We all love having flowers given to us, or having fresh cut flowers around the house so here are some to tips to keep them looking fresh and alive for longer.
Firstly that small packet of stuff that came with your flowers, please don’t ignore it and throw it away. This small packet contains a mixture of simple sugars, which act as a food source for the plant to help it grow. A bactericide that is important for killing bacteria that could grow on the plant and can block the tiny tubes it takes up water with. And an acidifier for regulating the pH of the water. Flowers prefer a slightly acidic pH rather than neutral. As well as maintaining the vital balance of these three things there are other things you can do to help keep those lovely flowers alive for longer
- Place the flowers in warm water as they transport this more quickly than cold water. Be sure to keep the open stems under water as much as possible transferring quickly from one water source to another.
- When preparing your flowers to be put in a vase cut off all the leaves that will be below the water level as these can be a source of bacteria growth.
- Cut the stems at a 45 degree angle to increase the available surface area for water uptake
- Be sure to give the flowers fresh water every two days, not just a top up, completely refill the vase. When doing so place them in warm water and take an inch or so of the bottom of the stems.
- Natural remedies to replace the food source, bactericide and acidifier can be used when the one supplied by the florist has been used. A good solution to help prolong the life of the flowers is a mixture of water (vital to life), bleach (kills bacteria), table sugar (food source) and lemon juice (acidifier). For a litre of water add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon of bleach. Trust me, it works.
- Keep flowers out of direct sunlight.
- Give daffodils their own vase, they produce chemicals that are poisonous to other flowers
- Finally don’t store flowers near fruits in particular bananas. They release lots of CO2 as they age which ages the flowers faster.
These simple tips will help to extend your flowers life for many more days and keep that feeling of happiness that little bit longer.
