How to Dry Flowers With Boric Acid & Sand
Using a desiccant like boric acid is one of the best ways to dry flowers whose leaves tend to hold onto moisture, such as roses, sunflowers, zinnias and asters. Desiccants work by literally sucking the moisture out of their neighbors. For flower drying, this translates to petals that dry out with their shape and color still intact. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Trim your flowers so that the stems are your desired length.
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2
Sort through the flowers you plan to dry, discarding any that have been damaged by insects or disease and plucking damaged petals as you need to.
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3
Place the flowers in a bucket or vase filled with water while you prepare the drying pan.
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4
Combine equal parts boric acid and sand in a bowl or small container.
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5
Spread a layer of the boric acid-sand mixture over the bottom of the pan evenly so that the bottom of the pan is completely covered.
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Place the flowers on top of the boric acid-sand mixture. The flowers will dry in the position you put them in, so if you want full, open flowers, spread the petals and dry them open and face up in the pan. If you want closed flowers, just lay them flat in the pan.
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Add a little more of the boric acid-sand mix to the pan. Use the heel of your hand to hit the side of the pan so that the mixture is evenly distributed over the flowers.
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8
Keep adding the borax-sand mixture to the pan and spreading it by hitting the pan until the flowers are covered by about an inch of the borax-sand mixture.
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9
Let the flowers dry for about two weeks before checking them for dryness. Flowers dried this way may need up to four weeks to completely dry.
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Tips & Warnings
You can substitute white or yellow cornmeal for the sand.
You can reuse the borax-sand mixture for future flower drying. Store it in an airtight container until you need it again.
Borax can alter the color of red and pink flowers; consider using another drying method for these types of flowers.
Be sure to check flowers frequently after the first two weeks. Flowers dried in borax can become brittle if left to dry too long.
