subject: Extending The Life Span Of Designer Flower Arrangements [print this page] Designer flower arrangements are a gift that everyone adores being given for any occasion, whether it's an anniversary, holiday, birthday, or even just because it's Monday. Flower arrangements are the perfect way to brighten a lucky person's day. Keeping the arrangement fresh as long as possible is important once the beautiful bouquets have reached the recipient. You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that the secret to extending the life of the floral arrangement is actually hidden inside the vase.
Prevent Bacteria Growth Using Household Items
The # 1 danger to flower arrangements is harmful bacteria. Stagnant water is a breeding ground for bacteria allowing the water in a vase to become cloudy as time passes. There are a variety of easy to use do-it-yourself solutions.
Pennies Are More Valuable Than You'd Think
Everyone is able to locate a penny without much trouble; there may be one in your couch, your wallet, or your change jar. Dropping one into the bottom of your flower vase is one of the easiest ways to prevent harmful bacteria growth. The copper content of pennies is most effective in the inhibition of fungal growth on the floral arrangement.
A Few Drops of Bleach
As scary as it may sound, adding just a couple drops of bleach into a vase of flowers will do wonders to keep the water clearer for an extended amount of time. Bleach helps kill and inhibit bacterial growth for flowers in the same way that it does for other applications around the house. You should make certain you don't overdo it -- one or two drops is plenty.
Keep Feeding Your Flowers
The stems of flowers can certainly absorb nutrients from the water in the vase, even when they are no longer attached to their roots. Feeding them is still very beneficial. Although the majority of floral arrangements come with a small packet of flower food, there exists a great deal of house hold items that can get the job done as well.
A Spoonful of Sugar
A spoonful of sugar does more than help medicine go down -- incorporating a teaspoon of sugar with the water in the vase is a great way to extend the life of fresh-cut flowers. It is important to make sure you take measures to inhibit bacterial growth as well. Though sugar will keep the flowers alive for a longer period, it's also known to feed the growth of bacteria.
The Best of Both Worlds
When you want to provide food and inhibit bacterial growth at the same time, clear soda will have both your bases covered. While Sprite and 7-UP are the most popular choices for this technique, any clear soda will work. The greatest results are seen when the vase is filled with a 1:1 ratio of water to soda. The fairly acidic nature of clear sodas is beneficial in decreasing bacterial growth, while the sugar content works to provide the flowers with food.
What Will You Put in Your Vase?
There are a lot of things you can do to extend the life of your designer flower arrangements. The best place to begin with is what you put in the vase. Through adding items to reduce bacteria growth and supply nutrients to your flowers, you can substantially prolong the lifespan of every arrangement with only a few seconds of effort.
