What Is Bouquet Flower Food Made Of?

Flower bouqets should be cared for immediately for long-lasting blooms.

Cut flowers make beautiful gifts that express love, gratitude, sorrow or encouragement. Bouquets that are displayed in water vases need help from flower food to extend their lifespan. Flower food is made of sucrose, an acidifier, a respiratory inhibitor and a bacterial inhibitor.

Sucrose

Rose buds need flower food to encourage opening.

Flowers need energy to survive. Sucrose provides this energy or food that will keep blooms bright and fresh and give unopened buds the energy boost they need to open.

Acidifiers

Prepare your vase in advance with water and flower food.

Acidifiers work to stabilize the color of your bouquet. Have you ever had beautiful red roses turn a blue color? This may be an indication that the pH balance of the water is not correct. Acidifiers will correct this problem if applied very soon after the stem is cut.

Respiratory Inhibitor

Cut flowers can perish quickly when respiration is high.

Respiratory inhibitors act to slow or stop the plant's growth and will keep a cut stem from using water too quickly. This action of slowed growth will slow down the rapid aging that occurs in cut flowers.

Bacterial Inhibitor

Bacteria form a film on the bottom of the stem and block respiration.

Bacterial inhibitors are extremely important to the respiration of the stem. If bacteria is allowed to flourish in the water or on the bottom of the stem, they will create a barrier and the bouquet will not be able to absorb needed water.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension: Keeping Cut Flowers and Flowering Plants
• University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension: Cut Flowers