Stems carry the flower and give the flower access to water. The stem should remain undamaged to enjoy the flowers as long as possible. Do not remove bark or thorns from the stem. Did you know that stem scrapers and thorn removers belong to the top 10 list of torture treatments for flowers?

Effects of stem scraping
Scraping damages the stem bark, the flowers natural protection, causing a large stem wound. Result: a quickly wilting flower, a short vase life, extra waste for the florist/retailer and a disappointed customer.

If there is one flower species known to want to rise above all, it’s the tulip. Tulipa grow about 10 cm after cutting, during transport and whilst in the vase depending on the cultivar. Sometimes gerberas, anemone and antirrhinums also want to grow when cut and put in vases. Florists cannot do much to prevent this, growers can.

Any kind of container can be used for displaying flowers, however some are more suitable than others for ensuring good flower development. No matter what the material is, make sure that the container is clean! Our advice: try to display your flowers in clean glass containers. Glass is an inert, hard and smooth material which does not cause a reaction between vase water and vase. Glass is not too sensitive to scratches on the inside and is easy to clean. And it  shows the complete bouquet.

Flowers are sold in many different forms, colors and opening stages. The cutting stage at the grower is crucial to the vase life and flower development at the consumers. Flowers should not be cut too immature but certainly not too open either, in order to deliver the consumer an optimal product. Flowers which are cut too tightly will never open and will become more sensitive to ‘bent-neck’. Flowers which are cut too open can also cause problems as they are more exposed to petal damage during distribution. 

Cutting a piece off the stem of the flower is essential for its ability to absorb water and flower food, in order to develop in a natural way. Cutting also implies creating a wound, which could become infected. Blunt knives and cutting tools, and the resulting stem damage from their use, can lead to an explosive growth of micro-organisms in containers and vases. Therefore, the cleaner the cut, the better it is for the flower.

Advice:

Chrysal flower food contains primarily sugars. Legally, flower foods do not qualify as foodstuffs and they are not meant for human consumption. Consumption of Chrysal flower food should not cause any health problems, considering its composition, however, we would never recommend this.

Once flowers are cut, they are deprived of the water, food and growth hormones that are provided to them by the mother plant in the pre-harvest stage. In order to allow the cut flower to still bloom in a natural way, while retaining its form, flower colour, scent and leaf colour, we need to supply it with flower food in the vase water. This must happen at every phase of the distribution chain: at the grower, the wholesaler, the florist and the retail level and finally at the consumer level. Interruption of this ‘food chain’ will irrevocably lead to loss of vase life.

Once plants are at home the growing activity is mostly low and there is some nutrition in the soil left from the grower, however after a few weeks, additional nutrition may well be required. Depending on the plant activity new nutrition can be added by giving plant food.

Good plant food should contain the following ingredients:

• NPK elements, these are the main elements for growth and development.

Direct sunlight and high temperatures should be avoided as much as possible. This may sound contradictory, because light and heat are essential for the growth of plants, for the so-called photosynthesis. For the best growth there should be a good balance in climate between temperature, light and humidity. A plant in direct sunlight and high temperatures also needs a high humidity, which is often lacking in room conditions. Without the combination of these three elements, the photosynthesis process quickly decreases or stops altogether.

Most households have more than one vase, so the appropriate one may be chosen for the size of the bouquet and the vases will be stored for some time while not in use. Therefore vases are often at least slightly, and sometimes greatly, contaminated by bacteria. For this reason it is always a good idea to scrub and rinse each vase before use. This gives both the flowers and the vase water a fresh and clean start in order to help vase life performance.