| How to Keep Roses Fresh Feb 14th 2013, 20:00 Roses are beautiful, fragrant flowers that come in a variety of colors and sizes. They're a traditional floral gift given on such occasions as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and celebrations. Often, you'll want to prolong the life of your roses, to keep them as fresh and pretty as possible. Preparing the stems - Submerge the cut rose stems in lukewarm water. It is important to submerge the rose stems in water when cutting them because roses are in constant need of water. Cutting them while they are submerged helps to prevent air bubbles from forming (air bubbles can inhibit the rose's ability to absorb water). The more water your roses get, the longer they will last.
- Place a pair of scissors or sharp pruners in the water, along with the stems of the roses.
- If possible, use very sharp pruners. Scissors might squash the stems––if you do use scissors, ensure that they are very sharp.
- Cut the roses at a slight angle. Cut about 2.5 cm (1 inch) from the bottom of each rose.
Cut the roses at a slight angle. - If possible, try to cut the stems either in the morning or in the evening because roses tend to have more starch reserves during these times of the day.
Temperature control - Keep roses out of direct sunlight. Sunlight tends to make flowers wilt faster.
Position roses away from direct sunlight. - Make sure the room you place the roses in has a moderate temperature. Avoid placing roses in an overly warm or dry area.
- Move roses into a cool room during the evening to prevent wilting. Roses need plenty of cool, moist air to stay fresh.
Controlling bacterial growth - Control the amount of bacteria that form on your roses. This important step will prevent wilting. Bacteria interfere with the amount of water roses receive and are the primary cause of wilting. To prevent the accumulation of bacteria, place a biocide (see "Tips"), along with an acidifier and sugar in the vase along with fresh water. The acid removes any air bubbles in the stem that block the roses' water supply. The biocide kills bacteria and the sugar provides food for the roses.
- Use a less harsh combination to kill bacteria. Not everyone is keen to pop a biocide into the vase with the roses. Instead, you can use a penny and aspirin when you do not want to use chemicals.
- Place a penny inside the vase.
- Fill with water.
- Place an aspirin tablet inside the vase.
- Watch the roses last longer. Since the penny is made of copper, it helps to kill fungus that grows inside the vase. The aspirin dissolves and provides the water with higher levels of acid.
- Clean the water that the flowers are placed in, every two days. Clean water provides the flowers with more minerals and less bacteria.
- A biocide is a product that kills bacteria. For cut flowers, you can purchase suitable commercial biocides from a florist or garden center. There are also DIY versions of biocides, such as 1 milliliter of bleach to 1 liter of water or 1/2 gram of citric soda to a liter of water.[1]
- Keep cut flowers away from fruit. Fruit releases natural gas, which causes flowers to wilt.
- Once your flowers are beginning to wilt, instead of throwing them in the trash, grind them up and add them to your compost pile. This will provide extra nutrients for the soil.
Edit Warnings - Do not remove the thorns from roses. Removing the thorns from roses causes them to age faster.
- When working with roses with thorns, use garden gloves to protect your hands and fingers from sharp thorns.
Edit Things You'll Need - Vase
- Pruners
- Water
- Biocide
- Acidifier
- Sugar
- Penny
- Aspirin
- Garden gloves
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