keeping cut flowers fresh

[suechu]

Hi all, happy Mothering Sunday to those of us who are mums. Any tips please on how to keep flowers fresh for longer - seen bleach recommended? seems a bit weird...

[Traci66]

An aspirin in the water, don't know why it works but it does.

[cathfromsaron]

cut the stems a tiny bit again and very clean vase!

[Maydup]

Trim 1cm of the stems and plunge them in very cold water. Then arrange them in a vase with either a spoon ful of sugar stirred into new water or an egg cup of lemonade added.

Alternatively arrange them in oasis soaked in water with the same egg cup of lemondade mixed in.

In either case top the water up in a couple of days time.

[gness]

Please don`t use bleach. I accidentally used a vase last week that had a little bit of bleach in and flowers were dead in the morning. I have heard that lemonade works.

[suechu]

Interesting tips all, thanks! They'll just have to survive tonight in plain water but tomorrow will be trying one of your ideas and see if they'll last the week. My son ordered them last night online (well at least he didn't get them at the garage) so they probably cost him a fortune and it would be good if they last a while! Tks so much x

[gingejbee]

Obvious really, but place them in as cool a place as you can.

[heathfield]

For tulips, push a pin or needle through the top of the stem, just under the flowerhead, to leave a tiny hole. This stops them from drooping.

[lilacben]

Well I always use a little bleach and a teaspoon of sugar. They last for ages and the water doesnt smell when you empty it out. Also make sure you take all the leaves off the stems that will be underwater.

[oliviagrace]

The most important thing is to cut an inch off the stems, give them a long drink and put in a cool place, NOT the top of the T.V or the mantlepiece. You can use a teaspoon of bleach and warm water to clean the vase.

[JRB]

Having run out of the sachets of cut flower food (which do not work that well anyway) and having been given a lovely bunch of tulips, in desperation I dissolved ~ 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in some warm water and filled the vase with cold. The tulips, with freshly cut stems, lasted a good week and did not droop at all.

[grasscarp]

reading this reminds me of the sad time (years ago) when I cleaned the fish tank out with bleach, refilled with water, let it stand etc, put fish back and they all died : o (