This book gives us a detailed introduction to all aspects of flowers, from breeding, cultivation to sales. Flowers are no longer simple plants, but a huge industrial empire in modern society. Let's explore the secrets of the flower empire together.
First, how to get beautiful flowers?
Flowers in nature can't meet people's expectations, both in quantity and in beauty. The colorful flowers seen in the market are all cultivated by artificial selection.
Among many artificially cultivated flowers, the astrologer lily is the most legendary. This kind of flower is very popular because of its bright colors, straight stems and rich fragrance. Its creator is American Woodleaf. He finally created this kind of lily through traditional breeding methods and decades of attempts.
Kirsch, a florist, bought the bulbs of Woodleaf and applied for a patent. Under Kirsch's operation, astrologers quickly became a star variety. But Kirsch also failed to be the final winner. He gave up applying for a patent in Holland because he sold the seed ball to the Dutch at a high price. Subsequently, with its advantages in planting and trade, the Dutch quickly popularized this lily without paying Kirsch any fees.
Now most breeders are biologists who rely on genetic technology. A typical example of gene breeding is the blue rose. The cultivation of blue roses faces technical, economic and environmental risks. The technical challenge is that there is no plant antitoxin in roses, which is the gene that brings blue to flowers; The economic risk is that no one knows whether consumers can accept new varieties of blue roses; The public is also generally worried about the impact of genetically modified flowers on the environment. However, the researchers finally overcame the challenge and extracted the plant antitoxin gene from Petunia and implanted it into the rose, thus obtaining the first blue rose. And the public also accepted the blue rose.
Second, how can all couples receive roses on Valentine's Day?
How to ensure that everyone can get flowers in time is the core issue of the whole industry. Solutions include: controlling the growth of flowers, slowing down the decline of flowers, and delivering flowers to customers as soon as possible.
In order to control the growth cycle of flowers, we should master the photoperiod of plants on the basis of controlling temperature and humidity. The so-called "photoperiod" refers to the time required for plants to bloom. When studying tobacco, scientists found that winter varieties of tobacco can bloom by simulating winter light. Further research found that flowering is more affected by darkness, that is, the length of night is more important than the length of day. Based on these theories, growers can make plants bloom earlier or later by simulating night or controlling light.
The way to slow down the decline of flowers is to remove the fragrance of flowers and reduce the influence of ethylene. Aroma will consume a lot of nutrients in plants. After years of artificial selection, many flowers are no longer so fragrant, which can extend the opening time of flowers. In addition, it is also important to avoid contact between flowers and ethylene. Ethylene is a colorless, almost odorless gaseous hormone, which will wither flowers. In the flower industry, 30% of the losses are caused by ethylene. Fruits or rotten branches and leaves will release a lot of ethylene. Therefore, fruits can't appear in flower shops, and flowers in supermarkets can't be placed in agricultural products areas. Flower shops should frequently change water for flower barrels and trim branches and leaves in time.
Increase the output of flowers and ensure timely supply. The most affordable way is to find a suitable area for planting and then send the flowers to the buyer as soon as possible. Take the roses in Ecuador as an example. Roses will be cut from the branches at a specific stage, concentrated in the local refrigeration workshop, and graded according to their appearance. Subsequently, these flowers will be sent to the wholesale market, where they will be packaged regularly. Some flowers will also be soaked with fungicides to prevent bacterial infection. The next morning, tens of thousands of roses will be sent to the airport and fly around the world. Next, these flowers will be delivered to different destinations through logistics. In this process, flower shops monitor the location, temperature and humidity of flowers in real time through the Internet of Things technology to ensure the quality of goods.
Third, the Dutch flower empire
If the flower empire has a king, it is probably Dutch. From historical development to the formulation of trade rules, the Netherlands has always dominated the global flower industry. 80% of the world's flower trade is related to the Dutch.
The development of Dutch flowers originated in the15th century. /kloc-In the 6th century, tulips were introduced to Holland, which led to the famous "tulip bubble". Although the bursting of the bubble brought huge economic losses, it prompted the Netherlands to dominate the world flower trade.
The flower auction market in Asmir, the Netherlands, is the largest flower market in the world, trading nearly 30 million flowers every day. The flowers auctioned here have to be transported from the country of origin to the Netherlands, put in the auction house for auction, then loaded on the plane and sent to the final destination. People gather here just to see the flowers they want to auction with their own eyes, so that they can trade with peace of mind.
For flower auction, the Dutch invented the dutch auction by the bottom. The flowers in the auction started at a price that was considered too high, and then dropped to a bid. In this kind of auction, the bidders have to bear great pressure, and everything is to get the goods at the right price before others.
Fourth, the challenges and future of the flower industry.
The flower industry is facing many shocks in the contemporary era. The most serious is the challenge from competitive products such as chocolate. In order to cope with the increasingly severe situation, florists have made great efforts.
The most traditional method is to use marketing means. For example, Mother's Day was actually invented by florists. 1908, a woman wrote to all walks of life, hoping that people would wear flowers to show their respect for their mother. This idea coincides with the flower merchants, so they set about setting up festivals. Over time, Mother's Day has become the day with the highest flower sales in the whole year.
Flower merchants should also pay attention to hot events at any time. In 2004, the mayor of San Francisco announced that the government would hold a wedding for gay couples. Government workers and people on the Internet have ordered flowers in flower shops and sent a bunch of flowers to couples waiting in line. The flower shop took immediate action to ensure the timely supply of flowers to convey people's wishes.
This book has been published for more than ten years. During this period, the flower industry has also undergone many changes in various aspects. For example, in breeding, people use biotechnology to create more new varieties. As far as flower planting is concerned, the traditional labor-intensive industry has begun to change to automation. In addition, China has become a big flower consumption country in the world.
Even in the face of such great changes in the times, the function and connotation of flowers have not changed for thousands of years, that is, to give the most beautiful flowers to your favorite person and bring him the best wishes.