Lost 40 roses to botrytis last week, what's your go-to prevention?

I run a small shop in Portland and last Thursday I had to toss a whole batch of pink roses because of gray mold. It spread so fast I couldn't save them, probably $120 down the drain. My delivery guy said the boxes got damp sitting on the dock overnight, so that might be where it started. I usually keep the cooler at 34 degrees but maybe I need to check the airflow better. Do you guys spray with anything or just focus on spacing out the stems? Also curious if anyone else has had trouble with specific rose varieties being more prone to this.

2 comments

2 Comments

thomasm412d ago

Spraying helps but honestly your delivery guy probably nailed it, damp boxes are like a welcome mat for botrytis. It's wild how one tiny oversight like that can snowball into a whole mess, kinda like leaving wet laundry in the washer too long.

-1

emma3491d ago

Wait, has anyone checked where the boxes were stored before they even got to the delivery truck? I've seen growers stack damp cardboard right against a cold concrete floor after harvest, and that's like rolling out a red carpet for botrytis before it ever leaves the facility. One bad storage practice can make all the spraying and handling pointless. Kind of feels like chasing your own tail if the root cause is sitting in your own greenhouse, not on the delivery route.