coloring hydrangea

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shannonlovesflowers said:
I learned this from Susan Ayala....I love her.

first you put warm water in the sink, and soak the heads in the warm water for about 15mins. or more.
next you put super screaming hot water in the buckets with your flower food, just regular old flower food like aquaplus. Cut the hydrangea and put the stems in the buckets.
they last forever this way!
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I condition like this, only without the screaming hot water... I would try screaming
hot water, but with our tank , there is never any screams...
My hydrangeas just don't die. They last for weeks!
When we get hydrangeas in, we fill buckets of water and let all the hydrangeas
do head stands for 15 to 20 minutes.
Then we remove, gently shake of excess water and cut the stem and dip
in Alum powder and place in a bucket of DEEP water..up to their necks.
I learned this from Cherrie and it is amazing how well they last.
I never put them in the cooler.

 
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I know Cherrie and Susan are buddies, it's funny how their techniques are similar!

I also wanted to say, be real careful with large headed hydrangeas. it's important to shake off the water, we have snapped their heads off before cause the head was too heavy.
 
My wholesaler suggested Quick Dip for hydrangeas; have any of you tried that? I have and it didn't seem to do much.
 
I think quick dip is great for almost anything...

EXCEPT if you use bleach in your gerb water, do NOT use quick dip. it make the gerbs get all weird.
 
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got hydrangeas in today and did the head soak/ quick dip/lots of hot water. Didn't get to the store for alum, but cant wait to see how they hold up :).
 
I just want to say thanks so much for this very informative thread!! Who knew....gosh I learned SOOO much in these few short minutes of reading.
 
Oh baby oh baby!!!

Because gerbs are bacteria sensitive.

We put about a 1/2 teaspoon in a gallon of water. Works like a dream!!!

We do not put anything else in the water. The gerbs last forever!

Also we use the gerb straws when we process the gerbs rather than wiring them.

We have tried eveything, and I do mean everything. We aren't a great big shop but we go through at least 80 gerbs or more a week, so they need to last.
 
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shannonlovesflowers said:
Oh baby oh baby!!!

Because gerbs are bacteria sensitive.

We put about a 1/2 teaspoon in a gallon of water. Works like a dream!!!

We do not put anything else in the water. The gerbs last forever!

Also we use the gerb straws when we process the gerbs rather than wiring them.

We have tried eveything, and I do mean everything. We aren't a great big shop but we go through at least 80 gerbs or more a week, so they need to last.
Click to expand...
All flowers are bacteria sensitive, baby!
I buy 80 gerbs a week also and I swear by
the gerbera tablets. They will easily last 12 to 14 days. I process buy using
a pocono (?) bucket with a bubble chicken wire top. My husband fashioned
and built it for me.
It is about 15 inches high, wood slats all around the
bottom of the chicken wire, that sits perfectly on the ledge of the pocono.

The gerbs rest in the holes of the wire and if the are curved going in, they
are straight and firm within a few hours and no wire or green plastic is
needed. Vary rarely do I need to use a plastic straw for design, the
gerbs are very firm.
 
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Dore...picture please?? I'm having a hard time visualizing that. thanks.
 
I use Delphinium Blue to give you the darker shade of hydrangea & JFF Hydrangea Blue for the lighter shade. And it's true, the paint really preserves them. I had some last for 3 weeks!!! It really helps to spray them if you have to use them outside in hot weather. If you have to spray a lot of them, please buy a respirator at Home Depot for only about $30. It totally blocks out the fumes & maybe you won't end up with this persistent cough that I have developed from not using a mask! Good luck.
 
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Gerbera Cage

aileen_c said:
Dore...picture please?? I'm having a hard time visualizing that. thanks.
Click to expand...

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I did rotate these photos before attaching, don't ask me why the reverted back, so, you'll have to tilt your head
a bit. : 0)
 

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Don't over spray, make sure you have a well hydrated stem, better to spray small amounts at a time rather than soaking the petals, make sure that the spray is completely dry before creating your design. It is always smart to be honest with your bride have her preview the bouquets in advance.
 
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marigold said:
All flowers are bacteria sensitive, baby!
I buy 80 gerbs a week also and I swear by
the gerbera tablets. They will easily last 12 to 14 days. I process buy using
a pocono (?) bucket with a bubble chicken wire top. My husband fashioned
and built it for me.
It is about 15 inches high, wood slats all around the
bottom of the chicken wire, that sits perfectly on the ledge of the pocono.

The gerbs rest in the holes of the wire and if the are curved going in, they
are straight and firm within a few hours and no wire or green plastic is
needed. Vary rarely do I need to use a plastic straw for design, the
gerbs are very firm.
Click to expand...

So, are the Gerbs hanging by their heads with their stems dangling through the chicken wire? How far into the bucket do you lower them...or rather, how much of the stem gets covered in water? I can see how gravity itself would make the stems straight as the flowers hydrate. VERY cool!
 
SpringCity said:
My wholesaler suggested Quick Dip for hydrangeas; have any of you tried that? I have and it didn't seem to do much.
Click to expand...

Am I the only one who uses Quick Dip for everything? Love the stuff! Every single flower that comes in except for orchids and tulips gets the Dip.

It is especially useful with hydrangeas. I make sure that when we have an event with hydras, I send a container of Quick Dip. If there is ever a wilty flower due to transportation, we cut and dip it and it is back within 30 minutes. A lot happens in transport (stems come out of foam, water spills, etc) and it is my back up.
 
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What are gerber tablets? And why don't you dip orchids or tulips?
Sorry if these are dumb questions.
 
crazy daisy said:
So, are the Gerbs hanging by their heads with their stems dangling through the chicken wire? How far into the bucket do you lower them...or rather, how much of the stem gets covered in water? I can see how gravity itself would make the stems straight as the flowers hydrate. VERY cool!
Click to expand...
Yes, the gerbs are dangling thru the chic wire. I like a lot of water for the
gerbs.
 
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