Handle your flowers with care

Helpful tips on getting your cut flower arrangements to last
 
July 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Everyone loves receiving flowers! The gorgeous colors and beautiful blooms light up days and make anyone feel special. This is such a great feeling you want it to last as long as possible. Unfortunately flowers are a perishable item and will eventually whither and die. From the second they are cut they have lost their lifeline and have just a few precious days to be enjoyed. Whether you had a flower arrangement delivered to you from a local florist or have cut some blooms out of your garden there are ways you can prolong their life, thus keeping them around longer.

First and foremost flower stems need water! The stems draw water and nutrients up from where they were cut. Yeah, we know, Nature is amazing! Even more amazing is that they only drink what is beneficial to them. This is why the water in the vase or container MUST be kept clean and changed often. Second, how you handle the stems of your flowers is the key element to prolonging their life. Air pockets and bacteria from dirty water can become lodged at the bottom of the stem and prevents clean water from moving up the stem. This is when the flower can no longer drink and it starts to die. The best way to prevent this is to cut one or two inches off the bottom of your stems whenever they have been out of clean water. The longer the stem the more you will need to cut off.
Some flowers last longer then others and so as they start to die, remove them from the vase. This is part of that keeping your arrangement clean thing we talked about earlier. Move your flowers to a smaller vase as you remove the dead ones. Making sure that their are no leaves or debris in the vase under the water.

Flower stems are a lot like drinking straws. In fact the best way to describe the inside of a stem is to think of them as very narrow drinking straws, bundled together. Every inch or so there are semipermeable cell plates that help to reduce foreign matter. The cell plates are the reason that bacteria does not move all the way up the stem. Before the flower is cut the roots are the filtering system. Without the roots the cell plates are easily clogged. Again very important to cut the stems often.

Turgor pressure is what keeps water and nutrients moving up the stem of the flower. The only reason a cut flower stands upright is because it is full of water. As water evaporates from the leaves and the bloom it creates a powerful pressure, like a vacuum. This pressure is enabled by the specialized structure of the cells. The moment the stem is cut it is sucking against gravity looking to pull in water. You have between one and ten seconds to put the stem in clean water. Cutting the stems under water is a great method of preventing air and bacteria from getting in the stem and having it die sooner.

Certain things help to prolong life when added to the water. Florists will have floral life packets which are best but you can also add sugar to the water. In nature, plants manufacture sugar through photosynthesis. When a flower is cut photosynthesis is much reduced so it is best to replace that sugar. Flower foods also contain citric acid and clarifying agents for the water.

So remember these tips for the next time you have cut flowers in the home. They will definitely help you get the most life out of your blooms so you may enjoy them for days!!!

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Mayfield Florist is Tucson's florist since 1982.
We offer a wide variety of fresh cut flowers, plants, and gift baskets. We've been Tucson's first choice for flower delivery, plant delivery, and customer satisfaction. Order online by phone or come visit!
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