Valentine’s Day Best Practices

Written by Gay Smith

1. PREPARE BUCKETS like a Chrysal Professional!

• Prepare solutions with COLD water. NO ICE (dilutes the mix as it melts)
• Measure when mixing (correct dose gives 100% efficiency)
• Gerberas, daffs, cut hyacinths: 1 Professional Gerbera pill per ½ gallon water

1. Hydration for dry-packs, woodies and hard to hydrate flowers:
2. Chrysal Professional #1: 1 pump per 1 gallon water

• Chrysal Rose PRO Hydration: 1 cap per 1.25 gallons water

• Display buckets, water tubes, back stock buckets:

1. Chrysal Professional #2 liquid: 1 pump per 1½ quarts H2O
2. 1 Chrysal Universal Pro #2 T-bag per 1.5qt water.
3. 1 Chrysal BULB T-bag per 2 qts water

• Fill vases and soak foam:

1. Chrysal Professional #3 flower food: 1 pump per 1quart water
2. Chrysal Rose PRO Vase: 1 cap per 2 quarts water

2. TIME TO DRINK!All dry-pack flowers need a 1-2 hr (minimum) drink before selling3. ACTIONMake sure every stem gets a fresh cut! Sounds stupid, but the stem of gyp in the rose bouquet that doesn’t get a fresh cut, dies far faster than the roses!4. AS IN ALL OF LIFE, TIMING IS EVERYTHINGImmediately place cut stems in solution. Tissues start to heal over in 5-10 seconds...5. BACTERIA BOB STRIKES: Place fresh cut stems into dirty buckets? Forget it!

• Cut stems bleed enzymes, carbohydrates…a virtual juice bar for bacteria
• Sanitize buckets before filling. Scrub with Chrysal Cleaner and rinse well
• Wipe down display and cooler shelves minimum 1 x week with cleaner solution
• Spray design tables frequently throughout the day with Chrysal Cleaner solution

6. CHRYSAL CLEANER:Choppers, counters, knives…Dip, spray, wipe surfaces daily7. TRASH TALK:

• To flowers, leaving open trash cans is equivalent to someone sneezing six inches from your face, all day long. No tissue!
• Get trash out. Botrytis floats off green trash clinging to counters, tools, aprons…

8. SHARPEN UP:

• Dull tools cause stringy ends--cells into solution. Bacteria go wild. Botrytis thrive!
• Sharpen chopper, knives and shears regularly

9. TOPPING UP

• Top up with fresh Professional #2 solution
• NO water
• NO ice

10. Raindrops keep falling on my head…Yikes, BOTRYTISControl Conditions:

• Keep flowers dry. DRY is SUPER IMPORTANT!!
• Don’t overfill buckets (prevents gushing on other bunches as flowers are pulled)
• Allow time (30-60 min) for condensation to evaporate off blooms when processing

11. Give customers reasons to buy...tell them why they need flowers!! 

"Love is friendship set on fire" - Jeremy Taylor