design & business education (cont) Why Is Care & Handling Important? Choosing the Right Cultivar • A cultivar is the name of the flower (ex: Cherry Love is the cultivar name for a kind of rose). • Many post-harvest problems can be solved by choosing the right cultivar. • When you order, make sure to purchase by cultivar name, not color.
Vase-life study with 4 different rose cultivars (in days) 16
Water
14
Floralife Clear
12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Emblem
osiana
kardinal
sonia
Inspection • Inspect your flowers immediately upon arrival. • Invest in a probe-type thermometer to measure the temperature of the flower heads. • If you have received damaged or unusable flowers, immediately notify your supplier.
- Be sure to keep the labels at the end of the box handy, as these labels contain important information pertaining to the farm and airway bill that will likely identify and correct the problem.
• Take notes of which flower varieties work best for you, which varieties have the longest life and which varieties open or do not open. This will allow you to fine tune your fresh floral purchases. Source: Dr. George Staby
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BloomNet Florist Quality Care Program