Preserving Fresh Cut Flowers  

More often than not flowers are viewed as temperamental gifts. Ephemeral in their nature, it's beauty wilts so fast, that they are only appreciated in fleeting moments, especially if they are not taken with adequate care and attention.

Flowers are often just stored in a water filled vase and then, at one, or at most two weeks, they begin to wilt and loose their splendor. Why not make your stunning red rose bouquet last longer than a week after you have been gifted with them? You can try these simple steps to help preserve fresh cut flowers.

Warm, not cold water can do wonders

After receiving your beautiful bouquet of flowers, instantly arrange and pour warm water inside your vase. This would likely hasten the aging of your flowers, and will keep the flowers' shape longer.

Also, do try to put the flowers in a well-ventilated room and away from ethylene producing products, as this gas would permeate and promote aging.

Soda and bleach equals longer flower power

Believe it or not, your regular soda and bleach can be very beneficial for flower preservation purposes. Past research had confirmed that soda provides substantial energy for the fresh cut flowers, while the bleach act as bacteria repellent.

These two ingredients would be more than adequate, as bacteria would start appearing and affecting your fresh cut flowers as early as three hours of immersion of it in water. The bleach would help keep the stems from bending and steadily help in keeping the growth of the flowers.

Here's a list of the things you'll need to have a longer lasting flower arrangement:

1 cup 7-Up
1/2 teaspoon household bleach
1 cup water

Now you can enjoy the smell and sight of your gorgeous flower bouquets for a longer period of time.