I have the same question! My one resource says it is OK to cut as petals start to unfurl but last year, my poppy did not open when I handled in this manner. I cut two a few days ago and waited until they were out of the green pod before cutting. I cut two this morning (I decided to experiment again as I have many more blooms this year) where the pod has cracked open allowing me to see the pink underneath. I singed them and have them in deep cool water.

I have not had problems with my poppies molding before opening; however, last year was such a wet year for so many gardeners, maybe this year will be better?

Which Oriental poppies are you growing?

Teresa

Another report: The two Oriental poppies that I cut as the sepals were starting to open needed a lot of help to completely open. After 24 hours of conditioning, I pulled off the sepal on Friday morning as it had not budged and it was not easy to do this. I also recut the stems and singed them. Now, 48 hours later, one of the poppies is starting to unfurl while the other one is still tightly curled. My assessment is that the sepals must be completely off before the poppy is cut or it will not open.

Teresa