Post-Harvest Physiology
Flower Processing
Floral Design
Ornamental Horticulture
Plant Physiology

 Flower food contains:
 a bio-inhibitor
 like bleach to kill bacteria
 a sugar compound for the
flower food
 helps flowers open
 an acidifier
 to maintain the pH level
General Background Info:
Fresh Flower Food

General Background Info:
Flower Plumbing
 Xylem & Phloem
 These are the tubes
that move water and
food products up
and down the stem
of the plant.

General Background Info:
Old, Dead Flowers
 Ethylene
 This is the aging hormone gas
from plants.
 It causes flower blooms to open.
 It can also cause premature
aging of flowers.

When Flowers arrive:
Processing Flowers
 1. Debunch
 Take flowers out of plastic sleeves to release any
ethylene gas.
 Cut open the bundles so the blooms have room to
open and breath.
 2. Cut & Clean Stems
 Make a fresh cut, about 1 inch from the bottom to
provide a new water source for the flower stem.
 Remove any lower leaves that will be underwater.
Step by Step:

 3. Place in flower solution
 Be sure flowers are able to “drink” the flower
solution for at least 1 hour at room temperature.
When Flowers arrive:
Condition Flowers
Step by Step:

After Processing:
Storing Flowers
 4. After drinking for an hour, its
time to “harden” the flowers.
 Place them in the cooler!
 Most common flowers should be
stored at 32 – 38 degrees F.
Step by Step:

 Tropical Flowers
 Store at temperatures between
55 – 75 degrees F
 Keep air humid
 mist with water
Special Circumstances

Special Circumstances
 Curving Stems
 For roses and tulips, leave the plastic sleeves on
while letting them ‘drink’ the floral solution, to prevent
curving stems.

Special Circumstances
 Stripping roses
 Be careful not to strip the ‘bark’ because the xylem is right
below the surface, rather than in the center of the stem.

Special Circumstances
 Gerbera Daisies:
 Use chicken wire to support the flower heads to
prevent bent neck.
 Also, keep them in just enough water, about 2 – 4
inches. Their stems are spongy and absorb lots of
water, which can cause them to wilt prematurely.

Storing Foliage
 Greens, like leather leaf and other plumosa ferns,
can be stored in the cooler without a water bucket.
 Keep foliage wet, hose down the bunches.
 Keep foliage wrapped in plastic bags inside the
boxes to prevent drying out.

Tropisms
 Tropisms is when flower
stems curve.
 We want to prevent this
problem when storing
flowers.
 Phototropism
 This is when flowers curve
towards a light source.
 like turning toward a window

Tropisms
 Geotropism
 This is when flowers curve up
away from gravity.
 growing upwards, when laying down