How to Color Carnations With Food Coloring
Although white carnations are beautiful just as they are, it can be fun to trick Mother Nature just a bit and alter the color of the carnations. With food coloring, you can make the carnations nearly any color you desire. Coloring white carnations with food coloring can be a simple science experiment to demonstrate to kids how the carnations "drink" water and nourishment even without their roots. It can also be a way to create fun bouquets for special occasions. Make a single-color bouquet or create a bright rainbow of colored carnations.
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Things You'll Need
- 8 white carnations
- Newspapers or old tablecloth
- Apron or old clothes
- 8 disposable plastic drinking cups
- Food coloring
- Scissors
- Vase
Instructions
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1
Purchase at least eight white carnations. Inexpensive carnations can be found at garden centers or supermarkets. Choose fresh carnations and avoid those that look wilted.
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2
Spread a layer of newspapers or an old tablecloth on your work surface. Wear an apron or old clothes because food coloring can stain if it's spilled.
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3
Fill eight disposable plastic cups half full with lukewarm water, and add 15 to 30 drops of food coloring to each cup of water. More food coloring means more vivid colors for your carnations. If you want all the carnations to be the same color, you can use a vase half full of lukewarm water, instead of small cups.
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4
Use a pair of scissors to cut the end of each carnation at an angle. A fresh angled cut will ensure that the stem will be open and ready to take up fluid.
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5
Put one carnation in each cup of water. Check the colors of the carnations every few hours to see how much color has been absorbed. The carnations may color very quickly, or it might take an entire day for the color to reach the tips of the petals. If the colors look too pale, add a few more drops of food coloring. Blue and red food coloring will be absorbed quickly, and green or yellow will take longer.
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6
Remove the carnations from the colored water when they reach the desired level of color. Rinse the ends of the stems, and clip off the ends with scissors so the carnation will absorb fresh water. Put the colored carnations in a vase filled with fresh, clear water.
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Tips & Warnings
To make the experiment even more interesting, slit the end of a carnation stem lengthwise with a sharp knife. Set two cups side by side, and put each split stem in its own cup of water and food coloring. Try different combinations, and watch what happens to the color of the white carnation.
