Stop Your Flower Bouquets From Wilting Away With These Expert-Backed Tips
One of my fondest childhood memories is a time I went to the farmers market with my family and they asked me to take home a bouquet of sunflowers. I continued this tradition into adulthood, keeping fresh cut flowers in my home—sometimes sunflowers, but more often than not the beautiful bouquets sold at the local farmers market down the street.
But even after years of buying flowers every week, I still get sad when the petals start to wilt, turn brown, and fall. Whether you buy flowers for yourself at your local supermarket or you receive a special bouquet to mark a celebration or milestone, you want to prolong the life of those flowers as long as possible.
I spoke to two flower experts to round up my tips for buying the freshest flowers and how to keep them last longer. I will also share common myths that horticulturists believe don’t work. (For more tips, see here The best location for your plants,This is Best Indoor Plants for Low Light and Clean Air.)
What to pay attention to when cutting flowers
You’re in the store, ready to buy flowers for yourself or someone special, but which bouquet should you choose from the dozens on the stall? Believe it or not, this decision can affect the lifespan of the flowers you purchase.
Joe Gugia, owner JP Design Flowers Based in Santa Maria, California, has been in the floral industry for over 45 years. He told me that many bouquets are shipped from Ecuador or California, so it’s important to carefully inspect each stem and leaf to make sure you’re not buying flowers that are older or damaged in transit.
Next, after pulling the bushel from the display stand, check to make sure the water is clean and the leaves are not yellow, spotted, or droopy. You also want to make sure the stems aren’t slimy or broken. Lucy Bradleyprofessor of consumer and community horticulture North Carolina State Universitytell me you need to check for fuzzy gray mold and droopy, damaged petals.
“Extend vase life by selecting flowers that are just beginning to open,” says Bradley. “For roses and other single flowers, choose flowers with only one petal unfolded. For gladioli and other spikes, choose stems with only the first two or three flowers open. For daisy-type flowers, like sunflowers, choose flowers with the center still Green.”
Your in-store purchasing decisions may affect the longevity of your bouquet.
Practical flower cutting tips
While there’s a lot to be said for flower care, Gugia and Bradley cracked down on a few tips that are guaranteed to work.
Change the water—and do it often
Adding fresh, warm water to a clean vase is a sure-fire way to keep your flowers healthy longer.
“For those receiving vase arrangements, the key is to change the water as often as possible,” says Gugia. “If they took the whole thing out, dumped the water, put fresh water in, and put the device back in, they could keep them there for several days.”
Why? Bradley explains that simply pouring out the water will remove any bacteria growing in the vase’s water that might clog the stems and prevent moisture absorption.
trim ends
Gugia and Bradley both agree that re-trimming the stems as soon as you get your bouquet home is the key to longevity. But don’t even think about reaching for those dull kitchen scissors!
Bradley says the best thing to do is to trim the flowers with a sharp knife or scissors to prevent damaging the stems and reducing their ability to absorb water. Start by wiping the tool with rubbing alcohol, then carefully make new cuts on all stems at a 45-degree angle, at least a half-inch from the end of the stem.
Cutting at an angle will cause most of the base of the stem to lift away from the base of the vase. Bradley says it clears out clogged tissue that no longer carries water to the flower.
Be sure to trim the ends of the stems before placing the flowers in the vase.
Add pennies but note their age
You may have heard of the penny method, or you may have tried throwing a penny into a vase with water and flowers. But before you reach for your wallet or jeans pocket, you need to know that only pennies minted before 1982 are acceptable. These are substances with natural antibacterial properties, derived from copper.
“The original pennies contained copper, a fungicide that prevented disease,” Bradley said. “However, the coins are now made primarily of zinc and are therefore no longer valid.”
Some flower cutting techniques are not real Work
When it comes to flower care, there are also debates about what works and what doesn’t. Maybe you’ve tried a few in the past – no judgment here! That said, the experts I spoke to busted some of the biggest myths about keeping cut flowers fresher longer.
Is there sugar in the vase?
If you paid attention to your high school science class, you probably remember that flowers benefit from the sugars produced by photosynthesis. But this mainly applies if the flowers or leaves are still attached to the plant, so think twice before pouring the entire sprite into the vase of water.
While sugar can extend the life of cut flowers, those packets of flower preservatives work even better.
Bradley explains that sometimes adding a teaspoon and a half of sugar per quart of water or using half water and half carbonated lemonade in a vase can serve as plant food to extend blooming time, but none are as effective as commercial flower preservatives. agent.
Flower preservatives are small packages that often come with flower arrangements. They often contain sucrose and fungicide (an antibacterial agent) to provide energy to the flowers, help the stems absorb more water and prevent bacterial growth.
Can bleach help flowers stay fresh?
As the saying goes, a little bit of bleach goes a long way. Bradley explains that a few drops of bleach (one teaspoon per gallon of water) can help kill bacteria and fungi, but adding too much (which is too easy) can also kill plant cells.
Can vodka, vinegar or aspirin extend the life of flowers?
There are tons and tons of tips on the internet about how to keep cut flowers longer, including vinegar, aspirin, vodka—you name it. While these methods may work depending on your situation, our experts don’t recommend these tips because they are based on anecdotal evidence rather than scientific support.
Clean water is key to extending the life of your flower arrangements.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t do any of these things because in most cases the arrangement will be a mix of multiple types of flowers, which might easily not accept whatever you put in the water,” says Gugia. “Keeping the water clean is the best thing.”
More tips for you:
FAQ
Why shouldn’t I add vodka, aspirin, vinegar, or other substances to my garden watering mixture?
While vodka, aspirin, and vinegar may help prevent certain flowers from wilting, many bouquets are made up of several different types of flowers. Methods that keep one flower alive may harm or kill others, so you either need to study the effects of the mixture on each flower or exclude it from the bouquet.
Should I put sugar in the vase with fresh cut flowers?
While adding some sugar to the water in which your plants are watered can help promote their health and keep them alive, it doesn’t do much for plants cut from their stems. You can try adding sugar to complement other techniques—but don’t expect it to do much for your bouquet.
