Floral refrigerators are an imperative piece of equipment for any business selling fresh flowers. Floral refrigerators store flowers at temperatures between 33 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, preserving and keeping flowers fresh for prolonged periods of time. There are three basic types of floral refrigerators for merchandising and displaying flower arrangements. The types of refrigerators available are sliding-door, open-air and countertop.

Whether you are starting out new or are replacing your current equipment, you will want to consider the pricing and costs of floral refrigerators. Consider the following options as you shop around:

1. Use sliding-door floral refrigerators for flower preservation and display.

2. Allow customers to easily access arrangements with open-air floral coolers.

3. Purchase countertop floral refrigerators.

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Look into to sliding-door floral coolers

Sliding-door floral refrigerators accommodate a wide variety of floral temperature settings and provide attractive displays for floral arrangements, while keeping them at temperatures that prolong flower life. A single-door floral refrigerator sells for $1,500 to $2,600. Double-door refrigerators cost between $2,900 and $3,500. Larger triple and quadruple floral refrigerators range from $,4,000 to $7,000.

I recommend: Big Tray sells several types of sliding-door floral refrigerators. It has single-, double- and triple-door floral coolers available for purchase. Super Market Services is a great resource when you are trying to choose the best floral refrigeration solutions.

Store arrangements in open-air floral coolers for easy flower access and display

Open-air flower coolers make it easy for customers to access floral arrangements. Many open-air flower refrigeration systems are large enough for customers to smell the flowers without taking them out of the refrigerator. Open-air floral coolers sell for $1,000 to $6,500, depending on the dimensions of the cooler.

I recommend: For a variety of reasonably priced open-air flower coolers, look to Galasource Ventures. It carries several models from countertop to free-standing florist refrigerators. The Flower Expert offers tips and advice on refrigeration for the flower industry.

Use countertop flower refrigerators to display small arrangements

Countertop displays are a perfect way of displaying small floral arrangements. Companies sell countertop arrangements as both open-air and closed refrigerators. Countertop refrigerators cost between $800 and $2,400.

I recommend: When you are looking for countertop displays for your floral arrangements, look to Powers Equipment. It carries both glass door and open-air countertop florist coolers. For a guide to choosing refrigerated merchandisers for floral arrangements, visit the WEBstaurant Store.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  To save a significant amount of money on flower refrigerators, look for used or refurbished equipment. Make the most of used equipment by shopping with vendors that offer warranties.
• •  Running a flower refrigerator that is larger than you need can increase your energy bill without need. Choose the correct size and look for energy efficient models to help minimize this cost.

If you sell flowers, you need floral coolers to keep those flowers looking fresh and attractive. Most florists have a variety of coolers and refrigerators on hand in which to store cut flowers and plants, but you many not have thought much about this important part of your business.

1. Flower coolers keep flowers at the right temperature and humidity to help them last longer.
2. Coolers can help you keep flowers from blooming too early or wilting before events like weddings and parties.
3. Flower refrigerators protect your arrangements, but let customers see those that you’ve created.

Floral refrigeration is key to any business that sells flowers, including floral shops, grocery stores and sellers at local markets.

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Decide on the number of floral refrigerators and walk in floral coolers you need

Many florists use walk in coolers for employee use and flower refrigerators for customer use. Your space will often determine the type of coolers that you can place in each spot. Remember to measure the space you have and take into account how the cooler or refrigerator doors will open.

I recommend: SRC Refrigeration has a range of sizes and units. MEI has several self serve units that may work in tight quarters.

Buy floral coolers with adjustable temperature and humidity levels

You need the ability to adjust temperature and humidity for different types of flowers or conditions. With this option, you'll be able to make sure that the flowers you sell are always in top condition when they walk out the door with your customers.

I recommend: Refrigeration Equipment has flower coolers that help prevent browning and short shelf lives. The Walk-in Pros also have adjustable units to keep your flowers in optimum condition for resale.

Make sure the florist refrigerators you choose have adjustable shelves

Although virtually all refrigerators geared toward florists will have adjustable shelves, you'll still want to make sure that they are easy to use and can be quickly adjusted. As a florist, your creations need to be displayed and you don't want to be limited by the height of shelves when creating. Look for coolers that allow you a number of ways to place shelves so that you'll have plenty of height and width to work with.

I recommend: Floratech has a number of open floral coolers that can be adjusted for vases and floral stems. Flotaire coolers have adjustable shelves and can be customized to fit your needs.

Pay attention to aspects like lighting, self-closing doors and electricity needs

These items can make your overhead grow or remain within your budget. Look for units that will conserve energy and use eco-friendly options if at all possible.

I recommend: Walk in Cooler uses environmentally friendly refrigerants in its floral coolers. Bush Refrigeration has natural lighting and low velocity high humidity units in a range of styles.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Vending floral coolers can be a great option for after hour shoppers if you have a secure location for one. These floral coolers work just like other vending machines where the door to the particular floral arrangement opens when the individuals punches in the appropriate number and pays.

Floral management is part of America's landscape -- the constant demand for fresh flowers means that a well-placed floral shop (with a decent set of floral refrigerators and other must-have gear) has a pretty good chance to do business even in a downturn. But part of market competition in this arena is knowing how to cultivate and maintain beautiful, fresh flowers.

That's where floral training comes in. Training for florists involves many aspects, but a major one is temperature control, and that's why training for floral refrigerators and floral coolers is a part of any good floral program. Those who want knowledge of using temp equipment like floral coolers to start up a flower shop can turn to:

1. University based courses on horticulture that cover the correct uses of florist refrigerators and equipment to regulate flowers for best temperature control.

2. Online courses covering the use of flower refrigerators and other gear, as well as general horticulture.

3. Specialized seminars and trainings with tips for flower freshness and equipment handling.

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Use scholastic-based courses in floral management for learning about floral refrigerators

Part of finding out about temperature control is studying the floral response to stimuli, and university and college courses nationwide can help out on that front. Choose courses that cover distinct content on flower coolers and related gear.

I recommend: The Modesto Junior College is just one of many schools around the country offering courses in floral care, which cover aspects of floral refrigeration and optimal temperature controls. For a different kind of university based training, check out Cornell's Consumer Horticulture Program, or course offerings from Mississippi State's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

Locate online courses for learning about temp control with floral refrigerators

There's another option for those who want to stay up on aspects of floral management, like using floral refrigerators: online centers can help floral workers or those just starting up to search for the low-down on things like how to use a florist fridge or walk-in floral coolers in the course of a day's work.

I recommend: Get access to floral design courses at big ed site Merit Education: navigate to find relevant course offerings and follow up with reps to find courses covering floral refrigerators and temp controls for flowers. Or try Penn Foster's floral design courses that might shed some light on the same subject through online distance learning.

Use how-to sites for dealing with flowers and using flower refrigerators

Another great web resource is the wealth of information that is out there online: a beginning floral shop can get tips on how to care for plants from the pros -- all over the web.

I recommend: The website at FiftyFlowers.com includes helpful information on when to use flower refrigerators and other aspects of flower care. Find out more about flower behavior and how flower cooler temperatures affect plants at Simon Says Roses online.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Always take the Internet information on growing and using tools like flower refrigerators with a grain of salt. Even what's learned in classes is always second hand to actual experience.