If our flowers are to remain alive and beautiful as long as possible, they must have a supply of food.
A cut flower is essentially a flowering plant without roots, and therefore its only food supply is the sugars already stored in the leaves and stems.
Since the plant produces this sugar during daylight hours, it is obvious that flowers should be cut after as many hours of sunlight as possible. This means cutting your flowers in the early evening or late afternoon and not in the morning as recommended in the past.
A good water supply is as important to a cut flower as the plant growing in your garden.
Since a cut flower has no roots to absorb water, the only area available for water uptake is the cut end of the stem. Therefore, every effort must be made to obtain maximum water flow upward through this cut surface.
Increasing Water Uptake
There are several things you can do to increase water uptake.
First, always cut your flowers with a sharp knife to ensure a smooth, uncrushed surface that can readily absorb water.
Secondly, you should always recut stems and remove about one-half inch of the base just before placing them in water. This is especially true if the flowers have been cut for a few minutes.
Contrary to former beliefs, cut flowers should be placed in hot water, not cold water. For best results, use water of about 100° degrees Fahrenheit.
The reason for using hot water will be obvious to you if you stop and think for a minute about it. Most of us are familiar with the fact that liquids become thinner when heated and will flow more easily as they become thinner.
Heating water thins it and allows it to move up the stems of cut flowers more quickly and easily. Since water gets into the stem through the cut portion, the depth of the water used here is not too important as long as the bases of the stems are covered.
Ideal Temperature
Cool temperatures can still play an important part in your cut flower care. Cut flowers should be placed in a refrigerator or a cool room.
Care must be taken not to place flowers and fruit in the same refrigerator or a small, closed room together.
Lower air temperatures will reduce the loss of water from the flowers. Here again, we see that as heating speeded water movement, conversely, chilling slows its movement.
Naturally, the water temperature will drop quite rapidly because of the cooler surroundings, but this cooling will not reduce the effectiveness of the hot water treatment to any extent.
The hot-water, cool-air treatment should be continued for at least two to three hours. After such treatment, your flowers are ready to be arranged in a suitable container. There are, however, still other points to consider here.
Always remember to remove any leaves below the water surface in the arrangement. Submerged foliage is only an invitation to many reproducing organisms, which can make the water slimy and foul-smelling.
Using Sugar and Acid
For several years, several products have been available through florists and garden supply stores to be used in the water where cut flowers are placed.
The use of such products is very desirable. In most cases, the life of a flower can be lengthened by several days through the use of such materials.
It is possible to make a perfectly good substitute for the above products. The basic ingredients are sugar and acid.
Ordinary cane sugar is good for this purpose, and distilled or white vinegar can be used as a source of acid. The acid makes the water more acidic, or in other words, lowers the water’s pH.
The introduction of an acid slows or prevents the growth of water-borne organisms, thus keeping the water fresh in smell and appearance.
Sugar is used as a source of food material by the plant, but the use of sugar alone fosters the growth of organisms and defeats its purpose. The water should be adjusted to a pH of 4.0 for the best results.
If a soil test kit is available, it can be used to test the solution’s acidity; once this has been checked, it will not vary too much under most conditions.
The following table shows how such a solution can be prepared inexpensively.
A Simple Formula
- 3 heaping teaspoons of cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar (this is enough to lower the pH from 7.0 to 4.0)
- 1 quart of water.
The advantages to using such a conditioner are several. Not only do the flowers remain in good condition for longer, but your work in caring for them will be reduced.
Since the growth of water-fouling organisms is diminished, the water should not be changed, and the stems do not need to be recut. It is also a good idea to use water of about 100° degrees Fahrenheit in making arrangements.
Up to this point, only home-grown flowers have been mentioned, but the above procedures are equally beneficial for gift flowers or flowers purchased at your florist’s shop.
After receiving flowers, recut the stems, removing about one-half inch, and then put them in hot water just as you would flower right out of your garden. The process from there on is the same.
Treatment Benefits
All types of flowers will benefit from these treatments, but special cases exist where you will have to make modifications, such as those with a milky sap.
Many previous articles have discussed these special treatments, so it does not seem necessary to go into such techniques here.
Now that your flowers are suitably arranged and ready for display, one last point bears remembering. Always treat your flowers as a member of the family. They are living organisms, and to remain an asset to your home they must be kept alive.
Place your flowers in a cool location if possible, and above all, enjoy them while they are with you.
44659 by Irving Brigham