Our letterbox flowers, freshly picked and delivered, are intentionally kept in bud to extend your enjoyment. In case they don't appear their best upon arrival, it's likely they just need a drink after their journey. Give them some water, and within 24 hours, they will rejuvenate. While it may take a day or two for the flowers to fully bloom, following our 8 tips can expedite the process.
1.Prepare a Large Container
First, prepare a large container (a deep bucket or kitchen / bathroom sink) and fill it with 3/4 of the water.
2.Remove Water-absorbing Cotton
Remove the water-absorbing cotton from the roots of the flowers. If there is a net covering the flowers, remember not to remove it. (The netting helps prevent the flowers from losing petals due to insufficient water, you can remove them after perking up the flowers.)
3.Trim the Stems
Use clean scissors to trim about 1 inch from the bottom of the stems at a 45-degree angle.
4.Remove the Leaves
Remove all the leaves from the bottom of the flowers, only keep the leaves around the flower buds.
5.Immerse the Flowers
Immerse the flowers, excluding the flower heads, in water for a duration of 4 hours. This will enable the flowers to absorb an ample amount of water, compensating for any loss during shipping or extended periods without hydration.
6.Clean the Vase
Clean your vase thoroughly, avoid leaving any leaves below the waterline, ensuring none are submerged in the water, as they can rot quickly and contaminate the vase water.
7.Use Floral Preservative
Also, you can choose to add one of the following things to water to keep flowers fresh:
- A. Flower Food Packet
The packet included with your bouquet is specially designed to preserve your flowers' vitality. It contains citric acid, sugar, and bleach. Citric acid adjusts the water's pH, sugar provides nourishment, and bleach disinfects the water.
- B. Aspirin
Crushing a 250- to 500-mg aspirin tablet per gallon of water is a common suggestion by gardeners and flower enthusiasts to enhance water absorption and promote longer flower life. This is because aspirin lowers the water's pH level. To accomplish this, you can use a mortar and pestle or seal the aspirin in a baggie and crush it using a heavy object like a bottle of wine or a coffee table book.
- C. Vodka
Contrary to our initial assumption that adding alcohol to flowers would cause immediate harm, we were surprised to discover that vodka actually hinders the production of ethylene in flowers. Ethylene is responsible for their maturation and eventual wilting. Additionally, some online sources suggest that vodka can serve a similar function to bleach in flower food by eliminating bacteria in the water, which may help prolong the flowers' lifespan.
- D. Sexual Performance Enhancer
Among the surprising methods we encountered, the final one involved a widely-used sexual performance enhancer. While the reasons behind its popularity remain unclear (perhaps due to the high cost of prescriptions), we found that these enhancers typically contain nitric oxide. Interestingly, nitric oxide has the ability to slow down the aging process of plants and flowers, thereby extending their lifespan. For the best results, crush the pill, whether it's blue or generic, using a mortar and pestle.
8.Change the Water Daily
Replace the water in the vase daily with fresh, room temperature water. Make sure no leaves or petals are submerged, as this can speed up decay. Clean the vase to prevent bacterial buildup if flowers were purchased without a vase.
