Ever buy or receive a bouquet of flowers only to find them drooping or losing petals within a short time? Good news! In addition to choosing the right size vase, trimming the stems in a slant before placing flowers in water, avoiding direct sunlight, and keeping your flowers hydrated, here are a few extra special ways to increase the longevity of your cut flowers!
Let’s see what some experts say:
- Reader’s Digest – mix two tablespoons apple cider vinegar and two tablespoons sugar with the vase water before adding flowers. Change the water every few days to increase longevity.
- ProFlowers – mix one crushed aspirin into your vase of fresh-cut flowers. Aspirin is said to lower the water’s pH level, allowing it to travel through the flower faster and prevent wilting. ProFlowers says it’s your best bet for keeping flowers fresh.
- Green Fresh Florals & Plants – If your flowers arrive with a small packet of flower food, use it. Most contain sugar to feel the flowers and acid to maintain the pH levels of the water. They also contain a little bleach to reduce bacteria and fungi in the vase water, thereby helping your cut flowers survive longer.
- Treehugger – Adding some vodka works. They explain that because of a chemical known as ethylene, the same chemical that makes bananas brown and avocados soft, flowers bloom and wilt. Vodka is known to slow the flowers’ natural production of this chemical, thereby helping your plant thrive longer.
- Women’s Day – If you lack commercial flower food, try adding a little sugary soft drink to the water, such as ginger ale, along with a teaspoon of white vinegar or bleach to control bacteria. No matter which preservative you choose, always add it first to your vase, then fill it with lukewarm water to help it mix in and dissolve.
Caring for a lovely vase of flowers is easy, and the longevity of your blooms can be extended using any of the above clever techniques. Enjoy treating yourself to a beautiful bouquet from a florist or your local grocery store. With a little investment of your time to preserve them longer, your flowers can become the most exquisite showpieces for days and days!