My competition still uses crushed styro. in vases

lil_goldie said:
Also, we use it last Valentine's Day to go in a $29.99 red vase special to speed up the process. We churn out a couple hundred of those vases, so we just packed 'em with styro, used a few less greens and off they go.
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Can anybody use the words "cheap" & "crap" in the same sentence?

Hopefully the sender got lucky...really quickly...:tread:
 
Sadly I agree PW. That look is just nasty to me. No offence Chantelle... but it's time to move into this century. ;)

V
 
Don't let that bother you. If you are using the shred for a base filler, especially when it is for a funeral, in a mache', you are doing the right thing. You just don't want it to show and you don't want your stems in it. If you try to fill an 8kk mache', (which is what our funeral home specifically asks for) with oasis, it will be way too heavy, not to mention expensive. I always put a block of oasis on top, about 2 inches below the rim for stability, and then chicken wire over the oasis. The chicken wire keeps the oasis from breaking apart when you have lots of stems at all sorts of angles.
I too was taught to make a dozen roses with shred packed in the vase. (I remember the tickler, man I hated that stupid dried fuzzy thing!)
We also have two florists who cannot get past packing their vases, CLEAR vases, with shred. It is a cheater armature, and no, it does not make the flowers last any longer, and probably in fact shortens their life because it will hold onto any bacteria, you really can't get rid of bacteria on it, even by changing the water.

Linda
 
Linda, What do you charge for minimums on your 8kk's? If I may ask. We pretty much only use 6kk's here. they start at $50. I'm surprised your funeral directors like one over the other. Is it because of their type of stands?
 
When I have a container Basket or larger container that would need a lot of oasis, I just put enough in that i need for the arrangement, I then take bubble wrap or crumpled cellaphane and fill in all the way around the oasis to hold in place, It works great, definitely saves on a lot of unused oasis that you really don't need. I have been doing this for a long time, and on ocassion I have recycled packing sheets of sryro broken the into the right size tofill around the oasis keeping it nice and snug.
 
This FH calls with the order. Each piece is $150.00. It isn't the stand, they just like that it is REALLY BIG I think, although sometimes they place it inside of large gold pots, and the 8kk fits really good in it.
Linda
 
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Yes. The Aquaplus does keep away bacteria, it contains, among other things, a bacteriacide. You still want to be careful about having living things, including curls of willow, in the water. I teach my customers to "top off" the container with their mixed preservative, and only change the water if it becomes murky or stinky. Sure sign of bacteria, and yes, that is what kills the flowers. I also teach them to cut an inch off of the ends because that is where the largest concentration of microbes will be.
 
Victoria said:
Joe, I choose to make even small steps to not create more landfill. For me, even one step in the right direction is more effective than staying with the same old thing.

My choice... and it's not "specious".

V
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yes it is.

When a florist substitutes Oasis for shredded styrofoam the environmental impact is the same.

That save environment rhetoric sounds good, but in this case it is specious commentary.

Landfills? New York City is one giant landfill! Part of the city was built on old garbage.
 
I believe this thread started because someone used shred in lieu of design talent.

My remark was made based on that information... not the addition of oasis.

However that being said, whether or not you agree is moot, I personally choose to try to make every effort to lessen my contribution to dump sites.

I don't live in New York. I live here... so that's where my impact lies. Yours lies where you choose.

V
 
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prestonway said:
Can anybody use the words "cheap" & "crap" in the same sentence?

Hopefully the sender got lucky...really quickly...:tread:
Click to expand...

That's why I love threads like this. I had no idea that the styro wasn't used anymore because I've only ever worked in one place.
Thanks for the feedback!
 
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joe cool said:
as i was reading this thread i saw several posts regarding the need to change the water every few days to keep the water clear as well as a statement about flowers lasting longer in styro. Makes me cringe when i read it.

If you use a good preservative with a water clarifier, such as aquaplus... The difference is clear, you will not need to change the water every few days. Provide your customers with the little 5 or 10 gram packets and just have them top off the water. Not only will your water stay clear, but because you are also feeding the flowers, they will last longer too.

A longer lasting arrangement makes a more satisfied customer.

Here is a link to a quick guide to care and handling.

http://www.syndicatesales.com/aquaplus.asp
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i have used every preservative on the market and don't believe any one is beter than the other...they all contain the same elements !
Having said this
i tell my customers if you can't drink the water don't expect your flowers to ! And i advise to change the water and presevative every few days .....
And give a fresh cut!
For doubters experiment in your shoppe using both methods !
I've had roses last 14 days by my method...
 
floraldesignson99th said:
i have used every preservative on the market and don't believe any one is beter than the other...they all contain the same elements !
QUOTE]


I disagree. If they don't say that they contain a water clarifier then they won't keep the water clear. There are non clear products on the market. There are also other clear products on the market as well, call me biased, but I think ours does the best. All I can say is try it yourself, I think you will like the results.
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Back to the subject of the thread.....shred
i use a curly willow armiture for a lot of items.....it can be twisted and submerged in the vase.....or...just on the top of the vase...steel grass, liriope, salal stems can also be used
 
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