All Systems Go for Valentine’s Day?

Jacque Sir Louis, Smithers-OASIS

How to conduct a ‘Flower Life Check Up’

As the industry gears up for Valentine’s Day, we need to ensure that all systems are ready for Valentine’s Day. What is the #1 priority for your customers? Flower Life, according to Prince and Prince and recent AFE consumer studies. Because this is the biggest consumer priority, it is vital that flower food is set to be properly dosed. Depending on the flower food dispensing system in your flower shop, here are a few checkpoints to make sure you are good to go.

Preparation for Shops with Manual Systems

Properly dispensed flower food can add days to flower life; used incorrectly, it could actually contribute to shorter flower life, wasted dollars and effort. Remember: the cost of flower food is never more than half to one percent cost of goods.

1. Measuring for processing buckets

Every shop has a standard bucket that is used for processing flowers. Powder flower food has a scoop that is set up for one scoop per gallon. But unless you know how much a gallon is in each bucket, chances are you are adding flower food incorrectly. Before the holiday rush leaves you guessing, now is the best time to measure out a gallon. Start by pulling all standard buckets in your shop together. With a measuring cup, fill each to one gallon. When you have filled each to the one gallon mark, take a yardstick and stick it in the properly filled bucket and mark where the waterline is on the yardstick with a magic marker. That yardstick can then be inserted into all your buckets as you fill them to make sure you have the right amount. The yardstick might read “cooler black buckets plus one scoop” next to the mark. If you have more than one bucket type in your store, you can hand measure those too and put a separate mark on the yardstick. The yardstick might read “white buckets plus one scoop,” and so on. The yardstick method allows you to accurately measure buckets with one instrument and avoids the hassles of marking each bucket.

2. Measuring for vases

Two common mistakes in adding flower food to vases is adding one pump of flower food to every vase or “sprinkling” a little flower food in a vase and adding water. The easiest  way to prepare flower food for the daily schedule is to premix the flower food in gallon containers. Make sure you start with a clean container. The best way to assure cleanliness is to use a bucket cleaner. Milk containers, old flower food containers, or even watering cans work well. For example, to premix 10 gallons of flower food. Set out 10 one gallon jugs and add the correct amount of flower food to each. If using powder, add one large scoop. Fill each jug. Flower food solutions are fine for a few days with no issues or even better, can be refrigerated at the end of the day for longer storage.

The moral of the story is: Regardless of what brand you choose, remember to follow the above advice and measure accurately!

3. Measuring foam soaking tubs

While today’s floral foams provide flower life benefits, flowers perform best when foam is soaked in properly mixed flower food. To assure proper mix, premeasure your foam soaking tub to a predetermined gallon level that is a few inches higher than the thickness of a single brick, then mark the tub for the proper amount of flower food to add to the quantity of water in the tub. When the solution starts to go down, you should add mixed flower food from premeasured jugs to always be assured of properly soaked floral foam. Make sure you completely empty your tub solution every two days and clean it once a week.

4. Proper dosing for injector pumps

There is a simple rule for injector pumps. “If it’s clicking, it’s working.” Flower food injector pumps pull solution using suction. If everything is sealed correctly, the clicking sound indicates solution is being pumped. This is a good sign. But there is a simple way to assure the system is still properly mixing. Pull the hose from your flower food and insert it into a 24 ounce container of water, then pump a five gallon bucket full of water. The 24 ounce container should have 14 ounces of water remaining (two ounces of solution/gallon). This may vary by an ounce or two, but any more than three ounces of variation is an indication that the injector pump may need service or adjustment. Contact the flower food manufacturer for help. These systems are complex, and most have service contracts so it is best not to attempt a DIY job.

5. Easy Cleaning for Injector Pumps

Biannually it is a good practice to clean injector pumps to flush out any bacteria that may build up. The easiest way to do this is to use the same technique as described for testing your injector pump for proper dosing. Place the hose from your flower food in a container of liquid bleach. Pump five gallons of water into a bucket. Again, you will see approximately 10 ounces of bleach missing. This will indicate your pump is dosing properly and will also shock any bacteria in your system. Remove the flower food hose and place it to the side. Let your system sit overnight, rinse the hose clean and place it back in the flower food solution. Pump a gallon of flower food solution through the system to clear it and your system should now be clean.