Packing. All the flowers, both cut, and potted plants require packaging before shipping. For packing cut flowers intended for transport, the so-called. cartons. These are cardboard boxes of various dimensions. The most commonly used cartons are quite long and narrow - from 80 do 120 cm in length, about 30 cm wide and 25 cm in height, with a clip-on or slip-on drawer lid.
Cardboard boxes for more delicate and more expensive flowers are often saturated with paraffin.
The cardboard boxes inside are lined with paper. Depending on the season and outside temperature, the layers of paper lining the cardboard can be from 1 do 7. Then the cardboard prepared in this way is filled with flowers. The flowers are arranged tightly, but so that they do not destroy each other, and therefore also in layers, and the more delicate ones are translated with papers (a delicate one is best suited for this purpose, thin tissue paper). You can also pack the flowers in a dozen or so pieces beforehand (preferably after 10-20) Put separately in paper and place bundles packed in this way tightly in cardboard boxes. The full cardboard box is covered with a lid and tied with a string.
Flowering potted plants and ornamental greens are sent in low circular ones, wicker baskets, properly protected against cold or high temperatures. The bottom of the basket is covered with moss, hay or wood wool. Houseplants, to be placed in the basket, first wrapped in paper. Wrapping is performed as follows: rectangular sheet of paper ..appear "- the length of which should be several centimeters longer than the height of the plant, and the width - at least twice the circumference of the upper edge of the pot - - place it on a table suitable for packing, so that the long side of the sheet is on the packer's side. Place the pot and plant lying down on a paper like this, so that the closest edge of the sheet, after wrapping it with your hand, reaches to the middle of the pot and that the bottom of the pot can also be half covered with paper (the paper should reach the hole in the pot). After placing the plant on the paper in this way, the proper wrapping is started: First, the pot with the left edge of the paper is held in one hand and all the leaves are pushed upwards, and then the pot is wrapped in paper by rolling the upper edge over it. When wrapped in this way, the paper will form an almost regular cylinder, what is an indicator, that the pot has been wrapped properly.
Rolling the pot with the top edge, lifting slightly upwards is necessary, because the pot at the bottom is always narrower and if this rule is not respected, the paper will curl diagonally, which will result in improper packing. When the entire sheet intended for packaging has been rolled up, gently pull down the paper on the pot with both hands, to even, tuck the edges towards the center of the bottom of the pot and put it on the table quite vigorously. This will help the package stick well around the plant and pot. The upper part of the wrapped plant is then secured; The paper protruding above the plant is evened out and slightly folded in a similar way, how it wraps e.g.. seed bags. To prevent the packaging from unfolding, you can fasten the paper with a pin, with a paper clip or a stapler, or stick together with cellophane tape.
The pots wrapped in this way are placed in the basket strictly one next to the other. It should be positioned this way, so that taller plants are in the center, and the lower ones closer to the edges of the basket.
When packing some of the more delicate potted plants, like for example. gloxinia, calceoloria or large-flowered pyrethrum, the flowers should be wrapped additionally with a soft one, Wrap the plants with delicate tissue or lignin - sticking a few thin supports into the soil of the pots, then wrap the entire plant in paper; only such protected plants can be placed in baskets.
After the basket is filled with plants, it is covered with paper and secured with wicker bars, which are hammered into the circumference of the basket and tied at the top, creating a dome-shaped scaffold above the basket. To strengthen the basket packaging, a rope is intertwined between the wicker bars.
For shipment of wrapped cut flowers and potted flowers by post, by rail, by car or by plane - attach the so-called. specification with the address of the recipient and sender, the amount of plants, full species and variety name as well as selection and price.
The address of the recipient and sender should be clearly visible on the outside of the package. In addition, the parcel must be labeled with the following labels as clearly visible as possible: "Attention - live plants", "Away from fire and cold", "do not throw", "Do not overturn" etc..