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As a skilled florist, your reputation relies on the freshness and life span of your floral creations. Many of your flowers take a long journey from the grower, to auction, and wholesaler, before finally ending up in your cooler. This makes it extra important that you do the little things to maintain a bloom’s quality when preparing it for the end consumer.
It is best practice to use a hydration system when you give, ship, or transport flowers to your customers. If you’re an experienced florist, you’re probably already using some kind of system. If you are newer to the industry, we are here to help you learn just how to do that.
What is a Hydration System?
A hydration system refers to a material capable of holding water to keep flowers hydrated when no water source is readily available, like at weddings or events. While water tubes are a common choice, they can be inconvenient, messy, costly, and not very sustainable as they are completely made of plastic. Given that, a better alternative to the water tube are bouquet wraps.
Bouquet wraps are a system made of highly absorbent sponge material that is securely sealed with a bag and rubber band to prevent any leakage. They are wrapped around the stems of a bouquet to provide it with a water source while they are in the stresses of transport, preventing the flowers from wilting. When you use this hydration system your flowers will keep their vibrancy, stay in peak condition and last longer.
Currently, FloraLife’s Bouquet Wrap and Chrysal’s Arrive Alive stand out as the most readily accessible hydration systems. Let’s delve into their respective benefits to aid you in selecting the perfect option to suit your needs.
Left: FloraLife Bouquet Wrap Right: Chrysal’s Arrive Alive
FloraLife’s Bouquet Wrap:
- A newly improved hydration system made from 70% plant-based material, making it more sustainable than its Arrive Alive counterpart.
- Has been proven to hydrate flowers during shipping for up to 48 hours
- Its new larger bag size fits more stems and stops upright or lying flowers from spilling.
- Perfect for event use where no water source is available.
- Only available in block format.
- 100 bouquet wrap kits or 800 if purchased in a case.
- Includes one bag per kit and two rubber bands.
- Understandable instructions are provided on the back of the kit.
Chrysal’s Arrive Alive:
- Available in square and triangle-shaped versions.
- 100 bouquet wrap kits.
- Includes one bag and two rubber bands per kit/wrap.
- Stops upright or lying flowers from spilling.
How to Use
Both systems will keep your blooms hydrated and looking their best. We highly encourage you to substitute water tubes and floral foam with bouquet wraps where possible. Using these systems is only a small step, but it represents a solid effort towards the goal of creating a more sustainable floral industry.
Stay tuned for more sustainable product features on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. #FSLiving