Cutflowers are living products and usually continue their development in the vase where eventually, they will die. With some care you will enjoy them for the maximum time. There are some general rules that improve flowering and extend the vase life.
Always use clean vases and clean water. This prevents too much bacterial growth which can block the watervessels in the stem. You can wash your vases with chlorinated cleaners used in kitchens etc.- Put the flowersin the water immediately after cutting the stems. At the cut surface, a wound response is induced which can block the watervessels again within as little as 1 minute when exposed to air. It is best to cut the stems at an angle with a very sharp knife
Hard (alkaline) water generally reduces the vase life. If you life in an area with hard water, use a deionizer or some citric acid.- Sometimes the use of luke-warm water is recommended. However, this can be very damaging to some species. The use of hot water is ALWAYS damaging
In most cases, addition of cutflower food gives substantial improvement to both the vase life and flowering. This is partly the result of the food supply, but also because these additives inhibit bacterial growth and delay senescense. World-wide available food additives are e.g. from Pokon & Chrysal or Floralife. A quality florist will always provide this with your purchase. Some cutflower species require special food additives.
Avoid major temperature differences when you bring your flowers home. Especially in winter time, the flowers will benefit when they can adjust for several hours in a cool (15 C, 60 F) place.
Never leave your flowers in a closed car in the sun or in other places that are too hot. Avoid extended periods of dry transport but when you have to, avoid the loss of water as much as possible. Don't put them in a draft place or keep the entire bouquet bundled in foil as long as possible. Too much water loss will induce air bubbles in the vessels (a process known as cavitation) which will block any further water uptake in the vase.
Similarly, avoid exposure to freezing temperatures. Some flowers will die in seconds at these temperatures.- Long transport periods may have detrimental effects although transport conditions are usually carefully optimized to maintain the highest possible quality
- Some cutflower species have had a pre-treatment directly after harvest. This treatment is usually mandatory before auction and gives a substantial quality improvement for the consumers. It is based on extensive scientific research in The Netherlands. The treatment may cause some discoloration at the bottom of the stems. Nothing to worry about
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