January 2007

Care & Handling: Growers - How Your Flowers Should be Handled
by Terry Johnson

“Proper care and handling of our products is no longer a ‘should do.’ It is now a ‘must’ do. Economics and common sense suggest that today’s sophisticated consumers know about flower quality. They expect a purchase to last. If they are disappointed by poor quality, they will not purchase again. These consumers hold retailers accountable. Retailers, in turn, look to wholesalers who can supply properly handled products. Wholesalers, who take pride in their products look to shippers and transportation companies who are using up-to-date techniques. The ‘Chain of Life,’ a phrase that so aptly describes the concept of care and handling, begins the moment growers cut the flowers for shipment. Each person -- from grower to retailer-- is a vital link in the chain producing high quality, long lasting flowers that consumers will buy again and again. Those that are nonchalant about their role bear responsibility for substandard products and for the negative consumer perceptions certain to follow.” This statement was written a decade ago by Harrison “Red” Kennicott, then President of the Society of American Florists (SAF), but it is as relevant today as it was then.

What retailers need to understand is that it is simply not enough to know and apply proper care and handling procedures once flowers are in their possession. It is also vital to the future of the retail florist to also know what each segment’s care and handling responsibilities are, from the grower to the retail shop, and as much as possible influence the way that “your flowers” are properly handled at each point in floral distribution.
Here are a few suggestions on how retail florists can begin the process of insuring that consumers are getting the freshest, longest lasting flowers possible:

1. Get SAF’s Care & Handling Manual by visiting www.safnow.org. Look in “I want to....(at the top of the home page) and choose “Sell longer lasting flowers.” You can purchase the Care & Handling Manual in English or Spanish as a binder or on CD-ROMs. This is a must for every retailer, wholesaler, and grower in thefloral industry. It isn’t perfect, but it’s the best care and handling guide in the floral industry. You don’t have to be a member of SAF to purchase it, and it could be the best investment you’ve ever made.
2. Review and evaluate you own care and handling procedures and make improvements as needed.
3. Review proper procedures for wholesalers, make up a sheet with the basicwholesaler procedures and share your information with your wholesalers.
4. Review proper procedures for growers, make up a sheet with the basic grower procedures and share your information with your wholesalers. Encourage them to provide that sheet to their grower/suppliers. Let them know that it is both of your interests to make sure proper procedures are done.
   

Here are a few basic care and handling practices that growers should incorporate into their care and handling program:

1. Basic hygiene. Growers should wash flower buckets after every use with one of the many bucket cleaner solutions available, not with bleach. In my opinion (and this is at odds with some) bleach is the very worst thing to use to clean anything in floral, including buckets. Any manufacturer of commercial floral cleaners can explain in greater detail.
2. Use ethylene protection. Silver Thiosulphate (STS) is best. MCP is OK.
3. Use a botrytis control. There are several.
4. Keep flowers at as close to 34F as possible at all times, and insist that flowers are shipped from country or state of origin at as close to 34F as possible. This very important procedure is currently not being done and could very well be eroding more than half the potential vase life of your flowers! Dr. Michael Reid will be addressing this issue in February at the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association Convention in Phoenix. His session, entitled “Selling Longer Lasting Flowers,” has this introduction:
   

“U.S. consumption of flowers is stagnant. Cut flowers don’t last long enough in the consumer’s home, resulting in lackluster return sales. Most everyone agrees that improving the consumer’s experience is the key to achieving increased consumption.” Why hasn’t proper handling happened yet? Because no one is insisting that it be done. Start insisting.

Terry Johnson, Horticultural Marketing Resources, is a featured speaker, writer, and consultant to the floral industry, focusing on helping build consumer demand for fresh flowers. He can be reached at hortmarketing@aol.com