Conditioning FlowersHow to Prolong the Life of Cut Flowers
Conditioning Flowers Conditioning flowers... some people find this an extremely scary subject, but it is just a matter of prolonging the life of cut flowers as best we can! Understanding, in a simple way, why we have to condition the flowers, what is needed, and which ways are preferable, is best explained by going into what we are trying to achieve. This is further explained by a short, simple, explanation of the way a plant works. (Please feel free to ignore this bit... very basic... but here goes... the most important bit of any plant is the roots, which bring up the nutrients and water from the growing medium. Next we have the shoots and leaves, finally comes the flower... it is the last thing to receive food and drink, because in the scheme of things... if a plant loses a flower - as long as it isn't an annual - well the plant lives and it can try to reproduce again!) The point of this waffle is, that once the flower has been cut from the plant, its source of nutrients and water is gone. From now on the flower is relying on us for its source of water and nutrients (and, further to this if its parent plant was not feeding it sufficiently [a weak plant, maybe!] in the first place... it may not have a very strong water transportation system). It is, therefore, best to buy from only the best suppliers... especially when you are buying temperamental blooms... roses can be notorious at times, and no matter what conditioning flowers methods you employ they won't come round! Don't worry, there are plenty of long lasting good tempered flowers... Pinks (Dianthus), Carnations, Chrysanthemums and most Lilies are all very reliable. Once you understand that all you are trying to achieve is to get water up the stem to the flower head... you are well on the way. You can do an experiment to prove this to yourself if you fancy. Buy some white carnations, then in a deep glass vase add some warm water with a little sugar added, if you want, for conditioning flowers... then add some food coloring to the water red, green or whatever you fancy! You will soon have proof that the water is going up the stem to the flower. The other vital thing to remember when considering conditioning flowers is that flower stems can get an airlock which will stop the water getting to the flower. This problem [airlocks] is what conditioning flowers tries to prevent or alleviate!
CONDITIONING FLOWERS - General Care Tips A good buy for conditioning flowers is a florists bucket... this is a narrow type bucket without a handle (the handle could damage your flowers)... failing that, get a cheap tall narrow bucket and remove the handle. This will make an extremely useful accessory.
If you cannot arrange your flowers as soon as they arrive... fill your florists bucket with warm water, cut off about an inch from the stems of your flowers whilst they are under water, and leave the flowers up to their necks in the water until you can arrange them. This treatment will start off conditioning flowers perfectly. They are best kept in a draught/draft free cool dark place until this time arrives. If using florists foam [oasis] DO remember to soak it well in advance, so that it has no dry spots. Also remember to keep the finished arrangement well topped up with water at all times so that the oasis doesn't dry out. You cannot use it twice if it has dried out [not for fresh flowers anyway... see my page on Silk Flowers for another use for used foam] ... but, you can keep it in a bucket of water ready for your blooms to arrive for as long as you want, probably the longer the better. Obviously, the larger the piece of foam the longer it takes to soak up the water. Foam cuts easily. If you have a vase or other receptacle in mind for your flowers, just cut a piece of foam which will fit. A good pair of florists scissors is invaluable - remember to try and cut stems underwater and at a diagonal angle so as to allow more area of stem to take up water, and so that only the very point of the stem rests on the bottom of the vase. Just a note on adding fruit to an arrangement... fruit gives off an odourless gas called Ethylene [apples are particularly susceptible]. This gas will cause many flowers to fade more quickly, can cause bud drop, and yellowing of leaves. Just a thought to bear in mind! A note to bear in mind regarding Lilies... all florists will tell you to remove the stamens because the pollen will make a MESS! If, like me, you think it spoils the look of the Lilies to remove the stamens... well, you need to site them carefully with a base which will wipe clean if the worst should happen. Please note... keep out of the reach of pets. This is useful advice for some of your houseplants too! Some plants, both indoor and outdoor, can be poisonous to your pets... as can some foods which we enjoy on a regular basis. Though I must admit that our Ridgebacks have stolen things which are said to be bad for them... and haven't, in most cases, suffered any ill effects. Though stealing a whole chocolate cake from a tin in a closed cupboard overnight did make our first Ridgeback suffer from almost immediate diarrhoea and sickness. No ill effects after that though! I am adding links to three different pages which has help and advice for pet owners in regard to poisonous plants and foods... just in case you have found this information worrying...
Plants & foods which are toxic to cats
Prolonging the life of cut flowers, like carnations, chrysanthemums, and lilies needs a further mention, simply because they last SO well anyway! If the following two tips are not adhered to, they will simply go rotten before they die naturally from old age! So either use the packet of flower food supplied with the flowers, a teaspoon of sugar, or just plain water. But, please note, bacteria will feed when it can, so make sure you have removed any leaves which would be underwater AND change the water frequently.
One further point on conditioning flowers - general care tips... both with florists and supermarket flowers the norm is now to supply a packet of flower food to add to the water. Though, to be quite honest, if the flowers are properly conditioned, I think they last just as well without it!
CONDITIONING FLOWERS...Preparing your Plant Material Remove all the leaves which would have been below the water level in the arrangement... they would rot anyway, cause bacteria, and shorten the life of your arrangement considerably... defeating the main object of conditioning flowers... PROLONGING their LIFE! When conditioning flowers remember to cut all stems at an angle to allow for more surface area able to take up water... do it below the water level, so as not to allow any air into the stems [potential airlocks!]... then leave to stand in deep water for a couple of hours (if you haven't done so previously). Woody stems of Spring shrubs and trees like Rhododendron and Lilac, plus flowers like Roses and Chrysanthemums can benefit from the boiling water treatment... but, be sure to protect the flower heads from the steam with some paper or cloth. Conditioning flowers like these requires that you cut the stems at an angle, as before, and peel off the bark for a couple of inches, [some people advocate splitting the stems for two inches too] remove below the waterline leaves THEN in a florists bucket or a bowl put two to three inches of boiling water, put the stems in the water and leave for a couple of minutes... then plunge them into deep cold water to their necks. This method of conditioning flowers should remove all airlocks! It is also used to revive roses which have drooped and wilted... it works [but only for a short time for some roses]! Euphorbias and Poppies are a special case... please handle with CARE, be sure either to wear gloves, and/or not touch your face, and especially your eyes, with hands (or gloves)which have had the milky sap from these plants on them. For their conditioning a practice called 'Searing' is the norm. The stem ends need to be passed through a flame until they are blackened... to seal them. This prevents the sap from leaking, though they can still take up water. Once 'seared' they should then be placed in warm water. One more mention when conditioning flowers which have milky sap... you cannot use them on pinholders. Each time a stem is punctured or cut causes the sap to run, so it will have to be 'seared' again. Plants with hollow stems are fascinating to condition. They should be held upsidedown, the stem should be filled with water, then the stem end filled with cottonwool to form a plug, then a rubber band should be put round the stem end to stop it splitting... then put them in water and the cottonwool will help them draw up more water. Watching a programme on TV about people preparing plants for Flower Shows was the first time I actually saw this done... with Delphiniums, they were truly beautiful, and duly won!
Most of the above rules for conditioning flowers also apply to foliage. Stripping the lower leaves... and treating with the same care methods... but there are a few extras to mention. Obviously, foliage with short stems like Gerbera and Hosta need to be kept separate from the woody type of foliage to avoid damage. So find them a separate conditioning receptacle for safety, it will pay off with a far superior end result. If you are considering picking early Spring foliage... don't... it will not condition properly until the sap has risen fully, so it will spoil your arrangement. And, if possible leave foliage to condition in your florists bucket overnight, foliage responds better to longer conditioning.
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