WHEN WILL FLOWERS BE READY

Most specimens  will be ready in five to seven days, but some take longer.

A pressed flower held by its stem will stand upright if it is completely dry. 

Flowers that are not yet dry can be damaged easily by handling.  Take care when testing for readiness.

From the moisture squeezed out onto the computer paper during the pressing,  flowers  will sometimes stick. 

Try scratching the back of the paper with a fingernail (at the spot where the flower has adhered) to release it.  This usually works. 

If your tweezers are thin enough, often they will slip beneath the flower to ease it off.  

Always press extra flowers in case one becomes damaged.

When pressed material is completely dry, store in its "computer paper sandwich" in an extra phone book until needed. 

         You can enter information on the sandwich: specimen, date, etc. 

         Post-it notes, cut in half, make good index tabs for your storage phone book.   It is good to be able to find what you need without wasting time in a search through unmarked pages.