Cut Flower Care:
SO CRUCIAL!!
While some cut flowers seem to last forever in a vase with little or no care whatsoever, other coveted flower varieties require a little extra attention...and so given will reward your efforts with many gratifying days of lasting flower beauty! (and disclaimer: even the freshest cut flowers can’t be brought back to life after an hour or two in a sweltering car - think of your purchased flowers like a pint of ice cream! Get em home fast.)
Start with a clean vase, vessel, jug or jar. No jam or jelly residues please! This is the best blank slate upon which to build your cut flower foundation.
Supply clean, fresh water. Keeping flowers properly hydrated in their final days of bloom will extend their vase life, and keeping that water clean is ideal! Changing the vase water regularly can keep flower stems free-flowing and flower tissues turgid, OR you can use flower food specially formulated to keep water bacteria-free and flowers hydrated for longer spells - I recommend ALWAYS using flower food with certain flower varieties, Dahlias being at the top of that list.
VERY IMPORTANT: Before arranging your flowers in a vase, always re-cut the bottom of your flower stems (roughly 1/2” or more) if they have spent any time out of water (in transit home from market, out of water while you’re cleaning your vase, etc). After the initial trim, re-cutting every few days helps ensure that plant tissues are open and free of debris, thereby extending vase life and viewer enjoyment. This may be done by cutting at an angle, under running water, with sharp snips or a knife, etc. but the point is to open up fresh new plant tissues and expose them to clean water only!
*Pro-Tip: If you notice one flower in a bunch drooping while the rest are upright, first make sure that stem is submerged. If the answer is yes, try re-cutting that one stem and placing back in water. give it a couple hours to re-hydrate.
Strip the leaves from the section of all flower stems that will remain submerged in water.
Keep flowers cool. It stands to reason that cooler conditions slow down metabolism, and hot ones speed that stuff up. Placing your cut flowers someplace out of direct sunlight (NOTE: flowers that have already been harvested do not need full sun…that was when they were growing in the field), and away from vents blowing hot air, open flames, etc. will have your cut flowers less stressed in their final days of bloom. Of course, if the place where you get the most enjoyment from your flowers is also the warmest and sunniest, by all means - whatever suits you!
Flower Food/Preservative. I aim to provide a packet of commercial flower food with most flower bunches I sell, but find what works best for you! The general idea is to kill germs, while providing a little sugar to keep flowers opening and colors bright. Keep in mind that these products do expire over time, so the fresher, the better!