What everyone needs to know when cutting roses
There's no doubt that red roses are the most popular flowers for Valentine's Day. Of course, the greater demand means that prices also tend to rise around this time of year. If you, or somebody you know, has their very own greenhouse and you're strapped for cash, you might like to order a few red carnations or white flowers to add to some freshly picked red roses. If you are picking roses yourself, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Being prepared is of vital importance. You need to have sharp scissors or sheers to ensure that you don't damage the flower stems or the plant. You will also need a bucket of fresh water so that your flowers don't dehydrate. Keep a second bucket of water on hand and clean your scissors or sheers every time you move from one plant to the next. This way, if one plant has a disease, you will reduce the risk of spreading it.
Whenever you pick roses, you need to do so at the right time of day. Ideally, this is some time after 3pm. The flower and plant's food reserves are at their highest at this tme of day which means that they will last longer in the vase after being cut.
Take your pick and do so carefully. You want to make sure that you don't choose flowers that are fully opened or tightly closed. Choose buds that are slightly open. This way, you know that they will open in the vase and they will last much longer than flowers that have already completely opened. Remember, your roses will have guard petals that need to be removed in order to help them open up fully. This also applies to roses purchased from your local florist. You will need to condition them properly before displaying them in order to ensure that they look their best for as long as possible.
When cutting each flower, you should only cut as much of the stem as you need. Don't cut too much or you will just end up trimming them and throwing the excess away. You should also keep your stems to more or less the same length so that your bouquet looks great without any significant trimming.
As soon as you cut each flower, place it in a bucket of fresh, clean water. You don't want the leave them without water or they could suffer irreversable damage.
Once all of your flowers have been cut, it's time to take them inside and condition those beautiful blooms! Trim each stem, remove excess leaves and place them in a vase with or without additional florist flowers. Use a thorn stripper or sharp knife to remove the thorns from the rose stems and cut each stem at an angle (including any florist flowers) to ensure that they last as long as possible.
Once your bouquet is ready, it's time to present it to the lucky recipient. Make sure that they know not to display fresh flowers near any source of heat, next to a window, or in windy areas since this will shorten the lifespan of the cut roses and any other flowers.
