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Are you tired of your beautiful flowers wilting after just a few days? It can be quite disheartening to see your flowers fade away too soon, whether you've received a bouquet as a gift or grown them in your own garden. But fear not, because we have some amazing tips and tricks that will help you extend the life of cut flowers and keep them vibrant in your vase for much longer.
Introducing our 8 Tips on How to Extend the Life of Cut Flowers
I understand that everyone wants their cut flowers to stay fresh and blooming for as long as possible, and I’m here to help you achieve that. After all, I can’t be encouraging you to grow your own cut flowers for them only to last a few days once you bring them into your house.
With these simple yet effective techniques, you'll be able to enjoy your beautiful flowers for an extended period of time, bringing a touch of nature's beauty into your home.
1. Cut them at the right time
If you are growing your flowers, cutting them at the right time of day can make a big difference. Timing is everything when it comes to cutting your flowers and extending the life of cut flowers.
Opt for the morning or late evening, when the stems are most hydrated. Avoid midday when the sun is strongest.
However, in winter, cut foliage during the warmest part of the day.
2. Use clean tools
Bacteria is the flower's arch-nemesis. It can block the cells that hydrate the stem, leading to wilting and the untimely demise of your flowers. So, it's crucial to maintain cleanliness when handling, to extend the life of cut flowers.
Say no to dirty tools!
Instead, grab clean, sharp cutting tools and place your flowers in clean buckets with fresh water.
3. Remove extra foliage
Extra foliage may seem harmless, but it can introduce bacteria and cause water to evaporate quickly from your flowers.
To prevent this, remove any leaves that will be below the waterline of your vase. By doing so, you'll stop bacteria growth, avoid premature wilting, and keep your water smelling fresh.
4. Condition your flowers
When you cut flowers, they are technically cut off from their life source. Thus, they start to wilt and dry up shortly after. To extend the life of cut flowers and keep them fresh longer, give them a big drink of water after being cut. Flowers, like all living things, need water to survive.
After cutting, place your flowers in a water bucket overnight. This allows them to fully drink and rejuvenate.
The next day, your flowers will be ready for use in your sustainable seasonal flower gardening. This is the basic step to conditioning your flowers. With this simple technique, you will extend the life of cut flowers.
5. Condition ‘dirty' flowers separately
Some flowers and bulbs release toxins into the water from their freshly cut stems. Euphorbia and Narcissus are among them, so it's best to condition these separately until the next day.
Additionally, certain flowers like Achillea, Amaranthus, Dahlias, Marigolds, Stocks, Sunflowers, and Zinnias encourage bacteria growth and discolour the water.
These “dirty” stems need extra attention, so be sure to change the vase water more frequently when they're part of your arrangement.
6. Change the water & re-cut the stems frequently
Flower food might sound like a magical solution, but did you know that fresh, clean water can be just as effective?
Studies have shown that flowers last just as long without added flower food. So, change the water and re-cut the stems every few days to keep your flowers hydrated and fresh.
Don't forget to clean the vase thoroughly before adding fresh water. And if you're facing hot weather, a drop of bleach can help keep the flower water clean and bacteria-free.
7. Keep them cool
Moisture is constantly being lost from flowers through tiny holes in the underside of leaves. This causes more water to be drawn up through the stems to replace it. This is called transpiration. Transpiration can cause cut flowers to wilt quickly if the water is not replenished.
To slow down the transpiration process, keep your flowers cool.
Avoid direct sunlight and heat sources like radiators and appliances. Find a cool spot in your home where your blooms can thrive and last longer.
8. Never mix old and new flowers
Older stems will already have bacterial growth, so adding these to a vase of fresh flowers will mean the pre-existing bacteria will attack the new stems with great vigour, causing both sets of flowers to die more quickly.
If you have older flowers that have seen better days, consider creating a new arrangement with the still vibrant ones, perhaps in a smaller vase.
So there you have it!
Follow these tips to care for and extend the life of cut flowers. And if you're curious to learn more about how to correctly cut and condition your home grown flowers, check out this post.
If you are ready to buy your seeds I have all of the easy cut flower seeds to grow in my shop (aff). Shop Now
