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You want to enjoy the flowers in our homes for as long as possible. Therefore, maximizing the vase life is the key step. Keeping your arrangement fresh and vibrant requires that the stems stay clear and open so they can freely take up water. The following tips will ensure that you accomplish this.
The vase should be clean enough to drink out of it. Wash the vase prior to filling with fresh cool water. When dirt or bacteria gets into the stem, it quickly clogs, and the flower can no longer take up water. Leading to a quick death.
Strip off the lower foliage of the stem so that no leaves are contacting the water in order to keep the water clean and prevent bacteria growth. Removing more foliage also keeps the flowers fresher longer as the stems do not have hydrate large amounts of foliage and can send more water to the blooms.
Make changing the water a daily habit, this one step has the biggest impact on extending the vase life of your flowers. It only takes a few seconds each day but makes all the difference. Some flowers (sunflowers, zinnias, black eyed susan’s, dahlias, & others) ooze out sap that quickly makes the water dirty. While changing the water, repeat #1 and rinse or wash the vase again. Then rinse off the stems and place back into clean water.
Every 2 days give the stems a fresh cut and trim just a little off the end. This gives the flowers a wide-open stem to once again drink from. After trimming, place the flowers once again in a clean vase with fresh water.
Find a spot in your home that will not have sun shining on the arrangement. Heat accelerates the opening of the blooms and speeds up the life cycle of the flower, thus decreasing the vase life. Bonus tip: if you have the room, place the flowers inside your refrigerator each evening and remove in the mornings. A cooler garage or air-conditioned space is also ideal, just make sure that the area stays above freezing.
Ripening fruits and vegetable emit ethylene gas that can shorten the life of your flowers. Please rethink placing your beautiful and fresh arrangement next that bunch of bananas on the countertop if you want to enjoy your flowers all week.
Flowers are not universal in their life span. Some varieties naturally last longer than others, and your arrangement will evolve each day as blooms continue to open and others start to fade. Instead of throwing out an arrangement just because a couple of flowers are past their prime, the solution is to refresh and rearrange the stems from time to time. Simply remove any stems that are past their prime each day when you’re changing the water. Tip: As the arrangement gets smaller, cut the stems shorter as this will help to fill out the vase.
The following steps will help you to get the longest vase life for your flowers:
Always start with a clean vase, you should be able to drink from the vase
Ensure that no foliage is in the water, strip all lower foliage from stems
Change the water daily, repeat 1 & 2
Recut the stems every 2 days, provides an unobstructed stem to drink from
Keep cool & out of direct sunlight
Avoid nearby ripening fruits and vegetables
Refresh the arrangement as needed, removing any stems past their prime
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