Keep Cut Flowers Longer Using Homemade Preservative
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University of Missouri Extension State Specialist David Trinklein wants you to maximize the value of cut flowers. “Extending the life of flowers is a unique discipline known as postharvest physiology,” he says. “With the right techniques, your bouquet can last up to twice as long.”
The reason, he says, comes down to plant biology. “Plants are mainly water, and water doesn’t store well. But picked flowers are still capable of respiring, which means taking up water and using sugars. Give them a food and hydration source, and they’ll stay alive longer.”
The wilting process starts when flowers lose more water than they take in. This happens thanks to air bubbles forming in the xylem tissue of stems, which block the water flow. Cutting stems temporarily removes these air bubbles and restores water flow. “Wholesale rose stems are recut underwater, then put directly into a vase,” says Trinklein. “There’s little if any outside air exposure.”
Food is the other side of the equation. Most commercial bouquets come with flower preservative packets containing a proprietary blend of sugars, citric acid, and bactericides. But in a pinch, you can make your own. Trinklein suggests the following recipe:
1 pint lemon-lime soda (not diet)
1 pint water
1 tsp antiseptic mouthwash
1-2 drops dishwashing liquid
“The soda’s citric acid lowers the pH, increasing acidity and slowing down bacteria growth,” he says. “Its sugar content feeds the flowers.” The mouthwash is a bactericide, mimicking the proprietary ingredients in commercial flower preservatives. “If you look in a florist shop, you’ll notice they are squeaky clean. They do everything possible to avoid bacteria contamination since bacteria can also block water flow through a flower’s stem.”
Likewise, dishwashing liquid makes water slicker. Regular water adheres slightly to cell walls, but dish soap, a surfactant, reduces its stickiness, so plants are more efficient with uptake and translocation within the xylem tissue.
Trinklein states that his recipe can serve more as inspiration than a blueprint. “Many different ingredients can be used for this recipe, and it will maintain its effectiveness as long as the ingredients fulfill each function category,” he says. “For example, some people add an aspirin tablet to the water to deter the growth of bacteria. I’ve also heard of dropping in a copper penny, but that’s an urban legend and unlikely to be effective. And while this recipe is great in a pinch, my honest recommendation is to go to the hobby store and buy a premade flower preservative. That’s going to be just as effective as what florists use.”
Regardless of your flower food source, Trinklein reiterates that frequently cutting stems is the most crucial step. “Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle, underwater if possible, and immediately transfer them to a vase,” he says. “But the flower variety you choose will also affect their longevity. Certain garden flower species, such as sunflowers and zinnias, last longer to begin with. In fact, these tips might make them last a little too long. A lot of the fun of cut flowers is their novelty.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Trinklein (TrinkleinD@missouri.edu).
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Keep Cut Flowers Longer Using Homemade Preservative FARM HOME Novelty Items University of Missouri Extension State Specialist David Trinklein wants you to maximize the value of cut flowers “Extending the life of flowers is a unique discipline known as postharvest physiology ” he says “With the right techniques your bouquet can last up to twice as long ” The reason he says comes down to plant biology “Plants are mainly water and water doesn’t store well But picked flowers are still capable of respiring which means taking up water and using sugars Give them a food and hydration source and they’ll stay alive longer ” The wilting process starts when flowers lose more water than they take in This happens thanks to air bubbles forming in the xylem tissue of stems which block the water flow Cutting stems temporarily removes these air bubbles and restores water flow “Wholesale rose stems are recut underwater then put directly into a vase ” says Trinklein “There’s little if any outside air exposure ” Food is the other side of the equation Most commercial bouquets come with flower preservative packets containing a proprietary blend of sugars citric acid and bactericides But in a pinch you can make your own Trinklein suggests the following recipe: 1 pint lemon-lime soda not diet 1 pint water 1 tsp antiseptic mouthwash 1-2 drops dishwashing liquid “The soda’s citric acid lowers the pH increasing acidity and slowing down bacteria growth ” he says “Its sugar content feeds the flowers ” The mouthwash is a bactericide mimicking the proprietary ingredients in commercial flower preservatives “If you look in a florist shop you’ll notice they are squeaky clean They do everything possible to avoid bacteria contamination since bacteria can also block water flow through a flower’s stem ” Likewise dishwashing liquid makes water slicker Regular water adheres slightly to cell walls but dish soap a surfactant reduces its stickiness so plants are more efficient with uptake and translocation within the xylem tissue Trinklein states that his recipe can serve more as inspiration than a blueprint “Many different ingredients can be used for this recipe and it will maintain its effectiveness as long as the ingredients fulfill each function category ” he says “For example some people add an aspirin tablet to the water to deter the growth of bacteria I’ve also heard of dropping in a copper penny but that’s an urban legend and unlikely to be effective And while this recipe is great in a pinch my honest recommendation is to go to the hobby store and buy a premade flower preservative That’s going to be just as effective as what florists use ” Regardless of your flower food source Trinklein reiterates that frequently cutting stems is the most crucial step “Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle underwater if possible and immediately transfer them to a vase ” he says “But the flower variety you choose will also affect their longevity Certain garden flower species such as sunflowers and zinnias last longer to begin with In fact these tips might make them last a little too long A lot of the fun of cut flowers is their novelty ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup David Trinklein TrinkleinD@missouri edu
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