It is impossible to imagine our life without flowers. Their environment is always pleasant. 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 house. But the life of cut flowers is short. How to extend it, read the article.
Why do cut flowers wither?
It has been argued that plants are less sensitive than humans. This is not entirely true. Plants, like all living organisms, are subject to stress. But they don't have the ability to say it. When flowers are cut, they are deprived of nutrients and water. This is stressful for them.
Flowers begin to wilt as sugars and moisture in their tissues decrease, leading to dehydration. This is because the plant's vessels are clogged with air bubbles.
How to extend the life of cut flowers? To do this, put them in water, after preparing the container, liquid and plants. Then ensure proper care.
When to cutflowers?
The best time for this is early morning. Fresh flowers cut at this time still retain dew drops on leaves, petals, stems. Plants will endure the cutting process not so painfully, as they are saturated with moisture. They can be cut in the evening when the dew falls. In the heat, the flowers evaporate water in large quantities. These plants will dehydrate sooner and will not last long in the vase. This time of day is not suitable for making a bouquet.
There are many flowers, they have different cut times. Irises, peonies, tulips, gladioli, lilies, roses are cut during the period of bud formation. 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. Neighbor in a bouquet - yes, but not everyone agrees to live together. Carnations, lilies of the valley, primrose should not be placed next to other flowers, especially placed in one vase. They are poisonous and have a negative effect on their neighbors. No need to make a bouquet if it contains tulips, daffodils, lilies, roses. The tulips will wither. But if you put them in the same vase with 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 placed separately, otherwise they will destroy all the plants in the vase. These include roses, lilies of the valley, carnations, bird cherry.
Preparing flowers for life in a vase
So that air does not enter the stem and clog the pores through whichnutrients, the cut of the stem must be done without removing it from the water, at an oblique angle and with a sharp knife. After that, the plant should always remain in the liquid.
Many flowers have thick and hard stems. In this case, their tips need to be split about five centimeters up the length of the trunk. 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, scratch or cut them at the bottom 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 must be properly prepared. To do this, you need to pour water into each stem, and plug the hole with cotton wool. It happens that a lot of milky juice flows out of the plant. In this case, you need to dip the stems into boiling water or burn their tips with fire.
Many flowers have long stamens. If their anthers are carefully removed, the flowers will last longer.
Stem processing
To prolong the life of cut flowers, follow these guidelines:
- On the part of the stem that is in the water, you need to remove the leaves, otherwise they will start to rot. Such an environment is favorable for the growth of bacteria that will damage the entire plant.
- The tip of each stem must be cut at an angle. This increases the surface area for moisture absorption. The cut is made with a sharp, disinfected knife, after which the stem must be immediately immersed in water. The stems of flowers such as roses are best cut immediately underwater to prevent clogging of vessels with air.
- To keep flowers for a long time, you need to harden them. For this, the plants are placed in hot water, the temperature of which reaches forty-four degrees. At the same time, a vase of flowers should be placed for two hours in a cooler place. Water molecules at this temperature move faster along the stem, and due to the cool air of the environment, the flowers will lose moisture in smaller quantities. This increases the life of the flowers in the vase.
- If cut flowers are not subjected to a hardening procedure, they should 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 treated throughout the life of cut flowers. As soon as rotten, slippery leaves appear, they need to be cut off, the stem and vase washed, the water changed, and only then put the flowers in a container for them. When withering flowers that emit ethylene, they must be removed immediately, otherwise the rest will be the same.
Water preparation
Based on experience, it is noted that soft water prolongs the life of cut flowers. It is better to take it from a spring or accumulate rainwater. If there is none, 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 flowers in a vase. To keep them for a longer time, you need to add substances endowed with disinfectant properties to the water:
- Silver coin.
- Low amount of washing powder.
- Charcoal.
- A tablet of streptocide or aspirin in six liters of water.
Per liter of water:
- Table s alt - teaspoon.
- Boric acid - one hundred milligrams.
- Soda with lemon juice - tablespoon.
- Sugar with vinegar - the same amount.
What does it take to preserve the beauty of flowers?
In most cases, people immediately put flowers donated or cut by themselves into vases. But in order for the beauty of plants to remain the same, cut flowers should be placed in a cool place with a temperature of five degrees Celsius for a period of five days. You can use the refrigerator for this.
However, it should be borne in mind that each variety of flowers has its own personality, so the storage conditions will not be the same.
Tulips and irises are stored at a low temperature, which reaches two degrees Celsius. Orchids, on the contrary, prefer warmer conditions, eight degrees and above are comfortable for them.
Storage of cut flowers of most varieties is carried out immediately with the ends of the stems immersed in water. It is not necessary to put the plants in a large vase, any tank will do, even a very small one. The main thing is that the stems enter it without sacrificing quality.
Although forchrysanthemums, tulips and carnations do not need water during storage. But roses are demanding on moisture. They are placed in storage in a standing position and stems lowered into the water. In addition, they are wrapped tightly with paper. The optimum temperature is five degrees.
Anemones and hyacinths need a fairly low temperature, two degrees above zero. Moreover, the first ones are stored with connected water supply and in a vertical position. For peonies, gerberas and lilies, the general temperature range for cut flowers is suitable.
Folk remedies for preserving flowers in a vase
Cut flowers always help create comfort in the house. In order for their life to be relatively long, you need to take care of this. For a long time, anti-rotting substances and nutritional supplements were added to the water where the flowers stood. Here are some of them:
- Changing the water daily, you should add vodka and sugar to it, respectively, a teaspoon and a piece.
- You need to immerse the stems in water no less than ten centimeters. Change the water every three days, adding sugar and vinegar by a teaspoon.
- When changing the water after two days, mix the water with bleach each time at the rate of three drops per liter.
- Sweet cut flower food made from carbonated drinks is used with daily water changes. It adds fifty grams of cola to a dark vase, and the same amount of sprite to a light one.
Feeding cut flowers
Sugar is the most commonly used, and many flowers respond well to it, including carnations, tulips, and daffodils. Canmake your own nutrient solutions using various ingredients.
For chrysanthemums, cyclamen and gerbera, a mixture is suitable, in percentage terms, 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; 30.
Today, many drugs are sold that can prolong the life of cut flowers, one of them is Bud. The substances included in it 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 last much longer if you properly care for them. In many ways, their freshness is influenced by the place they were assigned in the house. To keep the flowers longer, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- Choose a place for flowers with natural light, but not in direct sunlight.
- The room should be cool and no drafts.
- Don't put bouquets and fruits next to each other, as the fruits release ethylene, which accelerates decay.
- You need to consider the compatibility of plants in the bouquet. So, it is better for lilies, roses, lilies of the valley, daffodils, orchids to live separately in a vase. Conversely, thuja and geranium are always welcome guests for any flowers, they keep them fresh.
How to care forflowers?
To cut flowers are well preserved, you need to provide them with decent care. You do not need to immediately remove the packaging from them, it is enough to free the stems from it and lower them into the 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 placed 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, after updating the sections.
Caring for cut flowers is to change 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 rotten leaves, and the cut is updated.
