Orchids, number one in the indoor plant market, and a cut flower with an easy postharvest

Also in 2011 the orchid kept its number one position in the European indoor plant market. The Dutch Horticulture Board PT finds this out through research, informs FloraHolland, 16 February 2012. The report informs about the most popular colors, the differences between countries and the point of sales. UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center recommendations for maintaining postharvest quality of orchids, by Michael S. Reid, highlight that one of the principal attractions of cut orchid flowers is their outstanding longevity. Even out of water, an orchid flower will last for an evening in a corsage. Spikes of cymbidiums will often last a month in a vase. Orchid flowers are usually harvested 3 to 4 days after opening, because flowers cut prematurely will fail to develop normally off the plant. Some genera (e.g. Cymbidium, Phalaenopsis) are very sensitive to ethylene; others (e.g. Dendrobium) are less sensitive. For those genera pretreatment with 1-MCP is very effective in preventing the effects of ethylene and increasing the life of orchid flowers, and should be standard practice for these flowers. Storage temperature can range from 0 to 12.5?C depending on cultivar. Many cultivars are not chill sensitive and therefore can be stored as other cut flowers at 0-1?C. When sold for corsages the use of water picks filled with fresh-flower solution (not plain tap water) is beneficial. The picture is Dendrobium nobile, and the source, elicriso.it