Cut Flower Protocol

Materials and Equipment Needed

  1. Cut asters
  2. Floral preservative (Floralife)
  3. Container for flowers
  4. Plant shears

Safety Issues

 Be careful with the plant shears

Time Required

15-20 minutes to prep flowers upon arrival and a similar length of time to put flowers in jars for the thrips colony

Procedure

Step Image
Flowers arrive either wrapped in paper or in a box.  The delivery person may leave the flowers in the cooler in 1127 PSL. Open the package. 
Bunches of flowers are wrapped in plastic and each bunch of stems is tied at the end. 
Remove the plastic and the rubber bands around the base of the stem.  Check the flowers for botrytis (black fuzzy spots).  If you see a large amount botrytis, notify Daniel.
Mix enough floral preservative to fill the container you are using about 6" deep with floral preservative.  Unused floral preservative may be stored in a labeled beaker in the refrigerator.  Using the plant shears, trim each of the plant stems 3-4" so that the flowers can uptake water.  Place the trimmed flower stems into the container of floral preservative. Label the container with a sign indicating the flowers are not for the floral design classes. Store the container of flowers in the cooler in 1127 PSL.
Prepare 1 jar of flowers per cage of thrips.  Baby food jars and lids with holes for the flower stems are in the thrips cabinet.  Fill the jars with floral preservative and place lids on jars.  Cut a flower head and about 6" of stem from the bunches in the container in the cooler.  Strip the leaves off of the stem and insert the stem through the hole in the lid.  Up to 3 large flowers may be put in each jar.

Place the jars of flowers in the thrips cages. Remove the flowers from any jars already in the cage and spread them out on the basket floor (not on top of the beans) to dry.  Only one jar of flowers should be present in the cage at any time.  Dried flowers can be placed in the bag with old beans to be frozen.  Flowers should stay in the cage no more than about 1 week (time in the jar and on the basket floor).  New flowers should be added twice per week.

 

When finished, be sure all waste plant material is properly disposed of.  Wipe with a damp sponge areas in which you were working with the floral preservative.  It leaves a sticky residue that is not always noticeable immediately.