What Are the Benefits of Aspirin for Cut Flowers?
Aspirin added to the water in a vase may help preserve the beauty of some bouquets, helping stems remain erect and blossoms keep their color and sheen. Aspirin prolongs fresh garden-cut flowers as well as blooms bought from the grocery store or florist. Follow these easy steps to reap the benefits of aspirin in your floral displays and keep the beauty of fresh flowers in your home or office. Does this Spark an idea?
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Benefits
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Aspirin added to vase water helps keep fresh cut flowers from wilting so quickly. According to Bayer Health Care, a leading aspirin manufacturer, this is due to the fact that salicylic acid, the primary component of aspirin, "plays an important role in plants' defense systems."
Function
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The presence of aspirin in a vase inhibits the growth of bacteria in the water. This may forestall the formation of chemicals within the flowers' stems which trigger the flowers to wilt. With the addition of aspirin, the stems will stay erect and carrying water to the blossoms longer.
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Use
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Add one non-coated aspirin tablet to a medium sized vase of water for flowers. You may crush the aspirin tablet to make it dissolve faster, or dissolve it in a bit of warm water before adding it to the vase. Use a half-aspirin in vases for small nosegays and a quarter tablet in each tubes holding water for corsages or long-stemmed roses.
Replacement
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Replace the water in your vase daily, and add a new dissolved aspirin with each water change. Cutting a small amount off the bottom of each stem each time you change the water also prolongs the life of the bouquet by keeping the stems open to take up more water. Trimming the stems underwater is most effective--just watch your fingers as the surface of the water distorts your visual perspective.
Improve Flowers' Health Before Cutting
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Scientists at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at Cornell University have discovered that salicylic acid from aspirin boosts the immune systems of growing plants. Add one-half to one crushed aspirin to each liter of water used in watering your cutting-garden flowers, and they will be healthier and more resistant to bugs and disease. Flowers which are grown healthier will also last longer in the vase.
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References
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- Photo Credit Cindy Hill
