How to make bouquet of flowers last longer? Flowers are a common gift for any special occasion in life, and even for the moments in between. A bouquet of vibrant flowers can bring cheer to any space and leave a lasting impression even when they’re gone.
Whether you are having an anniversary, a graduation bouquet or picking out a beautiful bouquet for the coffee table, you will want to enjoy them as much as possible.
The sad truth is that bouquets don’t last forever. On the bright side, there are guidelines and little-known tips that can be used to ensure the longevity of your flowers. We’ve found out what you need to know about how to make flowers last longer and even put some theories to the test.
FLOWER CARE TIPS
The first step to keeping your flowers fresh is to follow a few flower care guidelines. Use the following tips to extend the life of your flowers right from the start.
Cut the Stems One of the most common mistakes people make after receiving flowers is forgetting to cut the stems. Use gardening scissors to trim one to two inches and cut at an angle. Cutting the stems at an angle will allow them to absorb water better because they will not sit flat at the bottom of the vase. After the initial cut, be sure to re-trim the bouquet every few days.
1. Pruning
Remove all foliage below the waterline. Not only will it make your bouquet look better, it will also prevent bacterial growth.
The protective petals of some flowers (such as roses) are the two or three outermost petals of the flower. Removing them will allow your flowers to open fully.
After the initial pruning, flowers should be checked daily for dead or loose leaves and petals to avoid bacterial rot.
2. Watering
It is important to keep your bouquet hydrated and to do so wisely. Without water, your flowers will not last long, especially once the stems are cut.
After taking out a clean vase, fill it with room temperature water and add a packet of flower food. Make sure the sachet has been mixed properly and that the water is not diluted too thin or too thick.
It is also important to clean the vase thoroughly and replace the water and flower food every two to three days.
TIPS
Avoid direct sunlight, heating, eating water, and eating fruit in a cool room where the flowers will last longer. Avoid placing them in direct sunlight or near equipment that generates heat.
You also need to avoid open windows, heating or cooling vents, and areas such as ceiling fans, as they can cause rapid dehydration of the flowers. You should also not place bouquets of flowers next to fruit.
Yes, ripe fruit releases small amounts of ethylene gas, which can reduce the lifespan of fresh fruit.
In addition to general care, various methods have been tried to make flowers last longer. Think home remedies such as adding a few cents to the flower water, aspirin, or even vodka.
9 WAYS TO MAKE FLOWERS LAST LONGER
No need to keep asking yourself how to make flowers last longer. Surprisingly, there may be a few things lying around the house that can help you enjoy your bouquet.
Interesting list of home remedies: apple cider vinegar + sugar, aspirin, bleach, coins, floral food, refrigerator, hairspray, soda, vodka.
These theories do sound convincing, but which ones can actually improve the life of a bouquet?
We were curious, too, so we tested several flower care strategies. We used nine of the most popular theories to investigate how to make flowers last longer in a controlled environment, and this is what we found.
We started with nine identical bouquets. To each vase, we added a floral food package and warm water.
Each vase then received one of the following floral care techniques, and there was a control vase that received no treatment. In the DA Y series, we changed the water, cleaned the vase, and added the same ingredients on the back.
HOW TO MAKE FLOWERS LAST
Check out these flower tricks below for what they claim to do, how to make the dressing yourself, and what happens over the next seven days as follows.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Sugar Pour two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and two tablespoons of water into a vase and add the flowers. The vinegar acts as an antibacterial agent, while the sugar acts as additional floral food. Although apple cider vinegar and sugar did not earn the title of worst, it did rank second.
Aspirin: Mix 1 crushed aspirin tablet into the vase. Aspirin is said to lower the pH of the water, allowing the water to move through the flowers faster, thus preventing wilting. Aspirin may be the solution to a headache, but it’s not the best option for keeping flowers fresh.
Bleach: Add 1/4 teaspoon of bleach to your vase and they should stay fresh longer, or at least that’s what they say. Bleach prevents the water from becoming cloudy and helps fight bacteria. Bleach does prevent the water in the vase from becoming too cloudy, nevertheless, bleach does not keep the bouquet fresh.
Coins: Add a penny of copper to a fresh bouquet. The copper should act like an acidifier and resist the growth of bacteria in your arrangement. On day 4, copper flowers bloom nicely. In fact, this may cause the flowers to bloom too quickly, resulting in some wilted blooms on day 7.
Flower Food: Adding flower food to a vase is a tried and true way to keep flowers fresh for a long time. Each bouquet of flowers we tested also received a packet of flower food along with treatment.
Refrigerator: Place the bouquet in the refrigerator every night before bedtime (usually 8 hours per night.) Flowers are said to flourish at lower temperatures. It is believed that cooler temperatures help slow down aging. Looks and smells like flowers and stays cooler. Bouquets that go into the refrigerator overnight come first in line as the best way to make flowers last. Even on the 10th day, the bouquet looks healthy.
Hairspray: Spray your fresh flowers with hairspray. There isn’t much science to back up this theory, but it holds the hair in place so it should work, right? Wrong. Whichever home remedy you decide to try to use to keep your flowers alive, you should not use hairspray to sprinkle petals on top of them. We recommend that you avoid doing so at all costs. Hairspray comes in last and is the worst way to make flowers last longer.
Soda: Pour ¼ cup of soda into a vase filled with flowers. The sugar in the soda is said to make the flowers last longer and even smell sweeter. The flowers seem sweeter and the soda water becomes our second trick to extend the life of the flowers. In fact, even on day 10, a soda bouquet looks as healthy as it did on day 1, the only difference being that the flowers bloom more.
Vodka: Add a few drops of vodka (or any clear spirit) to the vase. Vodka is said to have a different effect on flowers. The ability of the spirits to inhibit the production of ethylene (a ripening gas that helps the plant mature) slows down the wilting of the flowers. This proved to be true, and although vodka didn’t take the cake as the best way to keep flowers fresh, it did come in third place.
The result! Ever wonder why florists keep their bouquets in the refrigerator? Well, now you know. ……
It looks like making sure your flowers look nice and cold is the best way to keep them fresh. You can also try adding a little lemon-lime soda to the water mixture. On the other hand, just because a hairspray keeps your hair in place doesn’t mean it will keep your bouquet fresh. In fact, we recommend avoiding the hairspray method altogether.
Since you have a few extra tips to ensure the longevity of your bouquet, you should try it out for yourself! Browse our collection of same-day flower delivery to find the perfect bouquet for any celebration, or to surprise flowers for no reason at all!
