How to Feed Cut Flowers

The water in a flower vase should be changed every two days.

Feeding and handling cut flowers the way florists do can make your flowers last up to seven days longer than usual. Plant food consists of sugar, biocides and acidifiers. Biocides are chemicals that kill bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Good biocides to use are bleach and vinegar. Acidifiers are acids that help the water move up the stem of the flower. Lemon juice and orange zests are two common acidifiers. While you can buy plant food, you can easily make your own mixture, too.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp, unserrated knife
• Vase
• 1 pint or 1 quart warm water
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. bleach or vinegar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice or orange zest

Instructions

1. 

   The stems of cut flowers bruise when dropped into a vase.

   Add 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar, 1 tsp. of bleach or vinegar and 1 tsp. of lemon juice or orange zest to a quart of warm water and stir until it's dissolved. If you will only need a pint of water for your vase, use half of each ingredient.

2. 

   Overcrowding causes some flowers to die quickly.

   Cut 1-2 inches from the end of each flower's stem at a steep angle using the sharp knife. Place each cut flower in a container of warm water immediately. Waiting until you have cut all the flowers you need before putting them in water will shorten the life of the flowers.

3. 

   Keep cut flowers out of direct sunlight.

   Ease each flower into the vase. Dropping your flowers into the vase can bruise the stems, making it difficult or impossible for the flowers to receive water and food.

4. 

Tips & Warnings

• Marion Owen, co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul," says the best time to cut your flowers is in early morning, when the flower is filled with stored food and has the strongest fragrance.

• Cut flowers should be placed in lukewarm water, while bulbs such as daffodils and tulips prefer cold water, Owen says. Mixing daffodils with other cut flowers is not advised because of toxic compounds released by daffodils.

• You can purchase flower-food packets or individual ingredients to make flower food from your florist or from places that sell cut flowers.

• Keep fruit away from cut flowers. The gas emitted from the fruit makes flowers wilt faster than they normally would.

• Keep plant-food solutions away from children.

References

• Plantea: How to Preserve Fresh Cut Flowers Naturally
• Professor's House: How to Make Flowers Last Longer