How to make cut flowers last longer?

Question

i need the single most effective way to make cut flowers last longer.

Answer 1

A teaspoon full of water and don't throw them in cold water, make it lukewarm or moderately warm.

Answer 2

put an aspirin in the water

Answer 3

Put a penny in the vase: Wives' tale or real solution?

If you don't like to use chemicals to prolong the life of your cut flowers, there are "natural" alternatives. Some methods work better than others. Here's one for you:

Does a penny and an aspirin tablet placed in the vase water really do any good? Some say the combination does keep flowers fresh longer. The theory is that the copper acts a fungicide and the aspirin makes the water more acidic. Here are more food + acid combinations:

Add one part lemon-lime soda (not diet) to 3 parts water. Then to each quart of this solution, add 1/4-teaspoon bleach. Thereafter, add 1/4-teaspoon bleach after each 4 days of use.

To 1-quart water add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1-tablespoon sugar, and 1/2-teaspoon bleach.

Add 2 ounces Listerine mouthwash per gallon of water. Listerine contains sucrose (food) and a bactericide. Listerine is acidic and is said help water move up the cut stem.

Answer 4

First Cut Fables

The first step to fresh-looking flowers is stripping all leaves from stems that will be below the water line. Submerged foliage encourages bacteria growth in the container water. Remove at least 1 inch from the bottom of any flower stems that have been exposed to air. Legends abound as to the best way to cut, slice, or crush stems before placing them in water. Cutting stems at a 45-degree angle really does help most flowers absorb water. Some woody stemmed flowers benefit from slicing their stems, but you can’t go wrong with a diagonal cut. Use garden shears or a sharp knife to cut stems. Common household scissors can crush the vascular systems of the flower stem, inhibiting water uptake. As soon as you make the cut, plunge flowers into a vase or container filled with lukewarm water.

Vase Water Demystified

Aspirin, vitamin pills, vinegar, and pennies are just a few of the more common folklore additives used unsuccessfully to preserve flowers. What works are ingredients that prohibit bacteria, feed the flower, and encourage water uptake. Commercial flower preservatives contain a blend of these ingredients that can extend the life of cut blooms by days. The Brooklyn Botanical Garden recommends a homemade mixture that works as well as the commercial variety. Mix 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon bleach, and 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice in a quart of warm water. Warm water is important because it’s more easily absorbed. However, cold weather blooms, such as tulips, thrive in cold vase water.

Keep Petals at their Peak

All living things wilt a bit with age, but there are steps for maintaining cut flowers in their prime.

• Keep fresh flower arrangements away from heat, direct sunlight, and ripening fruit.

• Check the water level in the vase every day.

• Recut the stems of limp blooms and discard any that do not recover.

Answer 5

Be certain your vase is very clean.  Then to the water add a few drops of bleach and a pinch of sugar.  

Answer 6

A clean vase and a penny.  Or a clean vase and one of those powdered flower food things that you get with cut flowers at the grocery store.  Those are the best.