In supermarket floral departments, February rocks. Industry stalwarts forget that Valentine roses are often a first-time event for many, and possibly the only flower purchase of the year. In both cases, we want to let the love shine. Here are best practices to ensure Cupid’s arrow hits the mark.

In the first week of February, have a final team meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page. Clarify how to prioritize activities. Review details that turn your unit into an efficient machine during crunch time. Role-playing prepares staff with positive replies to perennial customer questions. With practice, tough questions like “How long will it last?” “What’s the best one?” “Do you have more red roses?” can be turned around by responding, “Is that her favorite color?

Remind customers that flowers last twice as long when they use the flower-food packet provided at the prescribed rate (usually one packet per quart of water) and that the best bouquet is not always the one with tight buds, because open blooms give a “wow” effect.

When prepping dry-packed roses, do you put fresh-cut stems into dirty buckets? No. Cut stems bleed enzymes and carbohydrates, therefore becoming a virtual juice bar for bacteria. Fill clean buckets with the appropriate amount of cold water and display flower food like Chrysal Professional #2 or Floralife Professional.

Cold water flows faster into stems than warm water, and every minute counts during the holidays. Keep the water level at one-third the height of buckets to avoid dripping on other blooms when pulling bunches (for botrytis control).

When processing bunches, allow them to sit outside the cooler for 15-20 minutes so condensation evaporates. And don’t rush the first drink. Flowers need two to four hours to fully fill their stems. Top up buckets and vases with fresh solutions, not tap water. And no ice, please. Ice dilutes the solution.

Make sure all stems get a fresh cut. Fast transfers are important too, because cells begin closing within one to 10 seconds after the cut. A tip on finishing sprays: If you spritz flowers going into the cooler be sure to allow the spray to dry completely before they enter the cooler (botrytis control again).

What about the other flowers? Display gerberas in low-drip positions to avoid botrytis problems. The best solution with gerberas (and all foliages, daffodils and cut hyacinths) is the gerb pill. If you are sick of in-curling petals on iris, freesia that flops after the second floret opens and yellow foliage on lilies, use bulb food. It keeps foliage vivid, florets opening and extends vase life three to five days.

Cleanliness matters. An uncovered trashcan in your department is equivalent to someone sneezing six inches from your face all day long with no tissue. Empty trash throughout the day. Botrytis floats off green trash clinging to counters, tools and aprons. Grab a spray bottle of ready-to-use cleaning solution and spray surfaces to reduce disease problems. Resist cramming bunches too tight in display buckets. Good airflow helps reduce disease potential.

Follow these rules and let Cupid reign iin the floral department.

Gay Smith is the technical manager for Chrysal USA. She can be contacted at [email protected].