What to use in cut flower water?

cyclonebri1

What is suggested to not only prolong flower life but also to prevent the stink of stagnant water?
I suppose the answer is to change the water before that happens but we rarely remember.

I'm thinking Gladioli here, where you can start with a long spear and as the flowering progresses from bottom to top, remove the deads and shorten the stem, they often last 3 weeks or so like that.

Farway

My local pub uses lemonade and swear it works

plum22

Sarah Raven's 'Grow your own cut flowers', suggests that a 30 cm vase will need 1tbs of sugar, 1tsp bleach and1tbs of vinegar as 'flower food'. Tap water is usually alkaline and so you need to create a weak acid to help to prevent the bacteria building up and causing the slime.

cyclonebri1

plum22 wrote: »

Sarah Raven's 'Grow your own cut flowers', suggests that a 30 cm vase will need 1tbs of sugar, 1tsp bleach and1tbs of vinegar as 'flower food'. Tap water is usually alkaline and so you need to create a weak acid to help to prevent the bacteria building up and causing the slime.

Well it sounds like a cocktail of death for anything, but I'll give it a try;);)

Laz123

I've always used an aspirin which works well.

Horace

Lemonade works brilliantly.

cyclonebri1

Can you brew the stuff when the flowers die??:D

cyclonebri1

plum22 wrote: »

Sarah Raven's 'Grow your own cut flowers', suggests that a 30 cm vase will need 1tbs of sugar, 1tsp bleach and1tbs of vinegar as 'flower food'. Tap water is usually alkaline and so you need to create a weak acid to help to prevent the bacteria building up and causing the slime.

Don't do that
Genuinely, after trying this the flowers lasted 1/2 as long, no offence to plum, he/she was posting published stuff, rather than experience.

I'll stick with fresh water and change it every 4 or 5 days, which is what I should have done in the 1st place

growleygrumps

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Don't do that
Genuinely, after trying this the flowers lasted 1/2 as long, no offence to plum, he/she was posting published stuff, rather than experience.

I'll stick with fresh water and change it every 4 or 5 days, which is what I should have done in the 1st place

Hi

I have always used a tspn of sugar and a tspn of bleach and it has always kept my flowers looking in tip top condition, but NEVER have i heard or in fact used vinegar!!! If you take a lot of the leaves off and cut the stems at an angle as near to a ridge in the stem as possible and do this this again about 5 days later changing the water mix as the same time you will have a much longer life for your flowers. The secret is not to leave any leaves actually in the water, this will not only prolong the life of your flowers but will prevent the slime and stale smell you would have otherwise of had.

Good luck
GGxx

cyclonebri1

growleygrumps wrote: »

Hi

I have always used a tspn of sugar and a tspn of bleach and it has always kept my flowers looking in tip top condition, but NEVER have i heard or in fact used vinegar!!! If you take a lot of the leaves off and cut the stems at an angle as near to a ridge in the stem as possible and do this this again about 5 days later changing the water mix as the same time you will have a much longer life for your flowers. The secret is not to leave any leaves actually in the water, this will not only prolong the life of your flowers but will prevent the slime and stale smell you would have otherwise of had.

Good luck
GGxx

Yes,:T, I learnt that a while ago,:T

The mix I did try kept the water smelling ok, but did the flowers no favours, when tipped out did smel clean, (bleach), but strongly of vinegar. :beer: