The best gift for a woman, as you know, is a beautiful bouquet of flowers. But the cut flowers at home quite quickly wither. But your favorite roses or tulips can keep their freshness if you use our advice. Chemistry and various chemical elements will help us in this difficult matter!
General information
At the beginning of the 20th century, the first ways to preserve flowers using chemical methods appeared. Fresh cut flowers were treated with potassium permanganate, solutions of potassium nitrate, aspirin, boric or even nitric acid... However, the effectiveness of such actions was very small. After a while having gained enough material, chemists realized that there are three main types of chemical compounds that help maintain the plant's life.
They are divided into three groups:
- Inhibitors of metabolism,
- Growth stimulants that support the vital activity of plants,
- Antiseptics and preservatives - substances that inhibit decay.
What must be done before putting flowers into a vase?
First of all you should always remove excess leaves and cut the stem. For this purpose, we use only a sharp knife, and cut the cut at an angle of 45 degrees. Scissors are bad because they injure the stem. It is better to cut underwater to prevent excess air from entering the stem. Then do not forget every day to change the water in the vase, trim the tips of the stems and spray the flowers with water. Very good effect gives cold baths: you should completely immerse the flowers in cold water in the evening for a short while. Notice, that the water temperature should be lower than the air temperature in the apartment.
How to keep flowers longer at home
As we saw above, there are three main groups of substances that allow you to save flowers.
First of all, we treat the flowers with an antiseptic. On the stems of plants there are always a lot of different microorganisms. They provoke the processes of rotting thereby shortening the life of a cut flower. To protect flowers against germs, you can use manganese, boric acid or ammonia. Add a few drops of the substance to the water and place the stems there for about an hour. In order to prevent bacteria from multiplying in the water in the vase, add a quarter of a teaspoon of soda to it. Also, you can safely use any mineral water in the vase.
- Charcoal placed on the bottom of the vase is an excellent remedy for the decay of the cut.
- 2-3 aspirin tablets placed into the vase is suitable for all flowers.
- Ordinary sugar can also support the life of the flower. To do this, just add a couple of spoons of sugar into the vase. It is very good to add a couple of spoons of apple cider vinegar.
- If you add a teaspoon of alcohol to a liter of water, the asters and chrysanthemums live much longer.
- Roses like salt. It’s enough to add a half a teaspoon.
- As you can see, it is quite easy to prolong the life of a bouquet. To do this, it is sufficient to use simple chemical techniques.
