Just how to Take care of Fresh Flowers

 Flowers are beautiful and professionally designed bouquets are specially attractive. Flowers also can carry huge sentimental meaning because they're often given as gifts from people close to us. So it's little wonder that we would want to extend the life span of our flowers and enjoy their aesthetic and sentimental beauty for as long as possible.

With care and attention most flowers will last around 7 days with some varieties lasting for as long as 14 days. Below are a few practical steps to help extend the life span of one's cut flowers.

Get flowers into water

After only a few days out of water flowers will quickly dehydrate. So it will be essential to have flowers into a vase or container of water as quickly as possible florisis. When you first get the flowers home use tepid to warm water, not cold or hot, as this is the quickest solution to rehydrate the flowers. Heated water will also promote opening of the blooms because so many flowers are shipped with the blooms in a sealed or tight stage.

Technically speaking the optimum temperature is 37.5C (99.5F), which can be roughly body temperature. At this temperature air bubbles, which may have formed in the stem, have a tendency to breakup. Also water that's warmer compared to the surrounding air is more readily taken on by the flowers.

Change the water regularly

Try to change the water every two days. The flowers must certanly be well hydrated right now so you should use cold water instead of warm. This helps keep the flowers cool which is a key element of keeping flowers in good condition.

Use flower preservatives

Each consignment of Affinity Flowers includes a sachet of flower preservative. Flower preservative contains two primary elements, carbohydrates and anti-bacterial additives.

The carbohydrates behave as food which supports to sustain the flowers. The carbohydrates will also stimulate flower heads to open quicker. That is handy when you're trying to open flowers that usually ship with tight blooms like lilies.

The bactericide component inhibits bacteria developing in the water. Bacteria laden water may cause flowers to deteriorate quicker. Bacteria can also be a challenge because it could block flower stems and hinder the uptake of water. If left long enough the bacteria will also discolour the vase water and produce a distressing odour.

Simply empty the contents of the flower preservative sachet in to the vase water.

In the event that you don't have flower preservative you could add 1-2 drops of bleach to the water instead. The bleach will act being an anti-bacterial similar to the additives in commercial flower preservatives.

Remove leaves that will be under water

That is important as leaves that are below the waterline will deteriorate quickly and develop into a breeding ground for bacteria. If you have a professionally arranged bouquet you'll find that the leaves have already been removed by the florist. But flowers bought loose or unarranged might still have leaves low on the stem.

Trim the stems

Take a set of scissors or perhaps a sharp knife and trim 2-3cm (1 inch) from the bottom of the stem. Try not to crush the stem while you're doing this. Slice the stem on an angle to improve the top area exposed to the water. Cutting on an angle also stops the stem sitting flat on the bottom of the vase and blocking water uptake. Once cut immediately place the flowers into water.

Water is sucked up the stem such as a straw. When there is anything blocking the straw then it'll impede water flow to the head. With time the finish of a stem can become blocked with impurities from the water and bacteria. Also, if a flower has been out of water for just about any time frame, air is going to be drawn in to the stem that will block its capability to draw water.

Some florists recommend cutting the stems underwater which prevents air being used the stem.

Re-cut stems every two days or whenever you change the water.

Keep flowers cool

Flowers must certanly be kept in cool conditions. Keep them from sunlight, heaters, lamps and other heat sources. Also do not leave flowers in a warm vehicle when transporting them. This is the reason specialist flower delivery couriers have chilled storage on-board their vehicles.

Each variety has its optimal holding temperature but the perfect temperature for most flowers is a chilly 4-5C (39-41F), about the temperature as part of your refrigerator. Obviously these aren't ideal temperatures for folks but when you actually wanted to extend the life span of one's flowers you could place them in the refrigerator overnight or if you were going to be away for a long period.

Keep flowers from fruit

Fruit and vegetables produce ethylene gas which can be detrimental to flowers. Carnations and Delphiniums are particularly susceptible. Try to help keep flowers from fruit and vegetables to help keep them in good shape.

Similarly domestic gas can also be damaging to flowers. There's a tale of a flower grower who found it difficult to help keep cut flowers on his farm. He suspected his gas supply may have been the cause and a check always by a specialist confirmed he had a gas leak on his property.

Keep daffodils separate

The sap exuded from the cut stems of narcissus varieties like daffodils is detrimental to other flowers. No other flowers should share the exact same water with daffodils or any narcissus varieties.