Improve Your Bottom Line Without Spending a Dime Jan 2011
Gay Smith Technical Consulting Manager Chrysal Americas
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Topics
Providing what Mother Nature cannot Temperature Challenges Sanitation Best practices Solution specifics 2
“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity� oprah winfrey
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Botany 101: photosynthesis is the conversion of (sunlight + CO2 + water) = O2 + sugars
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The secret sex lives of plants 5
Mimicking Mother Nature Flowers need to drink bacteria-free solutions Some species need plant hormones Flowers require food to stretch cells
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TEMPERATURE MATTERS
Why growers pack in cooler Boxes pre-cooled in Miami Do you probe? Why not? Temp of arriving flowers < 40F Cooler set point: 34-36F Tropical coolers 50F 7
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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
Non-specific fungus disease Needs water or high humidity Spreads—cross-contamination Lives on live and dead tissues Gives off ethylene as it develops
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Botrytis Control
Respect cold chain Keep blooms dry Keep cooler floors dry Work clean Allow breathing room in buckets Careful handling--mechanical damage opens the door to infection 12
Flowers bleed when cut
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Bacteria #1 reason stems get clogged Best line of defense?
Sanitation with a professional cleaner Frequent sanitation—tools Sharp tools
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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
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Ethylene Symptoms
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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 kick-start 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
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Why use it?
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Flower Food vs. Water
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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 2-3 days
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Bulb T-bags ď Ž
Rebalances the hormones needed to prevent negative symptoms
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Are you a Stripper?
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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
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Equipment upkeep …always a good idea
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Information is Free The Chrysal Channel ~ Business Facebook feed~ www.facebook.com/pages/Chrysal-Floral-Nutrients/ Tube- http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrysalCares
You 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, 6-10 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 1-2 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 Top-up 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) 1-4 hours before selling or using in design work 3. Measure when prepping solutions 4. Location, location, locationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Keep petals dry 35
Everything we do on the front end, maximizes vase performance & customer satisfaction!
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The Goal ~
To outperform your competition
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Thank-you!
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