Flowers are one of the most beautiful natural forms out there. Flowers are a part of the lifecycle of fruit and a multitude of plants bear them. Some flowers, because of their visual appeal flowers are considered very high-value commodities and are traded locally and globally across the world every day. As important as it is to ensure that the right quality flowers are grown in abundance in a farmer’s land, it is equally important to ensure that they are handled the way they are supposed to be.
This post is about managing cut flowers like Rose, Gerbera, Chrysanthemum, Orchids etc. after they are harvested to ensure maximum post-harvest life of flowers. While it is important to manage each flower differently as they may have different needs, the basic principle behind managing their shelf life pretty much remains the same for all of them. For the purposes of this post, it must be noted that the life of a flower after it is harvested simply means the timespan until which the flowers overall strength, texture, color and visual appeal is maintained.
Post-harvest handling of the crop is the most important aspect in getting the right value for the crop. A typical post-harvest management practice of flowers comprises of the following stages:
The following are the reasons because of which flowers perish with time:
Harvesting should be done at the right stage, typically when the buds are 2/3rd of the size of fully open flower. It should be done during the coolest time of the day, generally early morning. Harvesting should be done by skilled labors with an intention to make close to 45-degree slant cuts to stems avoiding unnecessary abrasion. The harvested crops should be transferred immediately to water buckets containing the right preservatives.
Some of the recommended preservatives used in floriculture are:
It is required to bring down the temperature of the flowers down to a much lower temperature (around 10 degrees C but not below the recommended storage temperature) as soon as the harvesting is done. Buckets containing flower stems dipped in water or water solution of preservatives should be kept in a pre-cooling chamber.
One may prefer doing cleaning, de-leafing, and bunching after harvest and then pre-cool but it should be done as quickly as possible. Refer the points that follow to know more about them. This operation should be finished within six hours or less.
Pre-cooling removes field heat quickly, arresting the metabolism/respiration and extends the life of the flowers.
Cleaning and De-leafing
The leaves from the lower portion of the stem are removed. All infected leaves are also removed. Precautions should be taken to prevent crop injury during these processes.
Grading, Sorting and Bunching
The grading of flowers should be done according to the stem length, bud size, stem thickness and opening of flowers. Depending on the requirement of a buyer, appropriate thumb rules should be applied for these processes. The requirement of grading could be different in Indian market than what it is in say, Netherlands. Bent neck, thorn damage flowers, disease and pest affected and thick stem should be rejected.
Storage
Flowers should be stored in a temperature and humidity controlled environment at a specified set point. During the storage period, the flowers should be kept in vessels/buckets containing water or water solutions as previously mentioned. Depending on the variety, climatic condition of harvest and other physiological factors, flowers can be stored in cold storage for a period of over 15 days.
During the period, the water solution must be refreshed, generally every two days. In some cases, a slight slant cut should be given to the bottom of the stem at frequent intervals.
Given that they are perishables, care should be taken to inspect the quality of the flowers every day.
Packaging
The flower buds should be wrapped with white or brown paper wrappers. The size of the wrappers depends upon the bud size and number of flowers per bunch. Using rubber bands of 2 into 4 in sizes below the bud and at the b
ottom of the stem help in minimizing transport injury and are recommended.
Transportation
The size of the packing box varies with the stem length, number of stem and distance of the destination where the flowers are to be sold. A 3 to 5 ply corrugated paper box or a corrugated fibreboard box should be used for transportation. Bunches should be placed in a row along the length of box with bunches facing in opposite direction. The second layer is placed opposite to the first layer. The bunches should be packed tightly enough for them to not move undesirably during transport. The boxes should be secured with straps for proper packaging.
Loading should be done in shaded conditions and must be done as quickly as possible. Flowers should never be transferred from the cold room to direct sunlight during the process. It is recommended to maintain the storage temperature during transport in a reefer container. Though the flowers can also be transported without reefer containers, it must be noted that flowers have a limited vase life, generally 1–3 days before which they should be consumed after being taken out of the cold room.
We, at Ecozen, work with flower farmers using Ecofrost — our solar cold room solution, day in and day out, helping them get the best value out of their commodities by using the best possible post-harvest management practices.
Want to know more ? Please visit www.ecozensolutions.com or give a call at 18001217515
This post is about managing cut flowers like Rose, Gerbera, Chrysanthemum, Orchids etc. after they are harvested to ensure maximum post-harvest life of flowers. While it is important to manage each flower differently as they may have different needs, the basic principle behind managing their shelf life pretty much remains the same for all of them. For the purposes of this post, it must be noted that the life of a flower after it is harvested simply means the timespan until which the flowers overall strength, texture, color and visual appeal is maintained.
Post-harvest handling of the crop is the most important aspect in getting the right value for the crop. A typical post-harvest management practice of flowers comprises of the following stages:
- Pre-cooling
- De-leafing (applicable for some) and cleaning
- Grading and sorting
- Bunching
- Packaging, storage and transport
The following are the reasons because of which flowers perish with time:
- Metabolism and hence the breakdown of key ingredients
- Inadequate nutrients and water supply after harvest as it is the plant that provides nutrition
- Loss of water from petals, sepals, stem and other parts
- A disease or diseases that occurred on the plant or after harvest
- Exposure to undesirable chemicals/gases such as ethylene leading to reactions
- The temperature and humidity conditions
- Use of excess nitrogenous fertilizers (Urea)
- Maintaining surrounding temperatures at levels where metabolism/respiration slows down
- Maintaining surrounding humidity to avoid loss of moisture from the parts
- Usage of supplement such as sucrose for nutrient supply
- Usage of preservatives that prevent microbial growth
- Supply of water through the cut stem and materials to ensure that the stem conducts water
Harvesting should be done at the right stage, typically when the buds are 2/3rd of the size of fully open flower. It should be done during the coolest time of the day, generally early morning. Harvesting should be done by skilled labors with an intention to make close to 45-degree slant cuts to stems avoiding unnecessary abrasion. The harvested crops should be transferred immediately to water buckets containing the right preservatives.
Some of the recommended preservatives used in floriculture are:
- Silver Thio Sulphate Solution
- Chlorine
- Citric Acid
It is required to bring down the temperature of the flowers down to a much lower temperature (around 10 degrees C but not below the recommended storage temperature) as soon as the harvesting is done. Buckets containing flower stems dipped in water or water solution of preservatives should be kept in a pre-cooling chamber.
One may prefer doing cleaning, de-leafing, and bunching after harvest and then pre-cool but it should be done as quickly as possible. Refer the points that follow to know more about them. This operation should be finished within six hours or less.
Pre-cooling removes field heat quickly, arresting the metabolism/respiration and extends the life of the flowers.
Cleaning and De-leafing
The leaves from the lower portion of the stem are removed. All infected leaves are also removed. Precautions should be taken to prevent crop injury during these processes.
Grading, Sorting and Bunching
The grading of flowers should be done according to the stem length, bud size, stem thickness and opening of flowers. Depending on the requirement of a buyer, appropriate thumb rules should be applied for these processes. The requirement of grading could be different in Indian market than what it is in say, Netherlands. Bent neck, thorn damage flowers, disease and pest affected and thick stem should be rejected.
Storage
Flowers should be stored in a temperature and humidity controlled environment at a specified set point. During the storage period, the flowers should be kept in vessels/buckets containing water or water solutions as previously mentioned. Depending on the variety, climatic condition of harvest and other physiological factors, flowers can be stored in cold storage for a period of over 15 days.
During the period, the water solution must be refreshed, generally every two days. In some cases, a slight slant cut should be given to the bottom of the stem at frequent intervals.
Given that they are perishables, care should be taken to inspect the quality of the flowers every day.
Packaging
The flower buds should be wrapped with white or brown paper wrappers. The size of the wrappers depends upon the bud size and number of flowers per bunch. Using rubber bands of 2 into 4 in sizes below the bud and at the b
ottom of the stem help in minimizing transport injury and are recommended.
Transportation
The size of the packing box varies with the stem length, number of stem and distance of the destination where the flowers are to be sold. A 3 to 5 ply corrugated paper box or a corrugated fibreboard box should be used for transportation. Bunches should be placed in a row along the length of box with bunches facing in opposite direction. The second layer is placed opposite to the first layer. The bunches should be packed tightly enough for them to not move undesirably during transport. The boxes should be secured with straps for proper packaging.
Loading should be done in shaded conditions and must be done as quickly as possible. Flowers should never be transferred from the cold room to direct sunlight during the process. It is recommended to maintain the storage temperature during transport in a reefer container. Though the flowers can also be transported without reefer containers, it must be noted that flowers have a limited vase life, generally 1–3 days before which they should be consumed after being taken out of the cold room.
We, at Ecozen, work with flower farmers using Ecofrost — our solar cold room solution, day in and day out, helping them get the best value out of their commodities by using the best possible post-harvest management practices.
Want to know more ? Please visit www.ecozensolutions.com or give a call at 18001217515
