The Grower’s Edge: How to Stop Gerberas Drooping and Maximise Vase Life
- Flower Fusion
- Oct 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 4
Introduction
As a grower, our commitment to quality doesn't end when our flowers leave the farm. We know that every day of vase life, every vibrant petal, and every strong stem has a direct impact on the success of your business and the satisfaction of your florist clients. Your success is our success.
Gerberas are one of the most commercially important flowers, but they can be sensitive. The dreaded "droopy head" is a challenge that can affect profit margins and customer confidence. The good news is that with the right processing and care, it's almost entirely preventable.
This is our official grower's guide to processing wholesale gerberas for resale. Follow these steps to ensure the premium blooms you receive from us perform beautifully, keeping your customers happy and your business thriving.
Step 1: Immediate Hydration Upon Arrival
Your gerberas have been on a journey. The most critical first step is to get them hydrated as soon as they arrive on your floor.
Prepare Your Buckets: Ensure your buckets are sterilized. Bacteria are the number one enemy of vase life.
Gentle Unpacking: Carefully remove all packaging. Avoid overcrowding the flowers in the buckets; give them space to breathe and prevent petal damage.
Step 2: The Critical First Cut
The base of a gerbera stem can quickly form an air bubble or seal over during transport, preventing water uptake.
Use a Sharp Knife, Not Scissors: Scissors can crush the stem's delicate vascular system. A clean, sharp floral knife is essential.
Cut flat at the base: Make a clean, 2–3 cm flat cut at the base of the stem under running water or in a basin of water. This helps create a larger surface area for water absorption and prevents air bubbles from forming, allowing the flowers to stay hydrated longer.
Step 3: Prevent Droop with Correct Conditioning & Flower Food
Clean water is a start, but properly conditioned water is your most crucial tool for commercial longevity and preventing stem droop.
Always Use Flower Food: The weakness that leads to droop often starts with a lack of nutrients. Use a professional-grade floral preservative mixed to the correct concentration. This provides the essential energy gerberas need to keep their stems firm and upright, while its acidic properties prevent the bacteria that can weaken the stem from the inside out.
Shallow Water is Best: To prevent droop, you must protect the stem from rot. Gerberas prefer to drink from the bottom of their stems. Placing them in only 10-15 cm of conditioned water keeps the upper part of the stem dry and strong. Deeper water can cause the stem to soften and become bacteria-prone, leading directly to a collapse.
Recut Stems to Maintain Hydration: When changing the water, always recut the stems above the previous water level. This removes any potentially sealed or bacteria-affected tissue, ensuring the stem can continue to hydrate effectively and remain rigid, which is vital to preventing droop.
Step 4: Professional Storage
Keep Them Cool: Store your conditioned gerberas in a cool room, ideally between 2-5°C.
Avoid Ethylene Gas: Do not store gerberas near ripening fruit, vegetables, or exhaust fumes. Ethylene is a gas that rapidly accelerates ageing in flowers.
For Resale: A Simple Care Card for Your Florist Clients
Here are a few simple bullet points you can pass on to the florists you supply. This adds immense value and ensures the quality chain continues.
Recut stems every 2 days.
Use clean, shallow water with flower food.
Keep flowers away from direct sunlight, drafts, and fruit bowls.
Check stem supports are in place for maximum longevity.
From our farm to your floor, we deliver gerberas at their peak. By following these professional care steps, you ensure that this peak quality is passed all the way to the final customer, building loyalty and trust in your brand.
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