10 ways to extend the life of cut flowers

“When you like a flower, you just pick it; when you love a flower, you water it every day.” – Buddha. We will not argue with such an authoritative source, but nevertheless, sometimes you really want to bring beauty from the garden to your home, and it is always very pleasant to receive skillfully composed bouquets. What to do to keep the flowers as long as possible?

First advice:If you decide to cut plants in your garden yourself, do it in the early evening or morning, when the stems are filled with moisture as much as possible. All flowers, with the exception of roses and dahlias, should be cut until the bud is fully open – let him do this already in a vase.

Second tip:do not rush to immediately put the bouquet donated or cut with your own hands in a beautiful vase. Flowers that, for example, were brought in from the cold, should be given time to adapt by unrolling the package and leaving to warm. The rest of the plants should be left in a bucket of water, which should be placed in a dark and fairly cool place. By the way, take water cool, settled, not from the tap. You can even throw ice cubes into the vase, an approach, for example, like irises and daffodils..

Third tip:for a vase of flowers, choose a place that is protected from drafts, not in direct sunlight and away from radiators and other heating appliances. In general, flowers last longer in a cool room than in a hot or sun-warmed room. Plants will be more comfortable in a vase with a wide neck, they will receive more oxygen.

Fourth advice: if you were presented with a ready-made bouquet, then you can be sure that the flowers were cut correctly. However, the cut must be renewed with a sharp knife and under running water, and then immediately put the bouquet back into the vase. If you cut flowers yourself, do not use scissors, only a sharp knife, the cut should be oblique, but not too sharp. You can also make a small longitudinal cut along the stem to give the plant more water..

Fifth tip:you should also remove the lower leaves, about 2/3 of the stem. Flowers will spend less nutrients to support them, and in a vase, the lower leaves will still only interfere.

Sixth tip:additives such as one teaspoon of sugar per liter of water, half a teaspoon of camphor or ammonia for the same amount of water can extend the life of the bouquet. In addition, you can add two aspirin tablets, half a streptocide tablet, or three grams of citric acid to three liters of water. All these additives will stop the appearance of putrefactive bacteria..

Seventh tip:the water in the vase should be changed every day, and it is advisable to rinse the container itself with agents that contain chlorine. You can trim the flowers a little each time, updating the cut.

Eighth tip:if the flowers begin to wither, remove the yellowed leaves and drooping buds in time so that the rest will stand longer.

Ninth tip:at the beginning of the wilting process, you can pour boiling water over the flower cuts, this procedure is especially effective for tulips, which are considered to be rapidly withering plants.

Tenth tip:spray your bouquet every day, trying not to get on the buds, so that the plants receive moisture not only from the cut and look fresher.