Do you hate it when you are forced to throw away flowers given from a loved one, only because they have lost their fragrance and are no longer fresh? Wait! There is a way in which you can make those Valentine’s Day roses, graduation bouquets, or anniversary arrangements stay fresh and blooming with vibrant color for a few more days.
Don’t Throw Away Leftover Soda
Instead, you can use it to preserve your flowers for longer. Shocked? The sugar in the soda is the ingredient that will make the blossoms last for longer, so pour about a ¼ cup into the vase of water that will be used to put the cut flowers in. Note: Use Sprite or 7-up if you want the water to remain clear.
Hairspray Preserves More Than Hairstyles
Only a spritz of hair spray on your vase full of cut flowers can keep them looking fresh and beautiful for longer! Standing at least a foot away from the bouquet, give the flowers a quick spray and watch the magic. Remember to spritz just on the undersides of leaves and petals.
Apple Cider Vinegar is Food for Flowers
There are several good methods of keeping cut flowers looking as fresh as possible and for longer. One way is by the use of adding 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with the same amount of sugar and mixing the concoction into the vase water before putting in the flowers. Remember to change the water, and make a fresh mixture every couple of days.
Another Reason for Stocking Up on Aspirin
This is a tried and true (read tested) way of keeping roses and other cut flowers looking and smelling fresh for longer. Crush an aspirin and dissolve it into the vase of water before adding the flowers. Also, every few days, don’t forget to change the water.
Bleach Can Be Used for So Much More
Adding in ¼ teaspoon of bleach per 1 liter of vase water will be effective in keeping your cut flowers looking fresh for longer. One more increasingly used recipe using bleach is by adding in 3 drops of the product with 1 teaspoon of sugar in a quart of water. Doing this will give the added benefit of keeping the water from getting cloudy while also inhibiting the growth of bacteria.
Encourage Coin Collection in Your Kids
Simply adding a copper penny and a cube of sugar will make your posies and other cut flowers last longer and smelling just as fresh! The science behind this is that the copper in pennies acts as an acidifier, which prevents bacteria from growing.
Adding Sugar to Tea is Too Mainstream
You can make your own preservative by dissolving 3 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons of with vinegar for every liter of warm water. One thing to remember before filling the vase with water and adding the cut stems is to make sure that they are covered by 3-4 inches with the prepared water.
