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Care manual for flowers

6 steps to keep your flowers fresh for a long time

Having fresh flowers at home adds a beautiful touch to your interior and also cheers you up every time you take a peek at them! But how to make them last so you could enjoy them as long as possible? We’ve put together a thorough article to help you out, giving you all the tips and tricks to keep your flowers fresh for many days.

Step 1: Clean the vase, add water and flower food

Keep in mind that flowers need clean water, which is why it’s important to thoroughly wash your vase with some dish soap and water beforehand. It’s an important step for avoiding bacterial growth. A dirty vase leads to overgrowth of bad bacteria which contaminates the water, which then results in flowers wilting and dying faster. Besides that, you should change the water regularly and also clean the vase in the process.

To keep the bouquets fresh it’s good to change the water every day, and make sure that at least 2-3 cm of the flower stalks are covered in water.

This way you can be certain that each flower stalk gets enough water which keeps the whole bouquet fresh longer.

Step 2: Trim the flower stalks

To keep the bouquet thriving it’s necessary to cut 3-4 cm of the stalks off, preferably at a 45-degree angle, before placing them in a vase. This way the water can travel up the stem better and keep your flowers hydrated. Again you should repeat the process every time you change the water.

Step 3: Remove the leaves that get covered in water

When putting the bouquet in a vase, remove the leaves that get covered in the water to avoid them getting soggy and contaminating the water. It’s an important step to keep the quality of the water fresh and avoid bacterial overgrowth. Removing the thorns is not necessary, as it doesn’t affect the water in any way.

Step 4: Take care of the flowers daily

Regular care and attention are crucial to your flowers so you could enjoy them longer. The bigger the bouquet, the more water it needs. This is why it’s important to check the water level every day and add clean water according to the need. When you see the first signs of the blooms wilting then you can gently spray them with water and put the vase in a colder place for some time.

Step 5: Keep flowers out of reach for kids and pets

Remember that there are flowers and plants that are poisonous for people and pets when ingested. So it’s a nice precaution to keep them away or out of reach for kids and animals.

Beware of the following toxic flowers:

  • Azaleas;
  • Laceleaves;
  • Lilies;
  • Christmas flowers;
  • Amaryllises;
  • Chrysanthemums;
  • Hydrangea;
  • Cyclamen;
  • Hyacinths;
  • Daffodils;
  • Irises;

Additional toxic flowers for pets:

  • Begonias;
  • Carnations;
  • Buttercups.

Oftentimes the plants are sprayed with pesticides to keep the bugs away, so keep in mind that you can find the remains of pesticides from the petals and leaves.

Step 6: Keep the temperature low

Flowers are extra sensitive against sudden temperature changes, so it’s important to let them rest in wrapping paper for some time when bringing them indoors during colder seasons. This way they can adjust to the room temperature and avoid getting shocked before you place them in a vase. You can also make sure to keep the flowers in the shade, out of direct sunlight, and away from heaters. They don’t like being placed in windy spots either.

Tips for specific flowers:

Tulips

Tulips love cold water and cool temperatures, rainwater is especially good for them and you want to keep them out of direct sunlight. Trim the stalks before placing them in water, cut approximately 5 cm off. Change the water every other day and if you can then trim them slightly every time you put them in clean water.

Roses

Roses prefer a bit warmer water, preferably previously boiled and then brought to room temperature. There should be about 10-15 cm of water in the vase, and you should make a small cut at the end of the stalk so they could absorb water better. Again it’s great to change the water every day and also make another cut while doing that. Besides that, you can remove all the leaves that are covered in water, as it’s important to keep the water clean.

Daffodils

Daffodils love colder water just as tulips do, but you should change it every other day like with roses. Don’t add too much water into the vase, just about 5 cm is more than enough. It’s good to keep daffodils in a separate vase from other flowers, because they extract slime into the water and this keeps other blossoms from absorbing water, and makes them wilt faster.

Carnations

Carnations can tolerate pretty much everything, they don’t need any special care. Although they prefer being put in room temperature water.

Lilies

Lilies are like carnations and they don’t need much from you. The only thing to keep in mind is that they’re sensitive to the ethylene gas that ripe fruits emit, so you should keep them away from fruits to help them stay fresh longer.

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