Plant Care 101

It’s hard to say goodbye to your bloomy besties.

Everybody loves fresh flowers. They bring color and life to your space, add a nice touch to any room, and make the perfect gift for someone special or even yourself. They never fail to brighten up your day, but there's no way to know how long they'll last. 

One of the pitfalls is the short lifespan of fresh-cut flowers, but there are lots of tricks, and tips that extend their longevity, so here come we - your savior. Let us help you do the impossible, shall we? We can't let cut flowers go so soon because they're just too beautiful.

Before we move forward, let us know first why cut flowers need care. There are several things that happen when flowers are cut from the earth. A plant’s roots act as a filtering system preventing bacteria from entering the stem. The roots also provide a source of clean and PH balanced water as well as feeding the plant the correct minerals. When flowers are cut from the plant stem, the filtering system is removed, leaving the flower free to draw up unfiltered water, air, and bacteria. This blocks the stem, which interferes with water uptake. Hence, no roots, no filter!

Plunking a penny into a vase of water won’t help your blooms last longer. But here’s what will keep flowers fresh - you, your patience, your love for the blooms, and a mystery superhero! Are you excited to figure the secrets out? Let us wait no more and dig in.

Wash your Vase thoroughly

It’s not every day you receive beautiful fresh flowers, so it’s likely your vase may have been sitting patiently at the back of the cupboard collecting dust. Carefully wash your vase with hot water & a small cap of bleach together with a sponge. Allow the vase to dry naturally upside down rather than using a towel. This is the first step to ensuring no bacteria is present when water and flowers are introduced into the vase.

Condition your Water

Tap water is suitable for fresh flowers but it does need to be conditioned to be ideal for thriving blooms.

Firstly, look at the stems of your flowers, if they are predominantly woody stems like these roses, they prefer a deep drink, so fill the vase up to around 2/3rds full with tap water. If the stems are predominantly softer stems (like tulips) then fill the vase just under halfway with tap water as they prefer a more shallow drink. Don’t forget to include Life Pro in the process, details to follow!

Once you’ve done that, put the vase to one side and leave it for a while to allow some of the larger air bubbles to escape and for the water to reach room temperature. Why? Flowers take warmer water in more efficiently than cold so, putting fresh flowers in warmer water for their first drink is crucial. Air bubbles can get stuck in the bottom of stems which can interfere with water uptake.

Meet the mystery superhero of cut flowers - Life Pro

IFFCO Urban Gardens Life Pro is a source of nutrition for cut flowers. Flowers remain fresh. Healthy and blooming for longer. It extends the life of the flowers for a joyful experience and has all those essential nutritive components that can do the same. It gives nutrients to the flowers, maintains the pH level, and reduces bacteria and fungi in the water.

Use a properly washed flower vase. Put 1 sachet in 1 litre of lukewarm water in a flower vase and mix it. Cut the stem of the flower diagonally before placing it into the vase. Ensure that 2/3rd of the stem should always remain in the water. This is one of the most important steps!

Prepare Your Stems

Place the stems next to your vase to measure the right height for them to be cut. Remove any foliage that will fall below the waterline of your vase. If any foliage is left below the waterline, it will firstly introduce bacteria back into your clean water and will also decompose quickly being submerged.

Cut the stems at an angle with the sharpest scissors, shears, or knives you can find. Cutting the stems with a sharp implement makes sure the cut is clean and the stem isn’t crushed, this aids water uptake. Cutting at an angle creates a larger opening at the base of the stem for more water uptake and stops them from sitting flat in the vase.

Once your flowers have been cut, place them immediately into your vase of water.

Place in a Suitable Location

Keep your flowers in a cool location away from sources of heat such as household appliances or radiators, direct sunlight such as window sills, and drafts from windows or doors. Also: Keep your flowers away from any fruit or vegetables.

When cut flowers are subject to heat it causes them to release more water (transpire) than they can draw up the stem causing wilting to occur. That’s why wilting flowers are very moist at the head of the stem. Fruit releases ethylene gas as it ripens which poisons cut flowers causing wilting and browning.

Check Regularly

Some pointers that may help:

• Try not to neglect your flowers for more than 2-3 days. 

• Be sure to take them out of the vase to change the water as well as to trim them. 

• Use the stems as a handle to hold your flowers rather than the heads, human hands are warm and will make them dry. 

• Avoid cloudy water!

No matter how meticulous you have been with your vase, flower food, and cutting, bacteria will still form and attach to the end of your flower stems and discolor your water. This is the most frequent cause of a short vase life so keeping on top of this is key to long-life flowers. If the water is clear, top it up with tap water and remove any floating foliage with a clean spoon or fork, not your fingers.

Cutting at least an inch from the bottom allows an otherwise clogged stem to reopen and take up much more water.

It doesn't matter whether you’re growing flowers in your garden or purchasing your flowers from a flower retailer, you want the beauty of your flowers to last. And now, you know the secret! You have a role to play in keeping them alive longer along with the flower superhero. Thank us later while you keep your cut flowers fresh! Stay bloomy green thumbs. Plantflix and Chill.