Cut Flower Food

Arranging fresh flowers is definitely an easy way to give life to the interior décor. You can either purchase cut flowers from your local florist center, or collect them from your yard, if you are lucky to have a flower garden. Even a single rose or tuberose adds color and fragrance to the room. But an unfortunate part is, it fades and withers very soon after being cut from the parent plant. This is where the importance of flower food comes into the picture. A good solution to increase the shelf life of fresh flowers is preparing homemade cut flower food and providing it to flowers.

Food for Cut Flowers

Fresh flowers are best cut in the morning, after which they are placed immediately in cool water. The fading color of cut flowers is due to the fact that they are no longer live, and their metabolic activities are stopped after cutting from the mother plant. Though it is not practical to bring them live again, you can certainly try homemade fresh cut flower food to keep them fresh for an extended time. The main objective is to supply nutrients to flowers so that part of their metabolic activities remain active to prolong their shelf life. The common ingredients used are listed below:

• Water is no doubt the main recipe component for cut flowers. Putting the flowers in cool water right after cutting is the simplest way to keep them fresh. Thus, florists often put the fresh flowers in water.
• Sucrose is a key ingredient for cut flower preservative recipe. As flowers are not in contact with the green foliage, they are deprived from the main energy source, glucose. Providing sugar externally increases the life of cut flowers.
• Since tap water is mostly alkaline, it impairs the rate of water and nutrient uptake by the flowers. You can add lime juice or other acidifiers to balance the alkalinity and increase the water absorption rate. These acidifiers also aid in retaining petal colors.
• Another factor to be considered while making food for cut flowers is the attack of bacteria in the cut flower stems and remaining parts. For this, you can mix bleach powder in small amounts, which acts as an effective natural biocide.

Homemade Food Recipes for Cut Flowers

It wouldn't be wrong to say that cut flowers are much more popular than bloom flowers in the garden. Even if you don't have a spare yard to grow flowering plants, or just don't have time and patience to care for them, you have the option of buying cut flowers and adopting different ways for flower arrangements. If you have bought a bunch of your favorite white roses, and are wondering how to make them look fresh for a longer time, the following are some simple cut flower preservative recipes for you.

Recipe #1
Take 2 quarts water in a bowl, and stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar (energy source), 4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice (acidifier) and 1 teaspoon bleach (biocide). Combine well and use this mixture for preserving cut flowers.

Recipe #2
Gather the flower food ingredients - 1 cup warm water, 1 cup lime flavored carbonated soft drink and ¼ teaspoon chlorine bleach. Combine them together in a mixing bowl, and fill the vase before introducing fresh flowers to it.

Recipe #3
A simple method to make cut flower preservative is to mix 1 ounce of mouthwash (e.g., Listerine) in ½ gallon of cool water. This mouthwash contains both sucrose and biocide for elongating the shelf life of cut flowers.

Recipe #4
White vinegar is an excellent acidifier for use as cut flower food. Mix 2 tablespoons each of sugar and plain vinegar with 1 quart water and ½ teaspoon chlorine bleach. Pour this concoction into the vase for keeping cut flowers fresh.

Before putting them in the solution, make a point to trim the flower stalks with sharp scissors. This will open up the vascular systems and increase uptake of water and nutrients. In addition to homemade cut fresh flower food, you can also find commercial products for increasing the life of cut flowers. So, now that you have a brief idea about lengthening the shelf life of cut flowers, use your creativity for cut flower arrangements and enjoy them fresh for several days to come.