Care and Handling royal lineage Feed alstroemeria, named after a baron, the right food and it will reward you with regal vase life. ALSTROEMERIA: A VERSATILE AND ENDURING FLOWER > Were you pushing posies in 1978? Modern alstroemeria varieties offer Growers, wholesalers and retailers can Back then, I was selling roses, poms, iris stems with strong, long pedicels sup- rebalance cell chemistry by treating and carnations out of a stall in the San porting terminal florets, which come alstroemeria with a food specially formu- Francisco Flower Market, flanked by a in color palettes ranging from neon to lated for bulb flowers. Chrysal’s formula cut foliage vendor on one side, and a pastel. Petal patterns include intriguing is called Bulb T-bags. Floralife’s bulb guy growing ‘Killian’ and ‘Majestic’ dai- stripes and robust flecks. Some varieties food is a powder sold in small pails that sies on the other. The daisy grower also have distinct patches of pink, reminis- include a scoop. produced a bloom I’d never seen before: cent of the flushed cheeks of children at Peruvian lilies. It took me more than a few play. Umbels can carry 10 or more florets Branded Beauties queries to lock-in on the botanical name, per stem. Stems vary in length from The latest trend in alstroemeria market- alstroemeria, which sounded as exotic short garden varieties around 12 inches, ing programs among Colombian growers as the flowers looked: succulent stems up to greenhouse-grown plants of 5 feet is creating brand awareness. The brand’s that terminate in umbel-shaped support or more. A telltale trait of all relatives unique selling points are developed structures (think: upside down umbrella) in the Alstroemeria family is resupinate through rigorous selection processes carrying a mass of colorful florets. leaves that twist from the base, so what during grading to weed out all but the appears as the upper surface is actually top quality blooms, specific postharvest An Exotic Beginning the lower leaf surface. Because alstroe- treatments, grading protocols and care- The Swedish baron, Clas Alströmer, col- meria is ethylene sensitive, growers treat ful handling procedures. Look for more lected alstroemeria seeds on a trip to it with STS immediately after harvest. information on branded alstroemeria dur- South America in 1753, and was subse- STS protects the flowers from damage ing 2012 trade shows and advertisements quently honored when his close friend, of ethylene gas exposure that causes in trade magazines. I feel confident these Carolus Linnaeus, named the plant fam- transparent flower petals, loss of color varieties will be among the entries in the ily after him. Today, alstroemeria is veg- vibrancy and short vase life. 2012 Outstanding Varieties Competition etatively propagated by rhizomes, root next September in Palm Beach, Fla., at structures that form a crown. Foliage Foible SAF’s 128th annual convention. Fast-forward 20 years, add the Alstroemeria blooms are showy, intrigu- Gay Smith is the technical consulting magic of plant breeding where crosses ing, easy to care for and, perhaps best of manager for Chrysal Americas, and have been made between species from all, long-lived. A vase life of 12 to 16 days is considered one of the country’s Chile (winter-growing) and Brazil (sum- is not unusual for these beauties. Their experts on cut flower post-harvest mer-growing), and you have evergreen down side: foliage can be wimpy. Though handling. She received the Allan M. plants that provide flowers year-round. resupinate leaves have a cool, intrigu- Armitage Leadership Award in 2010 According to Web research, this breed- ing structure, they tend to turn yellow from the Association of Specialty Cut ing work derives mainly from trials that quickly in the vase. Why? Alstroemeria, Flower Growers. began in the U.S. in the 1980s. Today like many “bulbous” flowers, suffers an we have a plethora of beautiful alstro- imbalance of hormones when flowers emeria varieties appropriate for every- are harvested. A symptom of this imbal- day bouquet combinations, as well as ance: leaves that turn yellow far ahead high-style arrangements. of bloom opening. Is there a cure? Yes! 48 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | APRIL 2012 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG.