Everyone knows that fresh cut flowers don’t last forever. In fact, even if the flowers are never cut from the main plant, they will still perish after a certain period of time. However, if you are lucky enough to have somebody send flowers to you or if you decide to spoil yourself with a bunch, you will always want to make them last as long as possible. The last thing you want is to have them waste away after just a couple of days. The good news is that there are a number of steps that you can take in order to increase the vase life of your cut flowers.
Step 1:
First things first, as soon as you receive a bouquet or get your flowers home, you will need to get them in some water promptly. You should have a bucket or large pot laying around somewhere so just clean it out and fill it with some fresh, clean water. Remember that flowers grown from bulbs do best in cold water but others prefer warm water.
Step 2:
While your flowers are resting in some water, you can prepare the vase. Clean the vase with something like bleach. Whatever you do, however, make sure that you rinse the vase out very well so that no chemicals are left behind. Once the vase is clean, you can add a few inches of water (warm or cold depending on the kind of flowers). Add a sachet of floral preserve to the water and allow it to dissolve completely. The floral preserve will provide food for your flowers and control the pH levels of the water. By controlling the pH, you can help slow down the growth of bacteria in the water.
Step 3:
Remove any plastic wrapping and strings from around the bouquet. Take each stem individually and remove any leaves located low on the stem. You don’t want any leaves to end up in the vase water because it will increase the growth of bacteria which will cause your flowers to perish at a faster rate.
Step 4:
While you trim the excess leaves off the stems, trim the flower stems at the same time. Trim them at an angle of about 45 degrees. This will prevent the stems from laying flat on the base of the vase and create a larger surface for absorption. Remember to do your best to cut the stems under water so that no air can enter the stems and form air bubbles.
Step 5:
Place your flowers in the vase and put them on display in an area out of the direct sun, wind and away from any air conditioners, heaters and fire places. Maintain your bouquet by topping up and changing the water as necessary. Each time you do, remember to add some more floral food too. Trim the stems again every few days. Bacteria loves to grow on the bottom of cut stems so it will help to create a fresh surface for absorption. Remove any dying plant material as soon as you notice it to prevent it from affecting the other healthy flowers.