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How you can Extend the Life of Fresh Cut Flowers

By: Ben Draggin

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Giving fresh flowers makes everybody feel special. Those that are given the flowers undoubtedly feel special, but those that give fresh flowers feel special too. Fresh flowers can help say "I love you," "Thank you," "Get well," "I'm sorry" and "You're special" in ways that words alone cannot express. A bouquet or vase of fresh flowers can help communicate emotions. How powerful is that? The problem is that fresh flowers don't last.

Can you extend the vase-life of fresh cut flowers with good treatment? It would seem like a straightforward question. But if you look online there are dozens of opinions, many offered as fact. But which is accurate and which is useless information? Here is the solution, presented by a professional florist with 30 years of experience. These techniques are based on both academic research and first-hand knowledge.

Extending the vase-life of fresh flowers begins as soon as you receive them. Put the stems in water without delay. As soon as possible cut the stems back ½ inch at an angle. Use a sharp knife, not scissors or a serrated knife. This cut will remove air bubbles in the stem. Air bubbles can prevent the absorbtion of water. The angled cut exposes additionial stem to water to permit the flower to absorb water more easily. In the meantime thoroughly clean the vase with a 10% bleach solution.

Water alone however is not the ideal solution to extend the life of fresh cut flowers. They need more. Homemade preservative solutions run the gamut from aspirin to copper pennies to sugar to bleach. Additions include various flavors of soda, Listerine, corn syrup, lemon juice and more. Is there a grain of truth to these solutions?

Fresh flowers need acidic water for two reasons. flowers take up acidic water more rapidly, and acidic water slows the growth of microorganisms that could block the stems. A number of of the home-grown ingredients help make the water acidic. Studies have found that water with a pH of 3.5 works best

Flowers also want carbohydrates in the form of sugars. |Several of the home-based ingredients such as sugar, corn syrup or lemon-lime soda, do supply sugar, but in widely varying amounts. Different flowers however, require varying amounts of sugar. Some like their water on the sweet side, while others not so much. So what is the solution?

The solution to all the above issues is to use the packets of floral preservative that usually comes with fresh cut flowers. These commercial preservatives are formulated to contain everything the flowers need. Mix the packet into warm water (100-110 degrees) according to directions on the packet. Transfer the flowers into the warm liquid and put the vase in a cool location. Keep the flowers out of direct sunlight and as cool as possible. Change the preservative mixture every other day. Snip ½ inch off the stems whenever you change the water if possible.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

There you have it the secrets of extending the vase-life of your fresh cut flowers. Pay no attention to what other websites say. You know better now. Charles Osborne is the proprietor of A-Bow-K, a leading florist in Tampa. A-Bow-K is a family-owned business, and has been helping express emotions in Tampa and the surrounding area for 30 successful years.

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