Flowers are the most common gift that women for birthday, March 8 and other holidays. Bouquets of flowers bring pleasure and give us joy with their beautiful appearance and delicate fragrance. Unfortunately, after 2-3 days, the appearance of flower bouquets loses its attractiveness – the buds become lethargic and withered, the leaves turn black. How to properly care for cut flowers and how to extend the life of a flower bouquet, we will consider in this article.
How to extend the life of a flower bouquet
If you grow flowers in your garden and are going to cut them yourself, then in order not to damage the flowers and prolong their life already in a vase, stock up on the following materials and preparations:
secateurs (sharp knife).
charcoal.
sugar, salt.
ammonia, vinegar, citric acid, alum, potassium nitrate.
water tanks (ceramic or metal).
As a rule, flowers are cut early in the morning, or in the evening (evening cut is more favorable). The main thing is not to harm the whole plant as a whole. After you cut the flowers, they must be placed in a container with warm water and left there for 7-8 hours.
Do not cut flowers immediately after rain, otherwise the petals can darken. Flowers such as asters and chrysanthemums are better to break, and not cut. Some flowers are better preserved if they are cut at an angle. For example, peonies, tulips, phloxes, lilies and gladioli suffer from improper cutting. Another way to save floral bouquets- cut flowers when they are in the stage of buds. This method is suitable for tulips, lilacs, lilies, orchids, hydrangeas and roses. But fully blossomed, dahlias, chrysanthemums, nails, cyclamen, phloxes should be cut.
How to extend the life of a flower bouquet
Before putting a flower bouquet in a vase, you need to resort to a small cunning, clean the stems of spikes, leaves and make cuts on the stems with a sharp knife. For flowers that have solid stems (asters, roses), make long and oblique slices, but for flowers with soft stems (daffodils, tulips) even sections.
Another important point for flower bouquets to keep their freshness longer is to use only clean vases. Water can be rain, snow, just boiled, the main thing is about 20 degrees. The vase should be no higher than the middle of the flowers, and the water should be poured exactly halfway.
Very often, when we are given a lot of flowers, we put several types of plants in one vase at once. This can also lead to the rapid withering of the bouquet, because many flowers do not get along with each other. So, roses love only roses and will not tolerate other flowers in a vase. Also incompatible in one vase are carnations, tulips, roses, callas, orchids and lilies.
How to extend the life of a flower bouquet
Look carefully at the stems of flowers: if at least one flower has “milky juice”, it should be immediately removed from the bouquet. Even one flower with “milk” on the stems can poison the entire bouquet in 1-2 days.
Do not forget to remove the dried flowers from the bouquet so that other buds in a flower bouquet are blossomed faster. A good way to prolong the life of a flower bouquet is to use pine extract without having to change the water in the vase or cut the stems.
You can also add a few drops of ammonia (or table salt, 1 tsp) to the water.l. for 1l. water).
A small piece of charcoal (or charcoal powder) added to the water will help keep flowers fresh.
The following remedy is also considered effective: mix 2 tbsp.l. granulated sugar (dissolved and chilled in water) and 150-200 gr. boric acid.
A folk remedy for extending the life of flower bouquets suggests adding a little vodka to the water where the flowers stand. The flowers will “go crazy” and the buds will begin to open faster.
By following these simple tips, you can safely decorate your home with flower bouquets, admiring their beauty, freshness and attractiveness for a long time!