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Cut Flower Preservative Recipes

Aparna Jadhav
Flowers which have been cut from their stalks do not survive very long. Hence, preservatives are required to keep them alive a while longer. Read on for more information.
Flowers kept in vases improve the visual appeal of any room, which is why a lot of people keep different types of fragrant and non-fragrant flowers in their homes.
When you buy flowers for your home, you usually bring ones which are cut at a particular height so that you can keep them in a decorative vase or use them in flower arrangements.
However, keeping flowers in plain water is no good to them, as they still have a stalk and leaves attached to supply the required nourishment. No cut flowers can live for more than 2 weeks, but there are some home remedies to preserve them a bit longer.
Flowers which have been cut can be kept fresh and healthy for a longer time using preservatives. These preservatives are available with certain florists. You can also prepare these at home. This helps the cut flowers as it keeps the ends of the stalks moist, provides them with required nutrients thereby extending their life.

Directions for Use

First thing to remember while making preservatives is, these flowers are detached from their natural source of water, which is the root system. When kept indoors, they are deprived of sunlight. So, there are more chances of them wilting and dying in just few days, which is why florists use commercially available preservatives.
However, these can be harmful to the flowers, leaving them with yellow leaves and shedding petals. It makes them weak and devoid of nutrition due to which they dry off. Thus, you have to ensure that these flowers are immersed in water immediately after they are separated from their main stem.

Recipes for Preservatives

Recipe #1: Ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon household chlorine bleach
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 quart warm water

Recipe #2: Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon household chlorine bleach
  • 1 quart warm water
Directions:

◈ Take an empty flower vase and add the warm water to soften the stalks and help the flower food reach the flowers faster and better.

◈ Then add the rest of the ingredients, especially sugar, and stir well so that they are dissolved.

◈ Immerse the flowers into the vase with the stalks placed diagonally, as this helps in faster transport of food.
With these easy steps, you can save your cut flowers from dying and keep them safe and healthy for a longer period of time.