Can cut flowers last longer? – Home and family > Plants

You love flowers like crazy and a fresh bouquet always makes you happy, whether the flowers come from your garden or you bought them at the market or florist. You want the arrangement you have made to your taste to last as long as possible, not just a few days… Here are some simple steps you can follow to increase the lifespan of the flowers in the vase.

For this purpose it is necessary:

sharp knife, pliers or garden shears;
a bucket;
a vase;
What;
7 up;
health agent.

1. Cut off the tails of the flowers. If you want to create a composition with garden flowers, cut them in the morning, before the dew dries, or in the evening, very early.

Using a knife, pliers or garden shears, cut the stem above a growth, bud or shoot, to stimulate growth.

After finishing this operation, place the stems in a bucket full of warm water.

2. Cut the flower tails again, this time in a crisscross pattern. This process must be done under water, to eliminate air bubbles that block the absorption of water and food.

Some species of flowers, including celosia, sunflowers and marigolds, last longer if you immerse the ends of the stems in boiling water for 20 seconds, or pass them over a candle flame, to prevent dripping and the loss of the nutrient-rich sap.

To make the plants last as long as possible, remove damaged, diseased or dry leaves, as well as those under water: these are the ones that risk decomposing the fastest.

3. Provide the flowers with the necessary conditions. A few hours before making the composition, ensure the necessary conditions are met for the cut flowers. Let the stems rest in warm water, in a dark and cool place, where they can easily absorb the water…

4. Prepare the floral arrangement. The flowers preserved in this way should be placed in a vase with warm water (40-43 degrees centigrade). To slow down the aging process, place the vase in a well-ventilated and cool place (temperatures even 3-4 degrees centigrade).

Don’t place flowers near cut, peeled, or open fruits or vegetables, because they produce ethylene, a gas that speeds up the ripening process or, in the case of flowers, the aging process.

5. Add water. Freshly cut flowers have enough stored sugar to survive in a vase. But if you want to add a stronger preservative, try a homemade combination.

According to recent tests, commercial flower preservatives are less effective than the following formula: 1 cup of 7-Up, 1 cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of bleach.

The sugar contained in the 7-Up drink provides sufficient energy to the flowers and the whitening agent controls the bacteria. If you need more liquid we recommend increasing the quantity proportionally.

6. Change the water. The water in the vase needs to be changed every few days.

In mixed bouquets some flowers can release sap that is toxic to other varieties of plants, thus reducing the lifespan of the floral composition. This can be avoided by changing the flower water as often as possible.