Extending The Life of Your Cut Flowers
January 14, 2008 by Linette Gerlach
Filed under Flowers, Seasons
With Valentine’s Day coming up in a couple weeks, you may be asking, how do I extend the life of the flowers I might get from that special someone?
There are several things you can do to help extend the life of your bouquet. Many florists give you a packet to empty into the water when you put your flowers in the vase. The fresh flower food is your best bet to help your flowers stay fresh, and help buds blossom.
As soon as you get your flowers you should cut a little off the bottom to make a fresh cut, and put the stems immediately into warm water if possible, with the plant food. Use a sharp knife to make the cut, scissors will pinch the stem and prevent the flower from taking up water.
Be sure there are no leaves submersed in the water. Leaves in the water will increase the amount of bacteria faster, making the water go bad, and rotting the stems.
Every day you should re-cut the stems, clean the container, and freshen the water. Warm water works best, it helps keep the plant cells open so fresh water can be drawn in. Add new plant food if you have it. Keep your flowers in a cool place. Fresh flowers will last longer if they’re kept cool.
What do you do if you don’t have plant food from the florist? If you don’t have the food from the florist, or if you would rather use a natural plant food for your flowers you can feed them with a sugar mixture. Mix 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup of water until the sugar is dissolved. You can also add a half an aspirin to the mix.
Here are some additional fresh flower care resources:
Selecting and Caring for Cut Flowers at About.com
Green Living: Caring for Cut Flowers Without Chemicals
Tags: Valentines Day flower care, fresh cut flower care, caring for fresh flowers, extending the life of cut flowers, natural flower care
Great information! I do cut the stems and try to remember to change the water daily… but didn’t realize you could use sugar water as plant food! I’ll have to remember that! Thanks!
Bev
I have the hardest time remembering to put new water in daily. I didn’t know about the scissors. I’ll have to remember that one.