How to save cut roses
The presented flowers give a lot of pleasant emotions. And it is especially sad to watch how they begin to fade over time. There are a number of recommendations on how to keep a bouquet of roses in a vase fresh and fragrant for a long time.
What conditions are needed for a cut rose
A cut rose is demanding on many aspects of its stay in your home. The choice of water, room temperature, dryness or humidity of the air and other moments sometimes drastically change the state of the flower.
- Do not unpack flowers immediately after delivery. This is especially true of a bouquet brought from the street into a warm room. Let the roses sit and get used to.
- At what temperature to store roses, a room thermometer will tell you. The optimum temperature for storing flowers is 8-10 degrees Celsius. Of course, this condition is difficult to comply with in an apartment. But you can put the vase closer to the window or take it out into the shade on the balcony.
- Roses do not tolerate dry air. They start to wilt prematurely if there is not enough moisture in the environment. Create favorable conditions for the bouquet to stay fresh for as long as possible.
- Pure water of the right temperature is another important condition for the well-being of the bouquet. Try not to use tap water, which contains many impurities harmful to plants.
How to choose a vase
Get in the habit of keeping several vases of different shapes and sizes at home. This will help you to immediately find the right container for the presented bouquet.
Flowers need space so that the stems do not stick tightly to each other. Otherwise, they will quickly deteriorate, injure, rub and rot. Pay attention to the height of the container. Cut flowers should take up about half or slightly more of the height of the vase itself.
How much water do you need
Water plays an important role in the life of the cut bouquet. The care, beauty and longevity of the bouquet will depend on what kind of liquid you pour into the vase.
What it should be
Be critical about the quality of your tap water:
- do not put the bouquet under running water for a long time;
- pour distilled or infused into a vase for at least half an hour;
- wash the flower container well after previous use so that no dried mucus or harmful bacteria remain on its walls;
- keep the liquid at a favorable temperature, make it slightly warm in winter and slightly cool in summer;
- for a fragrant fragrance, add no more than 30 grams of sugar to a vase with flowers;
- a tablespoon of vinegar per liter of water disinfects and kills germs, which prolongs the life of cut roses;
- Another way to prepare liquid for flowers is to stir a crushed aspirin tablet per liter of volume;
How often should the water be changed
Regularity in changing water for roses is a relative concept. Everyone has their own sense of time and it seems that in a couple of days nothing terrible will happen in a vase. But every second the life of bacteria and microorganisms proceeds in the liquid. How to keep roses in a vase beautiful?
For this, there are a couple of recommendations on how to take care of the bouquet:
- renew the filling of the vase once a day;
- if disinfectant aspirin was added to the water, it can be changed every two days;
- removing roses from a vase, rinse the stems under running water from mucus and decaying fragments;
- add vinegar or aspirin each time you fill the vase with liquid.
How often to update the slice
It is necessary to renew the cut so that the flowers absorb water well, and a protective crust does not form. As soon as the cut off part of the plants loses its freshness, the buds will begin to droop and wilt due to lack of nutrition.
- if you use tap water, it is advisable to change it every day, and at the same time cut the flowers a little;
- distilled liquid stays fresh much longer, so a new cut in roses can be done less often;
Where to put a vase with a bouquet
Keep cut flowers away from central heating and other heat sources. This greatly dries the air and takes moisture from the plants, shortens the life of the bouquet. A place near an open window, where drafts are walking, is also not suitable. Roses love coolness, but are afraid of cold air currents.
An unfortunate place to put a vase is at open doors, near a fan, or under an air conditioner. In all cases, the roses will quickly wither and wither. The best choice can be considered a bright, shaded location, without open sunlight and drafts.
How to save withered roses
If the roses have already begun to lower their heads, do not despair. A number of tips on how to keep cut flowers in a vase for a long time will help you enjoy their grace and fragrance for a long time to come.
- There is an extreme method of quickly restoring colors. You need to put them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, and then cool them sharply in cool water. The inflorescences reanimated in this way can stand for another week.
- Place a silver item on the bottom to prevent bacteria from growing in the vase.
- A drying bouquet can be revived by placing it in water mixed with a spoonful of ammonia per liter of liquid. Camphor alcohol or glycerin has the same effect.
- Sometimes it helps to save water from contamination by adding a drop of bleach or any kind of detergent from a pipette.
- You can immerse roses in a cold water bath at night. This will saturate them with moisture and significantly extend their life.
How to cut homemade roses correctly
If you cut the flowers yourself, there is every chance at this stage to lay a long vase life in each rose. First of all, disinfect the blades of your garden shears or knife before cutting flowers. This will prevent bacteria from entering the household equipment on freshly cut stems.
- Budding is considered the best period for cutting home roses, when delicate petals are preparing to open;
- water the flowers well in the evening so that they are saturated with moisture to the maximum, and in the morning cut the flowers for a bouquet;
- the ideal time to collect plants is considered to be before 10 am;
- if you have a hot, dry summer, it is recommended to cut your roses before dawn;
- you can pick roses in the evening if the day was wet and cool;
- cut at an angle of 45 degrees to the stem so that the end of the flower does not completely rest against the bottom of the vase;
- remove all leaves and buds that may later end up in the container under water to avoid early decay processes.
How to choose the right roses
You need to be able to choose roses for cut or during the purchase. Sometimes the beauty of a flower completely captures the attention of the buyer and no one pays attention to the first signs of wilting.
For the bouquet to stand for a long time and delight others, experts advise:
- If you do not know when the flower was cut, slightly squeeze it at the base of the inflorescence. This area should be firm and juicy, saturated with moisture. If it is dry and soft there, most likely, the rose is not the first freshness.
- Pay attention to the shirt of the plant. These are small green petals that surround the bud. They should be small, green, fresh and slightly curly.
- No water droplets should remain in the buds. This is a sign that the plant has been frequently watered with water from a spray bottle and can quickly start to rot.
- The bud should be at least a third open. If the petals are still tightly closed, the flowering process has not begun, and the flower has already been cut, it will not have enough strength to bloom further. Most likely, such a rose will stand and wilt unopened.
- The stem should be of uniform thickness throughout the stem. If it tapers at the base of the bud, it means that the rose was cut early and can wilt quickly.
A close inspection of roses prior to purchase and prior to the formation of a bouquet in the garden will make you an expert in plant longevity. Cut flowers are joy, comfort and fragrance throughout the house. May this miracle last as long as possible.
Video: 6 rules to keep roses in a vase longer