LA Retail Florist Exam Content Actual Updated
2024/2025 Questions and Answers with complete solution
first and foremost basic need of cut flowers
water
second basic need of cut flowers
food
factors affecting quality of cut flowers (7)
1. production
2. transpiration
3. floral food
4. temperature
5. humidity
6. ethylene
7. microbial activity
effect of harvesting flowers too soon/cutting flowers prior to harvest stage
flowers will have difficulty opening and maturing properly and tight buds will never
open
effect of harvesting flowers too late/cut past their prime harvest stage
reduced vase life because flowers are too mature
natural loss of water in plants and flowers through stomata
transpiration
energy source for the flower
commercial floral food; sugar
temperature that would accommodate most flowers
36 - 40 degrees
recommended amount of humidity for most flowers stored in the refrigerator
90%
ways to minimize ethylene damage (6)
1. STS pre-treatment
2. ethylene block treatment
3. removal of damaged and unhealthy tissue
4. keep refrigerator clean from old flowers and foliage
5. do not store fruits, vegetables, or evergreens in the refrigerator
6. cooler temperatures of 40 degrees F and below
How does microbial activity reduce vase life of cut flowers?
plugging the stem of flowers reducing the water intake capacity
ways to prevent and keep microbial activity damage to a minimum (2)
1. good sanitation: washing buckets after each use with bleach or bucket wash,
washing refrigerator floor once per week, removing foliage from lower stem that
would be underwater in the storage container
2. proper use of commercial floral food
3 main ingredients of commercial floral food
1. sugar
2. bio-inhibitor
3. acidifier
2 commonly used bio-inhibitors in commercial floral food
8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (HQC) and Physan
,ideal pH of acidic water
3.5 - 5.0
Why use and invest in commercial floral food? (3)
1. commercial floral food is scientifically blended to the correct proportions of sugar,
bio-inhibitor, and acidifier
2. commercial floral food is 40-80% more effective in extending vase life
3. commercial floral foods are much less expensive, especially when used on a large
scale
Why use commercial floral food if turnover of flowers is rapid?
keeping customers satisfied and providing an excellent product
procedure used prior to the normal usage of floral food
pre-treatment
procedure used after the flowers are already processed in a floral food
solution
post-treatment
What is STS?
silver thiosulfate
environmentally friendly treatment that prevents negative effects of ethylene
gas that comes in a powdered form and released as a gas and can treat large
quantities of flowers at one time
MCP (1-methyleopropene); EthylBloc
lowers pH of water without creating a toxic environment for the flower
citric acid
What does rapid hydration/water uptake using citric acid pre-treatment
accomplish? (2)
1. flowers will be completely turgid (full of water) in the shortest time possible
2. completely saturated flowers creates a clean, unobstructed pathway for the follow-
up procedure using floral food
How long does the first type of treatment procedure for citric acid take?
1 hour
What is the procedure for the first type of citric acid treatment?
Place freshly cut stem in citric acid solution and stand at room temperature for an
hour and then place in high quality floral food solution and put in refrigerator. Do not
recut stems prior to placing in the floral food solution.
What is the procedure for the second type of citric acid treatment (quick dip)?
Dip freshly cut stems into the quick dip citric acid solution for 1-2 seconds and then
transfer to floral food solution without recutting stems.
act of preparing flowers and foliages for use in designs
processing
Types of flower and foliage processing procedures (6)
1. regular processing
2. underwater cutting processing
3. soaking and submerging processing
4. woody stem processing
5. foliage processing
6. forcing processing
Regular Processing of Flowers steps (5)
1. open floral shipping box or wrapping to assess quantity of buckets/containers
needed and prepare floral food solution filling about 1/3 fill
2. process flowers needing citric acid hydration first
, 3. de-bunch and loosen or remove sleeve or wrapping which may not allow flowers
to expand
4. conditioning: all flowers remain in tepid water/floral food solution outside the
refrigerator for a period of time until they become turgid
5. hardening: place in refrigerator after absorbing maximum amount of water or
reached preferred stage of maturity
What is underwater cutting processing?
place stem ends in a bowl or something that is filled with water and slant cut 1 inch
of stem off underwater to prevent air from entering the stem when a droplet of water
forms over the stem end when transferring to a holding container
What is the soaking and submerging process of flowers?
stem ends are cut underwater and then entire flower is submerged underwater for 15
to 30 minutes
Woody stem processing of flowers steps (3)
1. slant cut stem ends with sharp pruning shears
2. place in warm water with floral food
3. sometimes an "x" or "t" cut is made with a knife in the stem end to help open the
vascular system
What are the two methods of foliage processing and what types of foliage
should follow each method?
Method 1: treat foliage as a cut flower and place in buckets of tepid floral food
solution; used for round, fluffy types of foliage
Method 2: moisten thoroughly and place in plastic bags or waxed boxes in the
cooler; used for flat types of foliage
What is the ideal/optimal atmosphere for force processing of flowers?
warm floral food solution, high humidity, and light
Force processing of flowers steps (3)
1. Place materials that are to be forced in clean buckets containing warm floral food
solution
2. Mist with plain water and cover with a clear plastic bag
3. Place in bright, indirect light at room temperature until desired stage of opening
elements of design (7)
1. line
2. form
3. space
4. texture
5. pattern
6. color
7. size
visual path the eye follows to produce motion
line
shape or contour of the individual components in a composition; overall 3
dimensional configuration or shape of a design or composition
form
entire area occupied by the composition itself
space
areas occupied by materials
positive space
part of the composition NOT occupied by materials; open space
negative space
2024/2025 Questions and Answers with complete solution
first and foremost basic need of cut flowers
water
second basic need of cut flowers
food
factors affecting quality of cut flowers (7)
1. production
2. transpiration
3. floral food
4. temperature
5. humidity
6. ethylene
7. microbial activity
effect of harvesting flowers too soon/cutting flowers prior to harvest stage
flowers will have difficulty opening and maturing properly and tight buds will never
open
effect of harvesting flowers too late/cut past their prime harvest stage
reduced vase life because flowers are too mature
natural loss of water in plants and flowers through stomata
transpiration
energy source for the flower
commercial floral food; sugar
temperature that would accommodate most flowers
36 - 40 degrees
recommended amount of humidity for most flowers stored in the refrigerator
90%
ways to minimize ethylene damage (6)
1. STS pre-treatment
2. ethylene block treatment
3. removal of damaged and unhealthy tissue
4. keep refrigerator clean from old flowers and foliage
5. do not store fruits, vegetables, or evergreens in the refrigerator
6. cooler temperatures of 40 degrees F and below
How does microbial activity reduce vase life of cut flowers?
plugging the stem of flowers reducing the water intake capacity
ways to prevent and keep microbial activity damage to a minimum (2)
1. good sanitation: washing buckets after each use with bleach or bucket wash,
washing refrigerator floor once per week, removing foliage from lower stem that
would be underwater in the storage container
2. proper use of commercial floral food
3 main ingredients of commercial floral food
1. sugar
2. bio-inhibitor
3. acidifier
2 commonly used bio-inhibitors in commercial floral food
8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (HQC) and Physan
,ideal pH of acidic water
3.5 - 5.0
Why use and invest in commercial floral food? (3)
1. commercial floral food is scientifically blended to the correct proportions of sugar,
bio-inhibitor, and acidifier
2. commercial floral food is 40-80% more effective in extending vase life
3. commercial floral foods are much less expensive, especially when used on a large
scale
Why use commercial floral food if turnover of flowers is rapid?
keeping customers satisfied and providing an excellent product
procedure used prior to the normal usage of floral food
pre-treatment
procedure used after the flowers are already processed in a floral food
solution
post-treatment
What is STS?
silver thiosulfate
environmentally friendly treatment that prevents negative effects of ethylene
gas that comes in a powdered form and released as a gas and can treat large
quantities of flowers at one time
MCP (1-methyleopropene); EthylBloc
lowers pH of water without creating a toxic environment for the flower
citric acid
What does rapid hydration/water uptake using citric acid pre-treatment
accomplish? (2)
1. flowers will be completely turgid (full of water) in the shortest time possible
2. completely saturated flowers creates a clean, unobstructed pathway for the follow-
up procedure using floral food
How long does the first type of treatment procedure for citric acid take?
1 hour
What is the procedure for the first type of citric acid treatment?
Place freshly cut stem in citric acid solution and stand at room temperature for an
hour and then place in high quality floral food solution and put in refrigerator. Do not
recut stems prior to placing in the floral food solution.
What is the procedure for the second type of citric acid treatment (quick dip)?
Dip freshly cut stems into the quick dip citric acid solution for 1-2 seconds and then
transfer to floral food solution without recutting stems.
act of preparing flowers and foliages for use in designs
processing
Types of flower and foliage processing procedures (6)
1. regular processing
2. underwater cutting processing
3. soaking and submerging processing
4. woody stem processing
5. foliage processing
6. forcing processing
Regular Processing of Flowers steps (5)
1. open floral shipping box or wrapping to assess quantity of buckets/containers
needed and prepare floral food solution filling about 1/3 fill
2. process flowers needing citric acid hydration first
, 3. de-bunch and loosen or remove sleeve or wrapping which may not allow flowers
to expand
4. conditioning: all flowers remain in tepid water/floral food solution outside the
refrigerator for a period of time until they become turgid
5. hardening: place in refrigerator after absorbing maximum amount of water or
reached preferred stage of maturity
What is underwater cutting processing?
place stem ends in a bowl or something that is filled with water and slant cut 1 inch
of stem off underwater to prevent air from entering the stem when a droplet of water
forms over the stem end when transferring to a holding container
What is the soaking and submerging process of flowers?
stem ends are cut underwater and then entire flower is submerged underwater for 15
to 30 minutes
Woody stem processing of flowers steps (3)
1. slant cut stem ends with sharp pruning shears
2. place in warm water with floral food
3. sometimes an "x" or "t" cut is made with a knife in the stem end to help open the
vascular system
What are the two methods of foliage processing and what types of foliage
should follow each method?
Method 1: treat foliage as a cut flower and place in buckets of tepid floral food
solution; used for round, fluffy types of foliage
Method 2: moisten thoroughly and place in plastic bags or waxed boxes in the
cooler; used for flat types of foliage
What is the ideal/optimal atmosphere for force processing of flowers?
warm floral food solution, high humidity, and light
Force processing of flowers steps (3)
1. Place materials that are to be forced in clean buckets containing warm floral food
solution
2. Mist with plain water and cover with a clear plastic bag
3. Place in bright, indirect light at room temperature until desired stage of opening
elements of design (7)
1. line
2. form
3. space
4. texture
5. pattern
6. color
7. size
visual path the eye follows to produce motion
line
shape or contour of the individual components in a composition; overall 3
dimensional configuration or shape of a design or composition
form
entire area occupied by the composition itself
space
areas occupied by materials
positive space
part of the composition NOT occupied by materials; open space
negative space
