Harvesting, Post-Harvest Handling, and Marketing

Harvesting of cut flower should be done early in the morning or late in the afternoon to reduce respiration and transpiration. Harvesting at midnoon is possible if there is no direct sunlight or when the weather is cool.

Flowers should be handled carefully after harvest or before they are marketed. For longer storage life and keeping quality, respiration, transpiration, and the rate of cell division of cell division should be reduced in cut flower. This can be done by submersing the stem of the newly cut flower to a solution consisting of hydrazine sulfate, manganese sulfate, sugar solution, or a solution consisting of potassium, aluminum sulfate, sodium hypochlorite, and ferric oxide. Commercially available preparations like Flora life and bloomlife can be used. Cut flower should not be exposed to high levels of ethylene gas since this will cause them to wilt and shorten their marketability.

Flowers should be packed in small volumes. The package should be non-water absorbent, gas-proof, and sufficiently strong to withstand handling, Cellophane or plastic are the most suitable packing materials for cut flower.

Flower Arrangement
Not everyone is endowed with skills in flower arrangement, a working knowledge of the elements of atr such as balance, emphasis, color combination, layout, properties of lines and curvatures, and the occasion or purpose for which the flower is intended can help any beginner in the art of flower arrangement.

The following principles can be applied to achieved successful flower arrangement;

1. Group flowers to achieve a balance effect. select flowers with good variation in shape and color to make the arrangement more attractive.
2. Good variation of stem length is also necessary. Never place two flowers of the same length side by side.
3. Keep larger flower within the center of the arrangement and the smaller ones scattered throughout the arrangement to give it a light touch.
4. All the stem should appear to radiate from the tallest flower in the arrangement.
5. Never cross stems in the arrangement.
6. Position the stems so that the flower head is exactly where you want it. Never move a flower head after the stem has been secured.
7. Leave enough space for each flower in an arrangement especially buds which will open and expand. Do not overcrowd the flowers.
8. Use at least three kinds of flowers in a mix flower arrangement.
9. Provide broken lines around the edge of the arrangement. This can be created by having the flowers in the outline arranged at different lengths so that they give a ragged impression and not a trimmed look.
10. Never make the main flower in the center of an arrangement look too obvious.
11. When creating a facing arrangement, always remember to fill the back with leaves to hide the netting and give the flower arrangement a finished look.
12. Arrangement should never look flat when they are viewed from the sides.
13. Consider the size and shape of the container when choosing the plant materials you will use and the style of the arrangement.
14. Arrange the flowers where they will finally be viewed if possible.

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