New Terraflora treatment extends shelf-life of cut flowers

Dr. Dan Krogstad (Senior Research Scientist) and Dr. Ngoc Nguyen (Research Scientist) at the Illinois Applied Research Institute (ARI) have been working with Terraflora to validate the effectiveness of their treatment to extend the shelf-life of cut flowers.

Terraflora will have a direct-to-consumer product that can be sprayed on the stems and leaves of the flowers at home. The treatment provides a plant-based barrier to the leaves and stems of the flowers to slow water loss and extend the lifetime of the flowers.

During the testing at ARI, the roses are sprayed with the Terraflora treatment and are monitored for their overall external quality, weight, and the water loss from the vases throughout the testing. These experiments are compared against results from a control group that receives no treatment and from roses treated with a competitor’s product. In the early testing, the Terraflora treatment has resulted in the roses losing less water over time and the rose heads being slower to droop (conk) compared to the other testing groups.

Successful development of the Terraflora treatment will enable consumers to keep their flowers looking healthy and beautiful longer, which not only saves consumers money, but also increases the overall sustainability of the flower industry.