Two Tips for People Whose Fresh-Cut Flowers Don't Last Long Enough
Here are some tips for people who have noticed that the fresh-cut flowers they buy for their homes don't seem to last for long enough.
They should review their approach to hydrating the flowers
The first thing a person should do if they're experiencing this issue is to review their approach to how they hydrate their fresh flowers. If for example, they leave the flowers in the same water that they poured into their vase when they first arranged the bouquet, instead of fully replacing this liquid every few days, or if they only top up the old water with some fresh water every once in a while, then this could be the source of their problem. Bacteria and fungi can easily grow in the moist, warm setting of a vase; as such, if the bacteria and fungi-riddled water isn't fully replaced and the vase itself isn't thoroughly rinsed every few days, these microorganisms could cause the fresh flowers to die prematurely.
On a related note, if a person is placing their fresh flowers in a vase of hot water, instead of cold water, in order to make the blossoms open faster, this too could ultimately result in the wilting and premature deterioration of their blooms, due to the warmth of the water creating an environment in which microorganisms will quickly multiply. As such, one simple fix for this problem could be for the person to remove their flowers from their vase every couple of days, rinse out the vase and then refill it with cold, clean water before putting the flowers back inside of it. Doing this will also give them the opportunity to spot and remove any mouldy, dying leaves or stems from the flowers, and thus potentially prevent these infected areas from damaging the other parts of the flowers.
They should reassess where they display the flowers
Another step a person in this situation should take is reassessing the places in their home where they display their flowers. If for example, they keep the flowers by an open window and it's quite windy where they live, they might find that the breeze blowing through this opening causes the petals to fall from the flowers faster than they would if they weren't exposed to this wind. By simply keeping this window closed or removing the vase from the window, they could solve this issue.
Similarly, if they keep their fresh flowers in an area where they're exposed to hot sunlight each day, then this could not only cause the water in the vase to evaporate faster (which, if the person is not monitoring their flowers closely and topping up their water often, could then cause the flowers to die) but could also dry out the petals and leaves, too, and give them a shrivelled, crispy appearance. By putting the vase in a place where it's not directly exposed to the sun, they could extend the flowers' life.
Find out more about how to take care of flowers.
