Container Garden 411

Wilting will naturally occur when you cut flowers.To get the maximum out of your flowers however, there are a few different tips and tricks that will keep them looking their best for a lot longer than normal.

1.) Make sure your glass vase you use is very clean. If there have been other flowers or plants used previously in the same vase, clean it out thoroughly to get rid of any plant chemicals or bacteria than have probably built up

2.) If you are using your own flowers, pick them either in the early morning or in the evening. This will help the flowers survive as their body will be at it’s coolest. If can pick them in the early part of the day, the flower will have more nutrients stored within it so this is good option if you haven’t got flower feed to hand

3.) For your own flowers, place them in a bucket of water up to their heads overnight to allow them to soak up as much as possible. This is something that gets done already with purchased flowers so you will not have to repeat the process.

4.) When you cut the flower stems, cut at an angle to expose as much of the inner stem as possible. This will provide a larger surface area that is in contact with water and will mean the flower is able to soak up more.

5.) Place the flowers in maybe a clean crystal vase permitting the water about 3/4 of the way up the stem. Use a flower feed that contains a sugar, an acidifier and some form of biocide. The sugar is what the plant will feed on, the acidifier enables better soaking up of water and the biocide should help fight bacteria and other baddies.

6.) Make sure you change the water every couple of days rather than just top it up. This will supply the stem with clean fresh water and will get rid all the surrounding dead cells in the water

7.) If the base of the stems get dirty or clogged up, take the flowers out and re-cut the stems a little further up.

To enjoy the best results make sure you use all this advice and you’ll be amazed how well they work