Packaging Methods and Technical Points for Cut Chrysanthemums

When cut chrysanthemums are transported over short distances or in small quantities, they usually do not need packaging and can be sent directly to the flower market; however, for long-distance transport, especially cross-border export of cut flowers, packaging is essential.

When cut chrysanthemums are transported over short distances or in small quantities, they usually do not need packaging and can be sent directly to the flower market; however, for long-distance transport, especially cross-border export of cut flowers, packaging is essential. The packaging of cut chrysanthemums follows the general principles of cut flower packaging:

(1) Protect the product from mechanical damage, and do everything possible to keep it intact and free of scratches.

(2) Allow heat exchange; do not use completely sealed packaging.

(3) Remove field heat promptly and try to reduce respiration intensity.

(4) The packing box must be strong enough to withstand normal handling and stacking.

(5) The packing box is printed with the trademark, instructions or directions for use.

Commonly used packaging materials include fiberboard boxes, wooden boxes, reinforced plywood boxes, cardboard boxes, plastic bags and so on. In the past, wooden products were mostly used for packaging. Because plastic products are lightweight and reusable, in recent years various kinds of plastic packaging have been widely used. At present, cardboard boxes are mainly used in China, and the dimensions of the cardboard box are generally 110 cm long, 35 cm wide and 15 cm high. Such a cardboard box can hold 100 stems, with every 10 stems tied into 1 bunch, 5 bunches placed in the bottom layer, a U-shaped cardboard divider inserted, and then 5 more bunches placed in the opposite direction, after which the cardboard box is closed. This helps ventilation inside the cardboard box. Standardizing the dimensions of packing boxes is very important; uniform specifications facilitate mechanized loading and unloading and transport, allow neat and stable loading, and reduce operating costs. Each 5 bunches are wrapped in thin paper to prevent the petals from directly contacting the box wall and being damaged by friction. At present, manual handling still predominates during transport. If the weight exceeds 30 kg, injuries are likely during handling, and ease of calculation must also be taken into account, so for standard cut chrysanthemums it is best to use a specification of 100 stems per box, with a maximum of no more than 200 stems. Generally, for long-distance transport (lasting more than 1 day), the heat released by cut flower respiration must be taken into account, and it is best to use refrigerated trucks or refrigerated containers.

Now, advanced countries abroad already use automatic sorting machines and bundling machines to assist packaging: removing lower leaves, cutting to the required length, classifying by weight, and then bundling, which can process 1500-1700 cut flowers per hour. In China, this is still mostly done manually at present.