DO ROSE HOOKS AFFECT KEEPING QUALITY
Subject:
Illinois State Florists' Association
Abstract:
A SURVEY was conducted in 19G1 by Prof. J. R. Cul bert and the author to determine what retail florists thought about current rose grading practices. Out of 325 questionnaires distributed, 120 or 37% were completed and returned. One of the common criticisms of rose grading was that roses are cut with "hooks" or "knots." The retailer believes that it is necessary to remove hooks from rose stems in order to allow adequate water absorption for proper opening of the flowers. Most researchers in the past have held the view that rose hooks do not notice ably shorten the life of cut roses. But because of these divergent views, it was felt that the effect of hooks on rose keeping quality warranted further investigation. Prevalence Of Hooks Our first question was: "Just how many roses are cut with hooks?" While working on the NCM-22 Project—Market Grades and Standards for Chrysanthemums, Carnations and Roses —we gathered data from 9,000 commercial rose blooms, and at the same time, noted the presence or absence of hooks. These roses represented random samples taken from over 400,000 roses cut in a commercial greenhouse in Illinois.
Source: • Illinois State Florists' Association Bulletin # 243
Keywords: Knots Prevalence Of Hooks absorption rose stems
Libraries: Floriculture