On Volusia County’s rural west side, workers are spending time picking fern from hundreds of fields to be shipped out for Valentine’s Day. Volusia supplies about 80% of the world’s decorative fern and Feb. 14 is the top holiday.Freezing nights during winter months costs time and money for the industry. Dave Register has his own fernery and is a partner in the Fern Trust Cooperative. “In order for us to get our product to the wholesalers and the retail florists all over the world, we have to start harvesting early in January,” Register said.Farmers coat the plants with a protective layer of ice.”It keeps the temperature from dropping below 32 degrees, it also keeps the frost from forming,” Register said.Icing the plants though delays harvesting, typically for hours the next day. Sometimes sprinklers fail and the frost sets in anyway. If brown spots develop, the fern becomes unusable. In addition to untimely cold snaps, the local fern industry is facing a labor shortage by losing workers to area construction companies.”We’re probably 15-20% lower on employees than we should be this time of year,” Register said.
On Volusia County’s rural west side, workers are spending time picking fern from hundreds of fields to be shipped out for Valentine’s Day. Volusia supplies about 80% of the world’s decorative fern and Feb. 14 is the top holiday.
Freezing nights during winter months costs time and money for the industry. Dave Register has his own fernery and is a partner in the Fern Trust Cooperative.
“In order for us to get our product to the wholesalers and the retail florists all over the world, we have to start harvesting early in January,” Register said.
Farmers coat the plants with a protective layer of ice.
“It keeps the temperature from dropping below 32 degrees, it also keeps the frost from forming,” Register said.
Icing the plants though delays harvesting, typically for hours the next day. Sometimes sprinklers fail and the frost sets in anyway. If brown spots develop, the fern becomes unusable.
In addition to untimely cold snaps, the local fern industry is facing a labor shortage by losing workers to area construction companies.
“We’re probably 15-20% lower on employees than we should be this time of year,” Register said.
