Carnations, with their rich variety of colors and long-lasting blooms, have captivated hearts worldwide, symbolizing love, fascination, and distinction. Proper care and handling of these resilient flowers are essential for maximizing their vase life and ensuring they remain a vibrant and attractive addition to any setting. Follow this guide to manage your carnations from arrival to customer delivery, maintaining their beauty and freshness.

• The #1 rule for great care and handling is to buy quality carnations like Rio Carnations. Proper care and handling will optimize the potential performance of a carnation.
• Look for a hydration solution that suits your needs.

• The single biggest factor in the longevity of carnations is consistent, cold temperature. Ensure proper Cold Chain Management when transporting Rio Carnations to your location.
• Cold Chain Management ensures Rio Carnations are transported from Miami to your location in a controlled cold environment. Only refrigerated trucks, not overnight carriers like FedEx or UPS, can keep the temperature consistent.

• Cooler temperature should be 33–37°F. Flowers stored at 40°F or above will deteriorate two to three times faster than flowers stored at 36°F.
• The humidity level should be 80% or above, especially if the flowers are not in a hydration solution.
• If possible, test for excess build-out of ethylene gas.

• Inspect your Rio Carnations upon arrival. If you receive damaged or unusable carnations, immediately notify your wholesaler and/or Equiflor.
• Please have the box labels handy. They contain important information about the farm and airway bill that will help us identify and correct the problem.

• Start with clean buckets. Bacteria in dirty buckets will clog the carnation’s vascular system and prevent good uptake of the food solution.
• Bleach is not your best cleaning agent as it kills bacteria immediately, but its shelf life is only one to four hours, so it won’t continue to kill bacteria.
• Clean your cooler with a cleaning detergent at least once every quarter (three months). Clean the floor, walls, ceiling, and cooler coils.

• Determine the solution you will use. You can choose from holding solutions or sugar-based solutions to promote opening.
• Add hydration solution to cold water. If cold water is not available, we recommend preparing the solution and placing the buckets with the solution inside the cooler the evening before.
• Strip only the foliage that will fall below the solution level.
• For dry-packed carnations, trim about 1 inch off the stems. Whenever possible, we recommend cutting carnations underwater.
• Place carnations immediately into the cold-water hydration solution. Quick Dip is not a long-term hydration solution. Once in the hydration solution, move the carnations to the cooler.

• Choose the food solution that best fits your shop’s needs. If you move your carnations quickly, you won’t need a holding solution. If you hold them for a few days, you may need a holding solution.
• Use a holding solution for Rio Carnations coming into your shop and a sugar-based solution for everything leaving your shop.

• Teach your staff to educate customers on caring for their carnations, including what to expect from individual varieties.
• Recommend short- and long-term hydration solutions to your customers.

Carnations are hardy yet beautiful, capable of bringing lasting joy and color to any occasion. By following these care and handling guidelines, you ensure that your carnations will remain striking and fresh from your hands to your customer's home or event.