My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Fighting Botrytis

Botrytis is that fuzzy grey mold found on decaying vegetative matter. It is Mother Nature’s way of recycling our beautiful flowers by breaking it down as nutrients to feed growing plants. But it is a frightful sight for floral designers! If untreated Botrytis spores spreads from the dead or decaying plant matter to living plant tissue to prematurely spoil your entire bunch.

With just a bit of post-harvest care Botrytis can be skillfully kept, out there, in nature, where it is most welcome.

Start by inspecting the flowers you purchase. Do not buy flowers that show early signs of Botrytis: tiny raised spots that become rust coloured blotches and finally fluffy grey mold

Seed heads of Pasque flowers (Pulsatilla vulgaris) lightly blowing in the wind

Do not store flowers in the sleeves for so long that condensation builds up inside the wrap and do not over crowd your conditioning or design space so that there is no airflow between the blooms.

Flowers like Gyp are often left closed to ensure they open but take care to give them breathing space every now and again so that moisture does not get trapped.

We want cut flowers arranged in our homes to last as long as possible.

We want cut flowers arranged in our homes to last as long as possible.

So, put away those misting spray bottles. Rain drops are good for flowers in nature, because you want the flowers to eventually breakdown and feed the plant. But in your home? Not so much.

Drops of water trapped between petals causes Botrytis spores to germinate.

Drops of water sprayed onto cut flower heads (like here on these Pasque Flower seed heads) gets trapped deep between the petals creating the ideal environment for Botrytis spores to germinate.

When the flowers start to fade remove any petals or flower heads that shows signs of Botrytis without disturbing the mold

The spores are lighter than air it can easily spread floating in a puff from petal to petal and flower to flower and design to design.

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Related Designs

30 October 2012 Frightis Botrytis!

Weave a Midelino cane coil harvest basket to display ghost pumpkins and frightful woolly "botrytis" in. Have a fun Halloween everyone!