Little Packets of Flower Food Can Cause Big Opinions Among Florists
Flower food apparently is a topic about which some florists can get very—um, how shall I put this… impassioned, perhaps?
I learned this fact after writing an article awhile back for the FlowerChat newsletter and then posting a link to the article around the web. (See “Give (Generously of Flower Food Packets) and Ye Shall Receive.”) In most of the online groups where people took the time to comment, the conversation centered on agreement that giving extra packets of flower food was very beneficial toward improving consumers’ flower-buying experience.
But in one online conversation, the comments were just the opposite.
The first person to respond was the owner of a floral shop in North Carolina. She wrote:
A North Carolina florist followed up with similar thoughts:
The conversation started to get a bit heated at this point. A few folks were a bit incensed that I—not being a professional florist—was trying to give advice on topics with which I had no real-life experience. I did try to explain that I relied on interviews with floral-industry experts in forming my opinions and that all of my efforts were in support of the floral industry, though I’m not sure I entirely calmed the ire of those I had annoyed. But amidst the indignation, several other florists commented that one reason they don’t give out flower preservative is because they don’t see the powder as being beneficial.
Specifically, a florist in Kansas wrote:
A Pennsylvania florist said she had done a similar experiment in the “Care and Handling” class in her floral-design program and experienced similar results, depending on the flower variety.
“But,” she added, “that was a while back, and I'd like to think that the floral preservatives/foods are much better now. But that prompts me to re-do this experiment again, since it's been so long.”
I was surprised that these individuals’ flower-food experiments didn’t result the same as others I’ve seen published by experts in the industry. Research by industry luminaries—such as Dr. George Staby, Perishables Research Institute; Dr. Michael S. Reid, Environmental Horticultural Department, University of California-Davis; and Dr. Terril Nell, Environmental Horticulture Department, University of Florida—have proven time and again that commercially prepared flower food beats plain tap water or home-made remedies any day of the week.
In fact, in the Society of American Florists Flower & Plant Care guide, authors Drs. Nell and Reid write, “When used properly, fresh flower food solutions usually increase flower life by 25 to 75 percent or more” (page 28).
On the next page, they recommend “every fresh flower stem, bouquet, bunch and arrangement should include a packet or two of fresh-flower food solution packets for the buyer. If the five-gram or similar size is used, add two packets per sale to make sure a full quart of properly mixed fresh-flower food solution will be available.”
If you’re not convinced that these experts’ recommendations are accurate, you can always perform your own tests. Here, you can find detailed instructions from Floralife on how to accurately set up an experiment in your shop. (Another option for this info: Set up tests to show your customers how flower food impacts vase life.)
If your results match those of industry researchers, consider running a few additional tests comparing different brands of flower-food solution. Drs. Nell and Reid suggest that brands’ impact on vase life can differ due to variances in water quality from one shop to the next. Therefore, they provide tips in the SAF Flower & Plant Care Guide (page 28) on how to accurately perform tests to choose the right solution for your shop.
So what’s your opinion on the importance of flower food? Do you give out the packets? Do you give out extra packets? Or do focus instead on educating customers on changing water and trimming stems regularly? Add your comments to the discussion below.
Flower food apparently is a topic about which some florists can get very—um, how shall I put this… impassioned, perhaps?
I learned this fact after writing an article awhile back for the FlowerChat newsletter and then posting a link to the article around the web. (See “Give (Generously of Flower Food Packets) and Ye Shall Receive.”) In most of the online groups where people took the time to comment, the conversation centered on agreement that giving extra packets of flower food was very beneficial toward improving consumers’ flower-buying experience.
But in one online conversation, the comments were just the opposite.
The first person to respond was the owner of a floral shop in North Carolina. She wrote:
“It’s a matter of cost. When your walk-in special on a dozen roses is 20 percent less than you need to sell them for (but you do it to maintain a steady rotation of the freshest roses and to bring customers in), and you wrap them in floral tissue, then a bow, then a powder packet, then they pay with a credit card, you just have to stop the leaking somewhere….”
A North Carolina florist followed up with similar thoughts:
“I have to agree that customers should be given ONE packet of floral food with their purchase. However, on the other side of the coin, they are not FREE by any means, so they are a cost of doing business. I would not give multiple packets, as I would hope that when new flowers are needed, they will return to my shop and get them from ME and NOT the grocery store variety. It is one of the little ‘perks’ that you get for buying from a real florist, just like the tissue wrap, floral paper, bow, cardette and enclosure card that they DON’T provide at the grocery store. These things make buying flowers from my store AN EXPERIENCE. And they are one to each and every customer!”
The conversation started to get a bit heated at this point. A few folks were a bit incensed that I—not being a professional florist—was trying to give advice on topics with which I had no real-life experience. I did try to explain that I relied on interviews with floral-industry experts in forming my opinions and that all of my efforts were in support of the floral industry, though I’m not sure I entirely calmed the ire of those I had annoyed. But amidst the indignation, several other florists commented that one reason they don’t give out flower preservative is because they don’t see the powder as being beneficial.
Specifically, a florist in Kansas wrote:
“Trials we have done ourselves at the shop and while I was in college suggest that floral food packets are not the best option, but rather it would be best if consumers simply trim stems and use fresh tap (Yes, TAP) water every other day. The chemicals added to tap water prevent unwanted bacterial growth for the most part, and fresh water does the rest.
“What we have found with most floral foods is that the average consumer doesn't dissolve them fully, nor is the carbohydrate provided in the flower food QUITE the right form of sugar, so it tends to clog the ends of the floral stems more than it helps them.
“Consequently, we have spent 7+ years educating our customers to throw their floral food packets away, trim stems every other day and fill up with tap water. Our customers report longer vase life than they have ever experienced from any other florist, and we save on the added expense of purchasing floral preservatives.”
A Pennsylvania florist said she had done a similar experiment in the “Care and Handling” class in her floral-design program and experienced similar results, depending on the flower variety.
“But,” she added, “that was a while back, and I'd like to think that the floral preservatives/foods are much better now. But that prompts me to re-do this experiment again, since it's been so long.”
I was surprised that these individuals’ flower-food experiments didn’t result the same as others I’ve seen published by experts in the industry. Research by industry luminaries—such as Dr. George Staby, Perishables Research Institute; Dr. Michael S. Reid, Environmental Horticultural Department, University of California-Davis; and Dr. Terril Nell, Environmental Horticulture Department, University of Florida—have proven time and again that commercially prepared flower food beats plain tap water or home-made remedies any day of the week.
In fact, in the Society of American Florists Flower & Plant Care guide, authors Drs. Nell and Reid write, “When used properly, fresh flower food solutions usually increase flower life by 25 to 75 percent or more” (page 28).
On the next page, they recommend “every fresh flower stem, bouquet, bunch and arrangement should include a packet or two of fresh-flower food solution packets for the buyer. If the five-gram or similar size is used, add two packets per sale to make sure a full quart of properly mixed fresh-flower food solution will be available.”
If you’re not convinced that these experts’ recommendations are accurate, you can always perform your own tests. Here, you can find detailed instructions from Floralife on how to accurately set up an experiment in your shop. (Another option for this info: Set up tests to show your customers how flower food impacts vase life.)
If your results match those of industry researchers, consider running a few additional tests comparing different brands of flower-food solution. Drs. Nell and Reid suggest that brands’ impact on vase life can differ due to variances in water quality from one shop to the next. Therefore, they provide tips in the SAF Flower & Plant Care Guide (page 28) on how to accurately perform tests to choose the right solution for your shop.
So what’s your opinion on the importance of flower food? Do you give out the packets? Do you give out extra packets? Or do focus instead on educating customers on changing water and trimming stems regularly? Add your comments to the discussion below.