Eight Tips for Floral Preservation in the Fall

The Fall is on the move. Festivals are at home. Halloween and Thanksgiving Day are to blossom in colors to fill us with indelible memories. These days carry a lot of fun and vivid memories. They are the days of exchanging bouquets of colorful flowers. They also remind us of the forthcoming winter when nature lulls her plants and living beings in a peaceful slumber.

Flowers add charm to festivities. Thanksgiving Day flowers, autumn flowers and Halloween flowers have already occupied markets. Dahlia and chrysanthemum are two predominant flowers of the Fall. Amaranthus, Anemone, Baby's Breath, Bittersweet, Carnation, China berry, Chrysanthemum, Kangaroo paw, Misty Blue, Orchid, Pepper berry, roses and sunflowers are making the Autumn flower markets colorful. Floral displays in homes and public places make this seasonal life pleasant.

Flowers live only for a short period. They fade away before we want to enjoy their fragrance and beauty. Are there any means to keep them for some more time to extend our thirst for their beauty and fragrance?

Here are eight tips to keep the flowers for some more days.

1) Preservatives and biocides
When a flower is cut from the mother plant, it is separated from its life support system just like an astronaut in the space without a temporary life support system. Nowadays, commercial floral preservatives containing the basic components of the life support system for the cut flower, such as biocides, acidifiers and sugar, are available. Biocides are chemicals that can preserve the flowers because they kill the bacteria, yeasts and fungi that feed on the sap that seeps from the cut flower stem.

2) Penny and aspirin in the flower vase
The flowers can be kept in a vase or in a glass vessel with water in which a penny and an aspirin tablet are placed. It is said that this combination keeps flowers fresh longer since the copper acts as a fungicide and the aspirin makes the water more acidic.

3) Clean vases
The vases in which the flowers are kept should be clean since dirty water may lead to bacterial contamination. Colored glass vases may be preferred. The darker the glass vases the harder it is for nasty green slime to grow.

4) Cut the stem bottom diagonally
Dried stem at the bottom should be cut diagonally before putting the flowers in water. The bottom should be checked every three days.

5) Change the water
The idea is that changing the water every 2 days will prevent bacterial overgrowth which can cause the flowers to die prematurely. This does appear to be an effective technique for prolonging the life of your fresh flowers.

6) Remove all foliages below waterline
The foliages below the water level must be removed as they may cause putrefaction. But do not remove the thorns in roses.

7) Keep away from direct sunlight and extremes temperature
Direct sunlight will cause dehydration and make them dry soon. Keeping the flowers in large appliances also will cause quick dehydration.

8) Regular maintenance
Watch the freshness of flowers every day. Every three days the stem should be cut again, the vase should be cleaned, water must be changed and preservatives should be added.

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