Without flowers, it is impossible to imagine our life. Their surroundings are always nice. But what if not everyone is able to grow flowers on their own in the country or in the apartment? You have to buy them to decorate your home. But the life of cut flowers is short. How to extend it, read the article.
Why do cut flowers fade?
It has been argued that plants are less sensitive than humans. This is not entirely true. Plants, like all living organisms, are prone to stress. But they do not have the ability to say so. When the flowers are cut, they lose their nutrients and water. This is stressful for them.
The flowers begin to fade, as the amount of sugar and moisture in their tissues decreases, which leads to dehydration. This is because the vessels of the plant are clogged with air bubbles.
How to extend the life of cut flowers? To do this, put them in water, having previously prepared a container, liquid and plants. Then ensure proper care.
When to cut flowers?
The best time for this is early morning. Fresh flowers cut at this time still retain dew drops on leaves, petals, stems. Plants will not undergo the cutting process as painfully as they are saturated with moisture. They can be cut in the evening when the dew falls. In heat, flowers evaporate large quantities of water. In such plants, dehydration will begin earlier, and they will not stand in a vase for a long time. This time of day is not suitable for composing a bouquet.
There are a lot of flowers, they have different cutting times. Irises, peonies, tulips, gladioli, lilies, roses are cut during the formation of buds. But marigolds, dahlias, phloxes, asters - when the flowers bloom.
You always want to collect a bouquet of different flowers, but you should know that not all of them get along with each other. Neighboring in a bouquet - yes, but not everyone agrees to live together. Cloves, lilies of the valley, primrose should not be placed next to other flowers, much less placed in one vase. They are poisonous and adversely affect their neighbors. You do not need to make a bouquet if it contains together tulips, daffodils, lilies, roses. Tulips will fade. But if you put them in the same vase with a cypress, they will last longer.
Cornflowers, poppies, daisies will begin to fade quickly if lilies are placed in the same vase with them. But there are flowers that must always be set separately, otherwise they will destroy all the plants in the vase. These include roses, lilies of the valley, cloves, bird cherry.
Preparing flowers for life in a vase
To prevent air from entering the stem and clogging the pores through which nutrients enter, the section of the stem must be made without removing it from the water, at an oblique angle and with a sharp knife. After this, the plant should always remain in the liquid.
Many flowers are distinguished by the presence of thick and hard stems. In this case, their tips need to be split about five centimeters up the length of the barrel. It is recommended to insert a match in the middle, so moisture will be more actively absorbed. If the stems of the flowers are soft, in the lower part they need to be scratched or cut to increase the area through which moisture will flow to the plant.
How to keep cut flowers with hollow stems for a long time? They should be properly prepared. To do this, pour water into each stem, and plug the hole with cotton wool. It happens that a lot of milky juice flows from the plant. In this case, you need to lower the stems into boiling water or burn their ends with fire.
Many flowers have long stamens. If their anthers are carefully removed, the flowers will last longer.
Stalk processing
To extend the life of cut flowers, the following recommendations should be observed:
- On that part of the stem that is in the water, you need to remove the leaves, otherwise they will begin to rot. Such an environment is favorable for the growth of bacteria that will damage the entire plant.
- The tip of each stem needs to be trimmed at an angle. This increases the moisture absorption area. The slice is made with a sharp, disinfected knife, after which the stem must be immediately immersed in water. Stems of flowers such as roses, it is better to cut off immediately under water to prevent clogging of blood vessels with air.
- To preserve flowers for a long time, you need to subject them to the hardening procedure. For this, the plants are placed in hot water, the temperature of which reaches forty-four degrees. In this case, a vase of flowers should be put for two hours in a cooler place. Water molecules of this temperature move along the stem faster, and thanks to the cool air of the environment, flowers will lose moisture in smaller quantities. This extends the life of the flowers in the vase.
- If the cut flowers are not subjected to the hardening procedure, they need to be placed in warm water, which they absorb better. But for bulbous plants, it is better to use cold water.
- The stem needs to be processed throughout the life of the cut flowers. As soon as rotten, slippery leaves appear, they need to be torn off, the stem and vase should be washed, the water changed, and only then put the flowers in a container for them. When the flowers that secrete ethylene wilt, they must be removed immediately, otherwise the rest will be the same.
Water preparation
Based on experience, it is noted that soft water extends the life of cut flowers. It is better to take it from a spring or accumulate rainwater. If not, melt or tap water is used, but not immediately from the tap. It must be poured and left for a day to weather the chlorine.
Bacteria are more dangerous for flowers. Their reproduction occurs very quickly, which significantly shortens the life of the flowers in the vase. To save them for a longer time, you need to add to the water substances endowed with disinfecting properties:
- Silver coin.
- Detergent in a small amount.
- Charcoal.
- A pill of streptocide or aspirin in six liters of water.
Per liter of water:
- Salt - a teaspoon.
- Boric acid - one hundred milligrams.
- Soda with lemon juice - a tablespoon.
- Sugar with vinegar - the same amount.
What is needed to preserve the beauty of flowers?
In most cases, people donate or cut their own flowers right away in vases. But so that the beauty of the plants remains the same, cut flowers should be placed in a cool place with a temperature of five degrees heat for a period of five days. You can use a refrigerator for this.
However, it should be borne in mind that each variety of flowers has its own individuality, therefore, storage conditions will not be the same.
Tulips and irises are stored at a low temperature, which reaches two degrees of heat. Orchids, on the contrary, prefer warmer conditions; for them, a temperature of eight degrees and above is comfortable.
Cut flowers of most varieties are stored immediately with the ends of the stems immersed in water. It is not necessary to put the plants in a large vase, any tank, even a very small one, will do. The main thing is that the stems enter into it without compromising on quality.
Although for chrysanthemums, tulips and carnations, water during storage is not needed. But roses are demanding on moisture. They are placed in storage in an upright position and stems are lowered into the water. In addition, they are tightly wrapped in paper. The optimum temperature is five degrees.
Anemones and hyacinths need a fairly low temperature, two degrees above zero. Moreover, the former are stored with water supply connected and in an upright position. For peonies, gerberas and lilies, the general temperature regime for cut flowers is suitable.
Folk preserving flowers in a vase
To create comfort in the house, cut flowers always help. In order for their life to be relatively long, care must be taken. For a long time, rotting substances and nutritional supplements were added to the water where the flowers stood. Here is some of them:
- Changing water daily, add vodka and sugar, respectively a teaspoon and a slice.
- You need to immerse the stems in water no less than ten centimeters. Change the water every three days, adding sugar and vinegar to a teaspoon.
- When changing the water after two days, mix the water with bleach each time in the calculation of three drops per liter.
- Sweet top dressing for cut flowers from carbonated drinks is used for daily water changes. Fifty grams of cola is added to it in a dark vase, and the same amount of sprite - in a light one.
Top dressing cut flowers
The most commonly used sugar is that many flowers respond well, including carnations, tulips, daffodils. You can independently prepare nutrient solutions using various components.
For chrysanthemums, cyclamens and gerbera, a mixture is suitable, in a percentage ratio, from aluminum alum, sodium and potassium chloride, sugar, respectively: 0.08; 0.02; 0.03; 1,5.
Roses and carnations respond well to the composition, in milligrams, of aluminum sulfate, citric acid, silver nitrate, sucrose, respectively: 500; 150; fifty; thirty.
Today, many drugs are sold that can extend the life of cut flowers, one of them is Bud. Its constituents simultaneously disinfect and nourish the plants. Flowers last twenty-five days longer.
Place for a bouquet
Cut flowers, the photo of which is presented for review, will stand much longer if properly taken care of. In many ways, their freshness is affected by the place that they were given in the house. To keep the flowers longer, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- Choose a place with natural light for the flowers, but to prevent direct sunlight from falling on them.
- The room should be cool and no drafts.
- Bouquets and fruits should not be placed next to each other, since the fruits produce ethylene, which accelerates decay.
- It is necessary to consider the compatibility of plants in a bouquet. So, lilies, roses, lilies of the valley, daffodils, orchids are better off living in a vase. And vice versa, thuja and geranium, always welcome guests for any flowers, they retain their freshness.
How to care for flowers?
To cut flowers well preserved, you need to provide them with decent care. You do not need to immediately remove the packaging from them, just free the stems from it and lower them into water. If the packaging is made of cellophane, you need to replace it with paper. Then moisten with water and wrap the flowers again. Only after that they are put in a cooler place. This is necessary for the acclimatization of plants in the new microclimate.
While the flowers are saturated with moisture, you need to thoroughly wash the vase with detergents and fill it with prepared water. After a few hours, the flowers are placed in a container, previously updating the slices.
Care for cut flowers consists in changing the water. It is better to change it daily. Each time the vase is washed, disinfectants and nutrients are added to the water. The stems are processed from beautiful leaves, and the slice is updated.