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That moment I stopped stripping rose stems with my knife
I was prepping 200 roses for a wedding in Austin last month and my thumb was killing me. I always stripped thorns and leaves with a quick knife motion down the stem. Then my coworker from Mexico showed me how she just snaps them off with her fingers. Turns out the knife cuts into the bark and makes flowers die faster. I tested it myself with 20 stems and the knife-stripped ones wilted 2 days sooner. Now I just use my hands and a thorn stripper if I have one. Has anyone else found that knives actually hurt flower life?
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the_elizabeth3mo ago
@terry_barnes had a good point about technique. For me, the hand snapping method was just simpler and I didn't have to worry about blade sharpness. I ran a similar test with 15 stems each and the knife group definitely flagged faster even with a fresh blade. Sometimes the simpler way is just better for consistency.
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abby1895mo ago
Respectfully disagree with you here. I've been using a sharp knife to strip stems for years and my flowers always last just fine through weddings and events. The trick is using a clean, SHARP blade so you barely cut into the bark at all, just gentle pressure to slide the thorns off without gouging the stem. I tested both methods side by side with 30 roses and honestly saw no difference in vase life after a week.
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terry_barnes5mo ago
Yeah, "barely cut into the bark" is the KEY here abby189. The problem is most people use a dull blade or a cheap stripper tool that tears the stem wide open. I've seen florists do it both ways and the difference comes down to technique, not the method itself. A clean cut heals fast, a ragged tear invites bacteria. You clearly know what you're doing with that sharp blade.
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