Valentine’s Day – Kiwi growers a better pick

Valentine’s Day – Kiwi growers a better pick

Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches, but it’s buyer beware when it comes to choosing a longer-lasting, pesticide-free bloom.

Picking from a Kiwi rose grower instead of the influx of imported bouquets could make all the difference at home on February 14.

“One of the key advantages of buying a Kiwi-grown rose is that they will last longer because they haven’t been dipped in pesticide before being flown in dry packed boxes from Columbia or India,” says Chris Smellie, spokesperson for the NZ Flower Growers Association.

More than four million rose stems are imported New Zealand each year from India and Columbia.

Most of this product is dipped in Round-Up for about 20 minutes to prevent the stems from growing and thereby spreading pests and diseases.

“That’s a major reason why imported roses have such a short shelf life compared to locally grown product,” Mr Smellie says.

Most New Zealand products are delivered overnight in buckets of water, meaning they are fresh when they arrive at the florist.

In keeping with the country’s green image, Kiwi flowers also have a very small carbon footprint compared with their imported counterparts because they are locally sourced.

While nothing can compare to the flower head size of Colombian roses, Kiwi roses are of high all round quality.

“Buying roses on Valentine’s Day can be expensive, so it pays to know what you are buying and how to get the best value.”

The influx of Columbian roses increases threefold around Valentine’s Day, while the volume of Indian flowers brought into New Zealand rises between 15 and 20 times.

Columbian and Indian growers increase their harvest for the upcoming day but are forced to ship their flowers to New Zealand and other global destinations weeks in advance, affecting the products’ shelf life.

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