Keeping Cut Flowers Healthier Longer – Try These Hacks

white flowers on glass vase
Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash
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Editors Note: When the following article was shared with Splash Magazines Worldwide, I was thrilled. I love to have beautiful cut flowers on my table. Keeping those flowers looking healthy is a challenge. I can’t wait to try the tricks below. Read on.

Even though flowers can stay fresh for up to a week, it can be so hard to bid farewell to your petals once they sadly begin to wilt.

It is especially difficult to keep cut flowers looking healthier in summer but read on for tips that will keep you flowers fresh longer than you can imagine.

Forget the flower food, it’s time to raid your cupboards! 

  1. Vodka 

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It turns out that our flowers like a boozy pick-me-up. When added to a vase, vodka helps to preserve flowers due to its ability to inhibit ethylene production. As a ripening gas, ethylene aids the maturation process of your plants and slows down the wilting of flowers. Alcohol is also an antibacterial agent, which further makes the spirit a rejuvenating drink for your flowers. 

Simply add a few drops of vodka to your flower vase and watch them blossom as the days go on. 

  1. Sprite 

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Known as the most effective way of keeping your flowers fresh, sprite (and other sodas) are your flowers’ best friend. This is because the drink makes the water in your vase more acidic, enabling it to travel up the stem more quickly. What’s more, the sugar acts as flower food. 

Just put ¼ cup (60ml) of sprite into your vase – you’ll notice your flowers will also start to smell very sweet! 

  1. Apple cider vinegar and sugar

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An interesting combo – but adding apple cider vinegar and sugar to your flowers is just as effective as adding store-bought flower food to your vase. This is because the vinegar acts as an antibacterial agent while the sugar acts as additional flower food. 

Simply mix 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar into the water in your vase before adding your flowers. 

  1. Copper penny 

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Ever heard of adding a copper penny to a fresh bouquet of flowers to extend its life? Well, now you have! 

Dropping a penny into the middle of your vase works wonders because copper is a fungicide and naturally kills bacteria growth in your flower arrangement. After a couple of days, you’ll find that the blooms with the copper penny will have opened up quite nicely. 

  1. The fridge 

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Last but not least, we have the fridge method. Due to the cool temperature of your fridge, it will slow down the ageing process of your flowers, which will delay the time they take to wilt and die. 

That said, try the method of putting your bouquet in the fridge every night before bed, typically for a duration of eight hours. 

Nick Drewe adds: “In addition to all these great hacks, make sure you also follow the typical flower care tips to keep your petals thriving. 

“This includes cutting the stems and pruning the leaves before you put them into the vase for the first time, watering them every two to three days, and keeping them away from direct sunlight, heat, drafts and fruits.” 

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