How to Make Cut Flowers Last Longer
Keeping fresh flowers alive and healthy is easy. Crisp flowers bring joy to any space but when they start to wither and wilt they can have the opposite effect. Learning how to take proper care of your flowers is essential in order to stop that dreaded drooping and slumping. Follow some easy care tips with your fresh flowers to get a longer life out of them.
Cut carefully but frequently
When it comes to trimming the ends of your flower or rose stems, you need to keep a few things in mind…
Firstly look at the scissors you intend to use. Ideally you should use garden secateurs – these should be clean and sharp enabling you to cut through the stem without causing any injuries to self or damage to the flower. Kitchen scissors will work but avoid using a knife if possible.
Next you need to consider how much you are cutting off. If there is no visible grime around the bottom of stems you should cut 2cm. Do this on a slight angle so that the stems don’t rest flat on the bottom of the glass and this allows the flowers take up more water.
How often should you cut your stems? This will depend on how long the stems were originally and the type of flower you have. Typically you should be doing this every 2-3 days and cleaning the stems as you go.
Reduce bacteria in the vase
Reducing the bacteria in your vase will also help enhance the flower life. This can be done in many ways and listed below.
Remove any stem foliage that will sit below the water in your vase. This is crucial in helping to avoid bacterial growth. Wet foliage is a perfect environment for fungi and bacteria to thrive, so removing these leaves will reduce the chances of this happening.
You should also clean vases before use with a good bleach or disinfectant solution. If you are using bleach, mix one part bleach to 10 parts water then pour this into your vase. Leave it for a few hours so that it really tackles any bacteria already in the vase. You can then use a brush to scrub the inside of the vase before rinsing out and thoroughly drying.
Sugar & Vinegar. This homemade combination will help enhance flower growth while also fighting any bacteria in the vase. The sugar will nourish the plants, and the vinegar will stop bacteria thriving. We recommend mixing 3 tablespoons of sugar, plus 2 tablespoons of vinegar into a litre of warm water. This concoction can then be poured into the vase when replenishing the water.
Consider the placement of flowers
The level of light that your flowers require will depend on the variation of blooms included in your bouquet. Generally speaking cut flowers will last longer when in cooler conditions. This may require placing them in your room where your vase gets a generous amount of light but not direct sunlight. Ensure that your vase is not placed directly near heaters or radiators.
Ethelyne gas is also a contributing factor to flowers wilting. This is known to be a silent (flower) killer as people often don’t know it’s there. It usually comes from over-ripe or spoiled fruit and vegetables. To reduce the impact of ethylene gas on your fresh bouquet of flowers be sure to remove any over-ripe fruit and vegetables close to where flowers are located.
5 Quick Tips to Make Cut Flowers Last:
- Protea’s are very thirsty flowers. Check every few days to see how much water they have.
- Daffodils should not be put in a vase with other flowers. They secrete a substance that kills other flowers when in the same vase.
- Tulips grow a few inches after they are cut and will continue to grow toward the closest light source.
- Lilies should have pollen removed. If the pollen gets on the flower petals, it can eat away at these delicate flower parts leading to a shorter life for your blooms.
- Roses prefer warm water. They are summer flowers so are familiar with luke-warm water.