Where What When January 2007 Table of Contents Caring for Your Flowers© By Aaron Sochaczewski There’s nothing quite like receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Shabbos, unless it’s giving them! Your flowers should grace your home for at least a week. If they don’t, perhaps I can help. As a florist, I get many questions about how to prolong the life of flowers. Here are some, along with the answers:Why do the instructions always say to re-cut the stems? Flowers cut from the plant immediately start to seal the wound. Re-cutting allows the flower to absorb water again. Cut about one inch off the stem using flower clippers or a sharp knife while holding the flower stem under water (to prevent air bubbles from blocking the flower’s vascular system). Don’t use household scissors, as they can crush the stem, also blocking absorption. Cut at an angle to give a bigger surface for the flower to absorb water. To prevent bacterial growth, cut off any foliage that will be under water. Immediately place in your vase, which has been prepared with “flower food.” What does the flower food that comes with bouquets contain? Do I need it? These packets contain simple sugars for flower opening, bleach to kill bacteria and fungi, and a weak acid for proper pH level and to boost water flow into the stems. You can create your own flower food by combining one teaspoon sugar, one teaspoon bleach, and two teaspoons lemon juice, with one quart of water. You can even substitute Vodka for the bleach and non-cola, non-diet soda for the sugar. Commercial floral food is not as good as the fresh homemade stuff. (By the way, aspirin doesn’t work nearly as well.) What temperature should the vase water be? A little hotter than lukewarm. Warm water travels up the stem and is drunk by the flowers faster than cooler water. An exception would be spring flowers, like tulips, daffodils, and irises, which do better with cold water. Keep fresh flowers out of direct sunlight and away from drafts, like heating and air conditioning vents and fans. How often should I change the water in the vase? Normally, it is not necessary to change the water in the first six to seven days, but water and fresh food solution should be added as the level recedes. If the flowers begin to wilt, try re-cutting the stems and placing them in a freshly-prepared water/flower food solution. Why don’t my roses have a fragrance? Consumers consider vase life as the measure of flower quality. Usually, the headier the fragrance, the shorter the vase life, so that genetic trait has been bred out of many commercial roses. Aaron Sochazcewski sells flowers at the Agudah on Thursday nights. He can be reached at 443-865-7214 (business) or 443-660-8535 (home). Copyright © January 2007 Where What When |
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