Cut flowers are one of the gifts that should not be missing on any special occasion of your life, whether it is a birthday, a college graduation, or the anniversary of the marriage. They do not only bring peace, beauty and are beautiful ornaments, but they also are symbols of one’s feelings, bring positive energy and much more. Unfortunately, cut flower bouquets do not last for long if you do not know how to care for them. Keep reading to find out more information about:
* Tips for caring for cut flowers
* Interesting ways to make cut flowers last longer
* How to keep the cut flowers fresh, alive and healthy
Tips for Caring for Cut Flowers
To make your flowers last longer, you should know and follow some general rules of care. One of the most common mistakes made by those who receive cut flowers is to forget to cut the stems. From the stems, you should cut about 1 to 2 inches, at an angle, using garden scissors. These angled cuts favor the flowers to have a greater supply of water.
Another tip is to remove the guard petals, so your bouquet looks richer. Also, you should eliminate the wilted leaves that fell into the water from the flower pot, thus preventing the spread of bacteria.
The flowers should be placed in a clean vase, with water at room temperature, the water in which a packet of flower food was very well mixed. The water should not be too diluted or too concentrated and do not forget to change the water every two or three days, as flowers prefer fresh and clean water.
Flowers do very well in cool rooms. Avoid placing the flower pot directly in the sunlight or near heat sources. Flowers should not have any temperature fluctuations, so they should not be placed near an open window or fan.
We also share with you one well-kept secret: fresh fruits release small amounts of ethylene gas, which shortens the life of your fresh flowers. This means that you should not keep your fresh flowers around fresh fruits if you want to prolong their life.
These general rules of care can help your flowers to keep blooming and last longer.
Interesting Ways to Make Cut Flowers Last Longer
As certain remedies for improving human health were passed down from generation to generation until today, the same way we have popular remedies for maintaining the cut flowers’ beauty and freshness for a longer period of time. In order to use these tips, you need to have access to the following items: garden scissors, a high ceramic vase, a small ceramic vase, soda packs, aspirin tablets, apple cider vinegar, and sugar.
One popular remedy is to add two tablespoons of sugar and mix it with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the warm water in which you put the flowers. Vinegar acts as an antibacterial agent, and sugar acts as extra food for flowers.
Secondly, one crushed aspirin in the water in which you keep the fresh flowers lowers the pH level of the water, thus allowing the flowers to feed better. This prevents wilting for a longer time.
If you add a copper coin to the water in which you keep your freshly cut flower bouquet, this coin acts as an acidifier, so the bacteria is wiped out. On the fourth day after you put the copper coin in the bowl, the flowers open beautifully.
You may also place your bouquet of freshly cut flowers in the refrigerator overnight. If they stay in the refrigerator for eight hours every night, they can look as fresh as before even on the 10th day.
If you add a few drops of alcohol to the water in the pot holding your bouquet of fresh cut flowers, it inhibits the production of ethylene, a gas that helps the plants mature. Thus, you slow down the process of wilting the flowers and they have a longer life.
Another trick is adding a cup of soda to your vase with fresh cut flowers, and this tip also helps to prolong their life and keep them blossoming for a longer time than if you do not add the soda.
Finally, don’t forget to feed your plants. A package of flower food placed in your pot with freshly cut flowers works wonders and keeps them fresh for a long time.
How to Keep the Cut Flowers Fresh, Alive and Healthy
Freshly cut flowers are perfect for brightening any space, but their freshness longevity depends definitely on bacteria, fungi, and dehydration. Other environmental factors that could shorten the life of the flowers include placing them in a ventilated space, in a hot room, or under direct sunlight.
If you take care of your cut flowers, they can be fresh between seven to 12 days. You should know that there are more durable flowers such as roses, daisies, lilies, freesia, and sunflower. Fresh spring flowers such as lilies, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths are more fragile and last less than the rest of flowers.
Florists recommend some steps in order to keep longer the beauty of your flowers:
*Make an oblique cut 1 to 2 inches from the stems before you put your cut flowers in the vase.
*Place the flowers in a vase that is suitable for the number of flowers you have and their length. Long flowers can be cut and can be placed in a smaller vase, where they can support each other when they open. The flowers also have to have space, not to be crowded, to be able to spread. The best pots for freshly cut flowers are those made of ceramic.
*Flowers like the cool rooms, so, keep them out of direct sunlight.
*Feed your flowers and change the water every two or three days.