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| F A Q | ||
| Frequently Asked Questions | THINGS THAT YOU PROBABLY WANT TO KNOW | |
| | What is Ethylene? | |
| | Why filter Ethylene? | |
| | Why is the TR filtering system different? | |
| | Which unit should I choose? | |
| How can Ethylene filtration benefit my business? | ||
| Why would TR care about my business? | ||
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 | What is Ethylene? Formula C2H4 Ethylene is an invisible slightly sweet smelling gas which is naturally produced by all organic products. Commercially ethylene is used as a ripening agent for fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and bananas. In the floriculture industry, ethylene is used to initiate flowering of bromiliads and as a chemical pinch* for chrysanthemums. Briefly explained, tomatoes and bananas are relatively tender pieces of produce. They are both generally picked when green and hard. This allows the produce to be shipped with minimal or no damage. Once arriving at the sellers facility. The produce goes into a ripening room or chamber and a large dose of ethylene gas is introduced to speed up ripening. The bananas start to yellow and the tomatoes turn red. But once this process complete, the next step is to sell the product to the consumer. Once ripe you will want to store your product. Holding it at it's peak ripeness. . *Chemical pinch - Pinching is an operation which involves an individual going from flower to flower and cutting or removing the floret from the stem. Leaving the stalk so that the plant can grow taller or branch out. Sometimes this operation can be expensive to accomplish in a large scale greenhouse so the grower may decide to use a material such as Florel (liquid ethylene) to abort the flowers. |
 | Why filter Ethylene? Check-out this "You-tube" video about Green Bags SIDE_BY_SIDE TEST OF DEBBIE MYER'S GREEN BAGS Green Bags absorb ethylene gas The following comment is copied from the Wikipedia Website Commercial Issues Ethylene shortens the shelf life of many fruits by hastening fruit ripening and floral senescence. Tomatoes, bananas, and apples will ripen faster in the presence of ethylene. Bananas placed next to other fruits will produce enough ethylene to cause accelerated fruit ripening. Ethylene will shorten the shelf life of cut flowers and potted plants by accelerating floral senescence and floral abscission. Flowers and plants which are subjected to stress during shipping, handling, or storage produce ethylene causing a significant reduction in floral display. Flowers affected by ethylene include carnation, geranium, petunia, rose, and many others[23]. Ethylene can cause significant economic losses for florists, markets, suppliers, and growers. Researchers have come up with several ways to inhibit ethylene, including inhibiting ethylene synthesis and inhibiting ethylene perception. Inhibiting ethylene synthesis is less effective for reducing post-harvest losses since ethylene from other sources can still have an effect. By inhibiting ethylene perception, fruits, plants and flowers don't respond to ethylene produced endogenously or from exogenous sources. Inhibitors of ethylene perception include compounds that have a similar shape to ethylene, but do not elicit the ethylene response. An example of an ethylene perception inhibitor is 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). Commercial growers of bromeliads, including pineapple plants, use ethylene to induce flowering. Plants can be induced to flower either by treatment with the gas in a chamber, or by placing a banana peel next to the plant in an enclosed area. Using an ethylene filter is also better for the environment. Their are no chemicals to mix or dispose of. Plus the Potassium Permangante, once it is converted by absorbing ethylene gas becomes fertilizer' Take the spent material and spread it through your landscape. Your plants will thank you just like your customers will be thanking you for delivering longer lasting flowers. |
 | Why is the TR filtering system different? The process is not much different than the large commercial units generally used at the wholesale level. I grew up in the floral industry and have attended several seminars regarding the removal or elimination of ethylene. The one that really hit home with the idea of effective ethylene control and was dedicated to moving the surrounding air through a filter containing Potassium Permanganate. The ideal situation was to use a system like a hose ended vacuum cleaner and go from flower to flower, sucking away the ethylene from within and around it. With that principle in mind, we have concluded, that to effectively remove ethylene one would need to put a unit near the product to suck the ethylene gas away. But even some of the commercial units are not mounted near the product, but still give good results. The downside is the entry cost is substantial and the equipment not very attractive. So we went about the task of building our own and were going to sell our design so that others could build their own units. But after crunching numbers we found that we were at the fifty- five dollar range in materials alone. Well while shopping one day I happened to go down the fan aisle at the store and noticed the HEPA machines that were sitting on the shelf. The prices were in the $60 - $180 range. All of a sudden the lights came on and the wheels started spinning and the idea to use existing units for cleaning ethylene gas was a real thing. We know the challenges of creating profit in the floral industry and want those who are interested in giving their business a boost by delivering longer lasting flowers to their customers and less shrinkage could only mean higher profits. We are not even trying to sell you the HEPA machine. You could go and purchase that on your own at your local home store and save on shipping and physically touch and see the machines. So our part was to build the filters that would fit the HEPA machines. If you would feel more comfortable ordering the machine from us, we also offer the machines for sale and wind up making a whopping $5.00 from every sale. The material which goes into the filter sells for about $7.00 per pound. I am purposely sharing the cost information with you so that you know we are not trying to gouge or scam anyone. We are very interested, as always to help our fellow florists create a profit so we have taken the time to create the opportunity to use this technology at a reasonable cost. |
 | Which unit should I choose? Unit choice is determined by the square footage that your product occupies, not so much as you cooler or room size. Even the small Unit "A" would eventually be able to clean a large undisturbed cooler with no traffic. The Potassium Permanganate bonds with the ethylene molecules and chemically changes into another chemical. Which by the way could be used for fertilizer. Recommendations for size selection is listed in the description section next to each of the units. The difference between units has a lot to do with filter size. The filter in Unit"A" contains one pound of Potassium Permanganate. The Filter in Unit"B" contains two pounds of Potassium Permanganate. The Filter in Unit"C" contains three pounds of Potassium Permanganate. Unit "C" is suggested for busy walk-in work coolers. Work coolers seem to get much more debris left on the floor and much more traffic than a display cooler. The added filtering capacity helps to give that extra level of coverage. I really like the design of Unit"C". The machine brings the contaminated air into the unit from the side then projects the clean air upward (generally toward you cooling unit) and and spread throughout the cooler. Each of the HEPA units were designed to be attractive for use in a residence so they will fit in to your display cooler without to much distraction. Actually if people ask why the unit is there. You would be able to use it as a sales tool, letting your customers know that you have taken extra steps to make sure your products are stored in an environment to help prolong their life for extended days of enjoyment. |
 | How can Ethylene filtration benefit my business? Shrinkage is one of the biggest profit eaters in the florist and produce industries. Controlling it can significantly increase your profit. If you calculate your loss of your time for procurement, transporting, preparation for sale, storage and disposal cost. Just extending shelf life gives a much better opportunity for a sale. Shelf life is generally extended by two to three times. This mere fact could allow you to increase your purchasing power at the wholesale level. By purchasing early for an upcoming event could earn you a quantity discount. If your business is into party work, you would be able to assemble centerpieces or arrangements days earlier for an upcoming event. Thus spreading workload out over slower times of the week. Using an ethylene filter system is not a substitute for floral preservative. Ethylene filtration should be looked upon as an insurance policy for keeping your products fresher longer. If you are planning on still being in business next month or longer. You are going to be looking for repeat customers. I assure you that they will come back for flowers that have lasting quality. |
Why would TR care about my business? I as well as my family continues to care. Having been in the florist business for five generations, our family members are experts in the industry. In addition to helping fellow florists learn how to profit, we are proud to say our relatives have served as members of the board of directors for nearly every floral organization in existence. In fact, one of our senior family members was so revered for his expertise, he went on to become president of Florists' Transworld Delivery Inc. (FTD), as well as president of Interflora. It's your business. We just want to help you make it the best it can be. | |
| These are some common answers to questions Need to know more? E-Mail Us floralfilter@tr-usa.com | |
Tradewind Resources - Floral Division |