply them in sequence instead of mixing together in same solution. FloraLife® Cleaner should not be mixed together with a Treat, Hydration, Store & Transport, Feed or Customer Care product, as FloraLife® Cleaner is not suitable as uptake solution for cut flowers.

FloraLife® PRG* cannot be combined with FloraLife® EthylGuard* or FloraLife® EthylGuard Ultra*, as the active ingredient in FloraLife® PRG* would react with the active ingredient in FloraLife® EthylGuard* or FloraLife® EthylGuard Ultra*, making both products ineffective. These products should therefore be used in sequence as well.

Spray products like FloraLife® Crowning Glory®*, FloraLife® Finishing Touch or FloraLife® HydroSpray* should be applied first. Then the treated cut flowers should dry first before one uses FloraLife® LeafShine, another spray product.

FloraLife® Quick Dip, a ready-to-use product should not be mixed together with any other Hydration, Store & Transport, Feed or Customer Care product, as it is designed for a short treatment only, while the other products are designed for treating stems for at least a couple hours. A long treatment with FloraLife® Quick Dip may harm the treated cut flowers. The correct use is to treat flowers with FloraLife® Quick Dip first, and then move to longer hydration or feeding treatment.

 

Please ask your FloraLife representative for more information on how to properly use multiple FloraLife® Products.

 

*Product availability depends upon region. Please check here for regional availability information.