Tried a new flower food packet from a local supplier and it turned my white roses brown

I got a sample of these new 'long life' flower food packets from a supplier at the Denver market last month. The guy said they were great for delicate blooms, so I tried them on a batch of white garden roses for a wedding order. Within 24 hours, the edges of every single petal started to turn a nasty brown, almost like they were burnt. I lost the whole batch, about 40 stems, and had to do a mad rush re-order. I think the mix was way too strong, maybe the pH was off. I've gone back to my trusted brand, but it was a costly lesson to always test a small bunch first, especially with white flowers. Has anyone else had a flower food react badly with a specific bloom?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_adams1mo ago

That's a real bummer about your roses. I read a gardening blog a while back that said some preservatives have copper sulfate, and it can literally scorch delicate petals if the dose is wrong. White flowers show every little flaw, so they get hit the hardest. It makes sense that a super strong mix would burn them. I'm glad you had a backup plan for the wedding order, even if it was a scramble. Do you know what was actually in that packet?

janarivera1mo ago

Ugh, that's so frustrating. White flowers are the absolute worst for showing any little problem.

jennifer_jenkins1mo ago

My cousin in Florida had a similar disaster with some imported tulips last spring. She used a generic grocery store flower food and the stems turned to complete mush in two days. What @wesley_adams said about copper sulfate makes total sense, because I remember her saying the water looked weirdly blue. It's scary how a little packet can ruin a whole expensive bunch. I'm super careful now and only use clear flower food for anything light colored.

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