Q: Which flower food is best for me?
A: Typically, wholesale florists (and growers) use our Floralife Professional® Flower Food
line of products (or storage solutions), while consumers use the vase
solutions (Floralife® Flower Food, Floralife Crystal Clear® Flower Food, Floralife Special Blend HARD Water® Flower Food, and Floralife Special Blend PURE Water® Flower Food.)
For more specific information, send a water sample to Floralife, Inc. for recommendations. Your water will be tested for pH, alkalinity, hardness, and total dissolved
solids. We will recommend a flower food beneficial for your situation.
Q: What is the difference between Floralife Quick Dip® Instant Hydration Pretreatment and Hydraflor® 100 Hydration Postharvest Treatment?
A: Floralife Quick Dip® Instant Hydration Pretreatment is a ready-to-use solution. The stems are recut.
The freshly cut stems are dipped into Floralife Quick Dip® Instant Hydration Pretreatment (a couple of inches in
a plastic container is sufficient) and then placed into flower food. Floralife® Hydraflor® 100 Hydration Postharvest Treatment is a concentrate used 1 oz / gallon of water. The freshly cut flowers
are held in this solution for 30 min. to overnight (depending on temperature)
and then placed into flower food.
Q: Is Floralife® Fresh Flower Food harmful to bulb crops such as tulips?
A: No. If dosed according to the product label, flower food
will not harm bulb crops.
Q: My goal is to hold the flowers for as long as possible (i.e. slow
down development). What is the best way to accomplish this?
A: Temperature is key! You should still be concerned with hydrating
and feeding the flowers (to prevent stress). However, use cold water (with
flower food) and keep them as close to 34 - 38° F as possible. The cold
water will speed up the cooling down process. Our Professional formulas
are designed for storage of fresh cut flowers. Note: Tropicals are an
exception to this temperature range; they should be stored at 55° F.
Q: Can Floralife Quick Dip® Instant Hydration Pretreatment be used on all types of flowers or just roses?
A: Floralife Quick Dip® Instant Hydration Pretreatment can be used on all types of flowers.
Q: Should flower food be used with floral foam?
A: Yes. Always soak your foam in a properly mixed solution of
fresh flower food (follow the product directions). This will give the
flowers the nutrients they need while allowing harmful chemicals to leach
out of the foam before use.
Q: How often should I change my buckets and replace with fresh flower
food solution?
A: The buckets should be changed every 4 days or so. The buckets
should be cleaned with Floralife® D.C.D.® Cleaner before fresh flower food solution is added.
Q: If my Floralife Crystal Clear® Flower Food turns yellow, is it harmful to my flowers?
A: No. The solution should still be clear when diluted in the
vase. Extreme heat causes the sugar to turn yellow and this is not a problem
for the flowers.
Q: When I use Floralife® Flower Food or Floralife Professional® Flower Food, a milky 'residue'
results regardless of how long the solution is mixed. Is this a problem?
A: No. Both Floralife® Flower Food or Floralife Professional® Flower Food contain an ingredient called a flocculent. One characteristic of this type of chemistry is a
milky residue. This flocculent is beneficial to cut
flowers. If a clear solution is desired, try Floralife Crystal Clear® Flower Food.
Q: Can you use Floralife Crystal Clear® Flower Food in vases that aren't clear?
A: Yes. Floralife Crystal Clear® Flower Food will yield a clear solution in any type of
vase, but is not recommended for metal containers.
Q: How long is the shelf life of Floralife® products?
A: The results of our testing indicate consistent product quality
for at least 2 years.
Q: Can Floralife Finishing Touch® Spray be used on potted plants?
A: Yes. Any plant that benefits from misting will benefit from
Floralife Finishing Touch® Spray. Plants tested in our labs include begonia, mum, cyclamen,
spath, philodendron and diffenbachia, among others.
Q: Can flower food be used in metal containers?
A: The acid in flower food will react with metal (including
lead in crystal). We do not recommend the use of flower food in crystal
or metal vases.
Q: How often do I need to clean my FloraCare® Dispensing System?
A: Once a month. For more detailed instructions, refer to the
dispensing system page in our product section.
Q: My Dispensing System isn't working. How can I fix it?
A: Please refer to the dispensing systems page in our product
section.
Q: Where are Floralife® products available for sale?
A: Floralife® products are available through wholesale florist distributors
and some retail florists. To contact Floralife for a list of Floralife
wholesale distributors in your area, click
here.
Q: What are the main ingredients in Floralife® Fresh Flower Food?
A: Floralife® Fresh Flower Food contains three main ingredients:
a sugar (for nutrition), an acidifier (to lower the pH of the water),
and a class of compounds called stem unpluggers.
Q: Why are there so many types of flower food?
A: Our flower foods can be split into 2 categories: clear formulas
and nonclear formulas. Some users don't like the cloudy flocculant, creating
the demand for our clear formulas.
Clear Formulas
Floralife Crystal Clear® Flower Food (2.0, 1.6, consumer, powder)
Floralife Clear Professional® Flower Food (liquid only)
Floralife Special Blend Hard Water® Flower Food (powder only)
Floralife Special Blend Pure Water® Flower Food (powder only)
Nonclear Formulas
Floralife® Flower FOod (liquid and powder)
Floralife Professional® Flower Food (liquid only)
Okay, that 'clears the waters' a bit, but what are the "Special Blends"
and the "Professional"? Our Special Blend formulas are water-type specific
(if you have hard water, try Floralife Special Blend Hard Water® Flower Food). Our professional formulas
contain about half of the sugar as our other formulas, are more concentrated
liquids, and are formulated to work in any water type.
Q: Can I just add Floralife Quick Dip® Instant Hydration Pretreatment to my flower food solution?
A: No. Floralife Quick Dip® Instant Hydration Pretreatment is a hydration product intended to be a pretreatment for the flowers before flower food. Mixing the two products together throws
the chemical formulation out of balance and could shorten vase life.
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