Written by: Yvonne Ashton
2/7/2012 5:16 AM 

Author:  David Dahlson

Between all the driving necessary to execute all the inspections as well as hours spent opening boxes for roses one gets a little frazzled. I like to listen to the radio while driving, although has to jump around a few stations to keep a reasonable mix going. They like to play certain songs over and over, and currently one of the most popular seems to be “Missing” by Everything But The Girl, the one that has the refrain “And I miss you like the deserts miss the rain”. You know you are close to going round the bend when you start to analyze a song and realize it should say something like “I miss you like arable land misses the rain” or “I miss you like the wheat fields miss the rain”. I mean, I don’t think that deserts miss the rain at all…that’s why they are deserts!

Speaking of opening a gazillion boxes of wholesale roses, I have noticed that many farms are now using a Floralife product that is a tissue paper that has a botrytis prevention chemical embedded into it. If it’s widespread use is anything to go by, then one would have to conclude that is is quite effective, but a few growers that I talked to had no evidence of its efficacy either way. I have not seen it used so prevalently, but this Valentine’s it is in many of the farms’ boxes, so hopefully we will have a consensus on this product soon.

It is called “Floralife® TransportCARE™”, and although it was introduced in 2009, this is the first time I have really seen comprehensive use of it. Notwithstanding, given the amount of rain that has fallen here in Ecuador of late, any preventative measures taken to reduce and manage botrytis is a positive step.

In fact it would not be too much of a stretch to say that “I miss you like botrytis misses the rain.”

To learn more about Floralife® TransportCARE™ visit:
  http://1clients.s3.amazonaws.com/OASIS/pdf/Floralife_TransportCare_Tech.pdf