15 Tips To Keep Cut Flowers Fresh Longer

  

By Shabnam Ahsan

Fresh flowers can freshen up any dull room, & make your day as they express someone’s emotions for you. But the life of fresh flowers is generally short & they are easily perishable. Here are some tips to keep them fresh longer.

1…When you buy flowers try to buy most of them still in bud. They will have longer vase life & you will get the pleasure of watching them slowly open up.

2…Crush and split the bottom of the woody steamed flowers like Rose to take up water easily.

3…. Always cut rose’s stem holding it & sharp scissor under water like water filled sink or a big vessel to prevent getting an air bubble in the stem which can cause the rose heads to drop.

4…To lengthen the life of flowers snap their stems on a slant with a sharp knife to expose more stem surface & wash away the sticky white secretion.

5… Cut the stems another inch or so whenever you change the water. In this way by the end of the week, you will have shorter, but still alive bouquet

6… If you want to extend the life of your flower arrangement than put it in the coldest room of your house before going to sleep.

7...To keep the Tulip straight push small pins just below the flower heads & wrap the bunch in wet newspaper and leave them in two to three inches of water for about one and half hours.

8…Before putting the flowers in vase, remove all the leaves that will fall below the water level to prevent them rot & create bacteria resulting in shorting of life of the flowers.

9....Nearly all commercial floral preservatives contains 3 main ingredients, (1) biocide that is a chemical that kills bacteria, fungi & yeasts, (2) acidifier (3) sugar

Instead of using commercial floral preservatives, add 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon bleach & 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to 1 quart water to keep our flowers fresh & healthy for a longer time.

10….Best time to cut the flower is early in the morning or late in the afternoon when it has cooled.

11….Always use container in proportion of the flowers as too many flowers in very small container will look overcrowded & won’t get enough water to live longer & enough room to breathe.

12….Never put Daffodils & Tulips together as Daffodils sap is toxic to tulips.

13….Always put flowers away from fruits as fruits give off ethylene gas which makes flowers deteriorate more quickly.

14….Some flowers are more perishable than others. When they began to perish pull them out & continue to enjoy the flowers still looking good.

15…To create a humid atmosphere around the flowers, lightly spray with clean water from time to time.
               If you have move tips to keep fresh the flowers do share with us in comments.