Tips for helping Scabiosa flowers stand tall and last longer
How can we help Scabiosa flowers to remain erect and stable, and extend their vase life?
Our Scabiosa collection, bred by Danziger, with its range of colors and shades, constitutes a quantum leap in the growth of this crop. As new and innovative Scoop® collections are introduced, this series continues to provide new and increasingly impressive results each year.
The shelf life of Scabiosa branches is approximately 10-14 days. The shelf life depends on the growth agro-technique, growing conditions, such as the weather, the harvesting phase and the manner of transporting the flowers.
The flower neck area continues to grow even after picking, and this can result in bent flowers. Picked flowers also have a tendency to bend during transport, so it is recommended to transport them in a vertical position. Even with improved growing conditions, better packaging and transporting in a standing position, the blooms may still have a tendency to bend. Bent branches may be attractive for floral designers, but they can have a negative effect on the price rate and the flower appearance at the point of sale.
An examination of the shelf life, while developing the crop for commercial purposes, presented a number of ideas, including the addition of a plant growth regulator to the post-harvest solution, such as Cultar (or “ALAR”). Cultar “sets,” to some extent, the continued growth of the flower neck, thus allowing them to remain stable and upright even after picking and during transportation.
The results of the use of a number of components, namely STS, which contributes to slow the flower aging, antibacterial agents such as T.O.G 6 and the Cultar growth regulator, have yielded the best results. Using these, we have seen only a slight elongation and bending of the branch, greener foliage and a slight drop of stamens.
The recommended loading solution to be used by scabiosa growers is: T.O.G 6 – 50ppm + S.T.S 0.2% + Cultar 0.2%
There is no doubt that the flower picking phase also has a significant effect on extending the shelf life. Picking flower buds with one to two open whorls can still produce a full high-quality flower later on.
Picking while the blooms are almost closed, can allow for at least another 4-5 days to the shelf life, giving your customers full enjoyment of this wonderful product.
Following these three steps can extend the vase life of the Scoop® series of Scabiosa, prevent flowers from drooping and present a final product that will wow the customers:
- Picking should be done when blooms are almost-closed
- Loading with the recommended post-harvest agents
- And transporting in a standing position
Just as a small illustration – “Mazal Flowers” Scabiosa display at an exclusive flower shop in Germany, erect, full and high quality.
