Care and Handling

Improve Your Bottom Line Without Spending a Dime Jan 2011

Gay Smith Technical Consulting Manager Chrysal Americas

1

Topics Providing what Mother Nature cannot  Temperature  Challenges  Sanitation  Best practices  Solution specifics 

2

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity� oprah winfrey

3

Botany 101: photosynthesis is the conversion of (sunlight + CO2 + water) = O2 + sugars

4

The secret sex lives of plants 5

Mimicking Mother Nature Flowers need to drink bacteria­free solutions Some species need plant hormones Flowers require food to stretch cells

6

TEMPERATURE MATTERS Why growers pack in cooler  Boxes pre­cooled in Miami  Do you probe? Why not?  Temp of arriving flowers < 40F  Cooler set point: 34­36F  Tropical coolers 50F 

7

8

What’s the big deal about cold chain management??  Stem bending  Wilting  Flower opening  Flower drop  Ethylene  Bacterial development  CONDENSATION 9

#1 disease challenge is Botrytis    

Non­specific fungus disease Needs water or high humidity Spreads—cross­contamination Lives on live and dead tissues Gives off ethylene as it develops

10

11

Botrytis Control      

Respect cold chain Keep blooms dry Keep cooler floors dry Work clean Allow breathing room in buckets Careful handling­­mechanical damage opens the door to infection 12

Flowers bleed when cut

13

Bacteria #1 reason stems get clogged Best line of defense?   

Sanitation with a professional cleaner Frequent sanitation—tools Sharp tools

14

ETHYLENE GAS—Silent, but deadly Ripening hormone  Deadly to flowers in minute amounts SOURCES:  Fruits, veggies & flowers  Combustion engine exhaust  Cigarette smoke, BBQs, fireplaces,  Bacteria, yeast and fungi  Wounds and bruises trigger production 

15

Ethylene Symptoms

16

How to Avoid Ethylene Problems        

Buy treated flowers.

Don’t peel rose petals unnecessarily Clean cuts, no ragged edges Avoid cramming in buckets No deco mosses in coolers No fruit basket items, no lunches in coolers Work clean Treat coolers with Ethylene Buster 17

Solutions--Rebalance H20 Relations Solutions kick­start flow Wetting agents boost flow Nutrients provide energy Hormones reduce stress 18

What is Flower Food?   

Acidifiers lower pH of tap water Clarifiers keep pollution in check Nutrients provide energy for opening and holding in vase

19

Why use it?

20

Flower Food vs.

Water

21

2000 Trends Special foods for special needs      

Roses—hard to hydrate Delphinium—ethylene sensitive Gerberas—the ”Mr Clean” of flowers Bulb flowers—hormones out of sync Sugar lovers Big drinkers 22

Symptoms of whacked-out hormones     

Buds don’t open Buds shrivel and drop off Foliage turns yellow FAST Vase life is super short Color vibrancy is lost after 2­3 days

23

Bulb T-bags 

Rebalances the hormones needed to prevent negative symptoms

24

Are you a Stripper?

25

Why mix with cold water? 







Cold water– flows faster than ambient or warm The colder the flower (and water) the faster the metabolism rate is reduced ­­ you save energy for later Cold temperatures inhibit the aging processes (eg opening, leaf yellowing etc.)

Bacteria is not happy in cold water

26

Finessing Processing Procedures—Reduce shrink      

What affects stem flow?

Why sharp tools matter Timing Condensation Cut point Function of sugar

27

Ways to Save

       

Get the dose right Never consolidate used solutions Good air flow in cooler Post info on what solution to use when Reuse solutions correctly Respect treatment times Let finishing spray dry before cooler No smoking in vans

28

Best Practices ~ SANITATION        

Sanitize tables, tools, trash cans, brooms Develop daily, weekly, monthly cleaning schedules Chrysal Cleaner = residual effect Post protocols Keep trash cans covered.

Empty daily. Sanitize weekly Paper towels, not rags Keep hose nozzles up, off floor

29

If you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t drink it or drink out of it, neither will your flowers

30

Equipment upkeep …always a good idea

31

Information is Free The Chrysal Channel ~ Business Facebook feed~

www.facebook.com/pages/Chrysal­Floral­Nutrients/

You Tube­ http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrysalCares Website ­www.chrysalusa.com Other sources of information:  Chrysal newsletter, GoTo Info, Holiday Alerts  U Blooms  Flowers and Cents 32

Did you know…? 

 

 



 

Since 1986, the rose shares the podium with the bald eagle as a US national emblem Do you see “rose” in the word, Eros?

Lowering the pH of water, dissolves air bubbles thereby boosting flow into stems Chrysal Cleaner is biodegradable It takes on average, 6­10 days for a flower to get from a South American farm to your shop.

George Washington was a famous US rose breeder. His variety ‘Martha Washington’ is still widely grown Roses in flower food last >50% longer than in H20 70% of uptake happens in the first 1­2 hrs a flower is in solution

33

GAME RULES     

   

Start clean –tools, buckets…

Measure when mixing Plan ahead—quick transfers Don’t combine old solutions with fresh Remove from cooler amount of boxes you can process in 30 minutes Leave rose wraps in place Keep petals dry Top­up with fresh solution, not H2O NEVER add ICE

34

4 Free Ways to Reduce Shrink~ 1. NEVER sell any flower directly from the box 2. Let flowers drink for (minimum) 1­4 hours before selling or using in design work 3. Measure when prepping solutions 4. Location, location, location—Keep petals dry 35

Everything we do on the front end, maximizes vase performance

& customer satisfaction!

36

The Goal ~

To outperform your competition

37

Thank­you!

38