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Michigan Greenhouses Battle Cold, Cloudy Spring

HOLLAND (WWJ) - Greenhouses across the state are trying to recover from a spring that's been mostly cold and cloudy, leaving flower baskets with less than full blooms.

Joe Miedema of JW Greenhouses in Holland said the weather has been brutal for his bottom line.

"We've only been open a few days. We opened a little bit later because it was so cold, but it does affect our sales early in the season," he said.

Miedema said his employees have been cutting back the stems on thousands of baskets of flowers to try to get them to regrow at the right length with better-looking flowers, which could take a few weeks before they're ready to be sold.

"It sets us back probably a week to 10 days, but it's worth the effort because of the end product," he said.

Miedema said cold damage can occur on all parts of the plant -- including leaves, fruit, stems, trunk and roots. But no matter what, Miedemsa said his business won't wilt in the face of challenges.

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