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| | Mature zinnia, almost too old |
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| | Overly mature zinna for the compost pile |
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Vase life and stem length define quality for specialty cut flowers. It is important to cut flowers at their peak of perfection and at an early stage of floral development. The objective is to get the longest possible vase life. Besides getting overly mature and weatherbeaten in the field, every day uncut is a day subtracted from the vase life of a flower. Cut as soon as the flower is actually open. Sunflowers are cut just as the petals unfold from the central disk. Flowers with big heads, like zinnias and marigolds, are cut as soon as the flower expands but before the stamens (bits of yellow between the petals) become visible. Try not to cut flowers in the unopened bud stage (with the exception of bulbs), as some varieties will fail to open. Always cut first thing in the morning or in the evening after the sun is no longer shining directly on the field. While the sun is shining, plants are transpiring (breathing water out through their leaves) and the earlier the flowers are cut, the higher the water content of that stem. Wilted stems indicate a lack of water content and poor keeping ability.
How often you cut will have an impact on your bottom line when it comes to profits. Daily cutting ensures that flowers are harvested in their prime. There will be less grade-outs of over-mature flowers and thus more product to sell. Daily cutting means the difference between grossing $25,000 per acre and $40,000 per acre. Cut every day. Some flowers develop problems if left in the field more than a day. A good example is sunflowers. After they are open for more than one day, small beetles eat the petals. Cut them and everything else as soon as they are open.
Unless you can fill your arms and carry flowers into the grading shed immediately, carry buckets of water into the field, leaving them in the shade if possible. Strawberry wagons (wagons built to hold flats in the field) work well for wheeling full buckets back and forth. Hand carrying full buckets will, over time, damage the grower's joints.
Keep buckets scrupulously clean by scrubbing them out at least once a week. Use a preservative solution when you add water to the buckets for the field. Commercial solutions provide a source of carbohydrates to nourish the flower and a biocide to prevent pathogen development in the water. Bacteria development in stems is a major concern. Blocked stems cannot take up water, and flowers wilt, affecting their quality. A simple keeping solution can be made with one half cup table sugar and one teaspoon bleach or vinegar per gallon of water.