Do you know the tricks to make cut flowers last longer?
When you have a new bouquet of flowers you want them to last as long as possible.
Not just two or three days.
You want to enjoy them 4-5 days, a week, or even longer.
But how?
What are the tricks florists use to keep flowers alive longer?
What are their secrets for keeping cut flowers fresh?
And how do you increase the vase life of cut flowers?
Read on to learn how to extend the life of your fresh flowers.
7 Tricks to Make Cut Flowers Last Longer
1 ~ Having a clean vase will extend the life of flowers
I’m sure you’re saying “duh!”, but hear me out.
I’m not saying to clean your vase with just soap and water. I’m saying to clean it using one of these two ways:
Option 1: clean your vase with 1 part bleach and 10 parts water.
Option 2: clean your vase with soap and water, then wipe the inside with white vinegar.
Either way will ensure the inside of your vase is clean and ready for making cut flowers last longer.
2 ~ Start with warm water to make flowers last longer
When you are prepping your fresh flowers for their final vase or container, start with warm water.
Using lukewarm, clean water is key.
I understand that the best temperature for the water is between 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit. But, if you’re like me, you aren’t gonna pull out a thermometer.
Warm water helps the flowers to relax and absorb it.
Then after your fresh cut flowers are in their container for a day, it’s good to use cool water (or add a few ice cubes to the water). The cool water will slow decay and bacteria from growing.
Thereby enabling your fresh cut flowers to last longer.
3 ~ Condition your fresh cut flowers
Conditioning your freshly cut flowers is essential to them lasting longer.
If possible, do the following under water…
Using a knife, cut the flower stems at a 45-degree angle to the length you want for your display. You will also want to remove all leaves that will be under water.
I found this video that is awesome at showing how to properly cut your flower stems.
Don’t use your everyday scissors, as they can crush the stems.
4 ~ Keep cut flowers out of the sun
This trick to make cut flowers last longer made me think a little.
I mean ~ don’t flowers love sunshine? So wouldn’t putting them in the sun be a good thing?
Nope.
You actually want to keep fresh cut flowers out of the sun.
That’s because you want your flowers to last longer.
Sunshine encourages flowers to bloom, which will then speed up their lifespan.
So, if you want your flowers to last longer, keep them away from direct sunlight and heat.
5 ~ Avoid fruit to prolong the life of cut flowers
I bet you’re thinking…
What?
Why is avoiding fruit important to prolonging the life of fresh cut flowers?
Don’t you often see beautiful flower arrangements and bowls of fruit together in photos?
Well, that’s really just for the purpose of a nice picture.
As fruit ripens, it releases small amounts of ethylene gas. That gas can lessen the life of fresh cut flowers.
Who knew that was a trick to make cut flowers last longer?
So next time, place your fruit bowl and fresh flower arrangement away from each other.
6 ~ Retrim the flower stems every few days
Another trick to make cut flowers last longer is to retrim their stems every few days.
Recut them about an inch from the previous cut. This will help the flowers to absorb water and thus live longer.
At the same time, empty the existing water and add fresh water and flower food to your container.
7 ~ Put your flowers in the fridge
Now I know that most of us don’t have space in our fridge to also include fresh flowers.
But if you really want/need to extend the life of your flowers, the trick to make cut flowers last longer is to refrigerate them.
Put them in the fridge at night, when you go to bed, and take them out in the morning.
This is why you see flowers in a fridge at the florist, or in a refrigerated case at the grocery store.
Cold helps keep fresh cut flowers fresh longer.
Conclusion to increasing the vase life of cut flowers
I hope these 7 tricks to make your cut flowers fresh longer enables you to enjoy them for longer than you have in the past.
Remember to clean the vase, use warm water initially and cool water later, and to trim the stems using a knife, not your everyday scissors.
I didn’t include feeding your flowers, as I didn’t see it as a “trick”, more as something most people know to do.
Here’s to enjoying long-lasting fresh flowers!
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