Floral bouquets are beautiful, but they have a very short life (just a few days). You can make flowers last longer by preserving them. Here are some tips for preserving cut flowers.
Most florists and grocery stores include preservatives with a purchase of cut flowers. However, if you do receive any plant food with your flowers, always you can make it by yourself home.
Keep in mind that plant foods will double your bouquets life. What is doing a good plant food for your flowers? Firstly, a good preservative plant food needs to kill bacteria. Secondly, a good plant food will feed and nourish your flower with sugar. Tertiary, the water for your flowers has to have an acid touch. The best choice for you is to add 7-Up or Sprite to the water for your flowers. Doing this you solve 2 problems in one step: the acidity and sugar. A good mixture is half Sprite (or 7-Up) and half water, which you should change every day.
Other substances which you can use to make plant food are: few dopes of citrus fruits juice or vinegar or mouthwash or a crushed aspirin. Just make sure you have added a spoon of sugar to your mixture.
To preserve your bouquet make sure that the vase which you use for it is clean and free of bacteria. Also, it is better for your flower to use a glass vase rather than a metal one because some metals can somewhat alter the pH of the water.
Fill the vase with warm water adding the plant food to it and stir it. The warm water will move quickly into the stems of the flowers feeding and nourishing them.
Avoid cool or drafty areas, as well as placing near heat sources or in direct sunlight because this can make the flowers dry out faster. Flowers will last longer on the shade places.
Finally, before putting the flowers in the vase, cut stems under water with sharp knife, to stop air bubbles forming in the stem. Avoid to uses scissors or even pruning shears to cut the stems. This can squash stems, resulting in damage to the tiny tubular vessels carrying water. Do the cutting at a 45 degree angle. Doing so allows for water to reach the up most surface area of the flower.
By following these steps you will enjoy longer of your floral bouquet.
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