Q: Which flower food is best for me?
A: Typically, wholesale florists (and growers) use our Professional line of products (or storage solutions), while consumers use the vase solutions (Original Floralife, Crystal Clear, and the Special Blends.) For more specific information, send a water sample to Floralife 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 Quick Dip and Hydraflor 100?
A: Quick Dip is a ready-to-use solution. The stems are recut. The freshly cut stems are dipped into Quick Dip (a couple of inches in a plastic container is sufficient) and then placed into flower food. Hydraflor 100 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 Quick Dip be used on all types of flowers or just roses?
A: Quick Dip 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 D.C.D. before fresh flower food solution is added.

Q: If my Crystal Clear 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 the Original Floralife or Professional, a milky 'residue' results regardless of how long the solution is mixed. Is this a problem?
A: No. Original Floralife and Professional are aluminum sulfate based flower foods. One characteristic of this type of chemistry is a milky residue called a flocculent. This flocculent is beneficial to cut flowers. If a clear solution is desired, try Floralife Crystal Clear.

Q: Can you use Crystal Clear in vases that aren't clear?
A: Yes. Crystal Clear 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 Finishing Touch be used on potted plants?
A: Yes. Any plant that benefits from misting will benefit from Finishing Touch. 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 (citric acid based) and non-clear formulas (aluminum sulfate based). Some users don't like the cloudy flocculant caused by aluminum sulfate, creating the demand for our clear formulas.

Clear Formulas
Crystal Clear (2.0, 1.6, consumer, powder)
Clear Professional (liquid only)
Special Blend Hard (powder only)
Special Blend Pure (powder only)
Non-Clear Formulas
Regular Floralife (liquid and powder)
Floralife Professional (liquid only)

Okay, that 'clears the waters' a bit, but what are the 'Special Blends' and the 'Professionals'? Our Special Blend formulas are water- type specific (if you have hard water, try Special Blend Hard). 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 Quick Dip to my flower food solution?
A: No. Quick Dip 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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