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DIY Flower Food to Keep Your Flowers Fresh

It’s that time of year – or soon will be, depending on where you live, when we will be bringing in fresh cut flowers from our yard and gardens to make pretty bouquets around the house! Of course, we want these beautiful blooms to last as long as possible, so today I’m sharing tips to keep your flowers fresh – including a Homemade Flower Food that can help preserve those beautiful fresh bouquets a little longer.

What is flower food and why it’s important for your flowers

Flower food is a type of fertilizer that helps keep flowers healthy and vibrant. It contains essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which help promote strong root development and plant growth.

Additionally, it contains micronutrients like iron, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, molybdenum and magnesium , which provide further nourishment for the plants. Flower food also contains sugar and other carbohydrates that can help keep flowers blooming longer and more vibrantly. By providing these essential nutrients, flower food helps your flowers stay healthy and beautiful all season long!

Why use a flower food packet when you can make your own with just. few simple, household ingredients you already have on hand?!

Ingredients Needed to Make Your Own Homemade Flower Food

Here is all you need for this simple homemade flower food recipe:

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup 7-up or other clear soda (do not use diet soda)
  • 1/2 teaspoon bleach (make sure it’s simple household bleach)
  • If you need more liquid for your vase, increase the amounts accordingly.

How to Make Homemade Flower Food

  1. Measure out each of your ingredients.
  2. Grab your clean vase and add ingredients to the vase.
  3. Use a wooden spoon or a spoon with a long handle to stir everything together before adding in your fresh cut flo

Why use flower preservative instead of the store bought packet when displaying your fresh cut flowers?

Homemade flower preservative has a few advantages that store bought packets lack. It’s cheaper to make, it doesn’t contain potentially harmful chemicals, and you can customize the ingredients to better suit your needs.

For example, if your flowers need extra acidity or alkalinity you can adjust the pH; if they require more iron or zinc you can add those elements as needed.

You can also adjust the nutrient levels to meet the demands of different flower varieties — so whether you’re displaying roses or daisies, they’ll get exactly what they need!

All in all, homemade flower food offers a healthier, more cost-effective option for keeping your flowers looking beautiful.

If I don’t want to use 7-up, what else can I use?

If you don’t want to use 7-up in your homemade flower food, there are several other options available. You can try using white sugar or honey instead of the soda, as both will help provide carbohydrates for the plants and give them energy.

Alternatively, you can use a diluted solution of household ammonia or even orange juice, lemon juice, or lime juice, to provide the necessary nutrients. Instead of 7-up you can use a different citrus soda.

Additionally, Epsom salts have also been known to be beneficial when added to a homemade flower food mixture. Regardless of which option you choose, make sure to mix it with water when combining with the rest of the main ingredients fr your DIY cut flower food recipes.

Tips for keeping your planted flowers vibrant and healthy

Here are some tips to keeping your planted flowers nice and healthy before you cut them for your bouquet of flowers to bring inside.

1. Feed your flowers regularly: Flower food should be applied to the soil every two weeks in order to promote strong root development and increased blooming.

2. Don’t over fertilize: Too much fertilizer can cause your flowers to become burned or discolored. If you use homemade flower food, make sure to use it sparingly and follow label instructions for application.

3. Monitor water levels: Water is essential for healthy plants, so make sure that the soil around your flowers is kept moist but not soggy. Overwatering can also lead to nutrient deficiencies in the soil, as excess water leaches away necessary nutrients from the soil.

Tips for cutting fresh flowers

When it comes to cutting fresh flowers, there are a few tips that can help ensure your blooms look their best and can help extend the life of your flowers with a longer vase life.

  • First, always use sharp scissors or shears when cutting flower stems, as this will reduce the chances of crushing or damaging them. If you don’t have sharp kitchen shears, you can use a sharp knife.
  • Additionally, make sure to cut at an angle—this will give the plant more surface area for water absorption.
  • When possible, try to cut the stems under running water for best results and remove any of the lower leaves on the flower stem that may get held up in the vase.
  • Finally, adding flower food to the vase water can also help keep your flowers looking vibrant and hydrated for longer periods of time.

Should you ue warm or cold water in your flower vase?

When filling your vase with water, it is generally best to use cool or lukewarm water. Although warm water can provide some benefits in terms of helping flowers open faster, the heat can also cause the flowers to age quickly and become wilted.

Additionally, if you are using flower food in your vase (which you should be, especially since using our homemade version here is cheap and easy), make sure that all of the ingredients have dissolved properly before adding any flowers, as hot water can prevent it from dissolving evenly.

Colder water helps keep your blooms looking fresher for longer periods of time. Therefore, for best results when arranging flowers in a vase, be sure to use cool or lukewarm water and add any desired DIY flower food beforehand.

Should you use distilled water or tap water for your fresh cut bouquet?

It is recommended to use distilled water when making a fresh cut bouquet.

Tap water often contains minerals that can clog the stems and prevent them from absorbing moisture, which will reduce the lifespan of your flowers.

Distilled water has all of these minerals removed, so it provides an optimal environment for your flowers to thrive.

Additionally, you should also consider adding flower food to the vase water; this helps provide essential nutrients to help keep your blooms looking healthy and vibrant longer.

With these simple steps, you’ll be able to enjoy beautiful bouquets all season long!

7 Tips to Keep Cut Garden Flowers Fresh Longer

  1.  Cut flowers from your yard and garden early in the morning or in the evening.
  2.  Take a bucket of lukewarm water and garden clippers/shears with you.
  3. Cut stems longer than needed.
  4. Once inside, fill your container with water and floral preservative (using the make your own flower food recipe).
  5. Remove any leaves from each stem that will fall below the water line of your container.
  6. Cut each stem diagonally under running water – to prevent any air bubbles from forming that will block water uptake. The goal is to have the stem out of water for the shortest time possible.
  7. Keep your flower arrangements away from direct sunlight and away from drafts. Floral arrangements kept in a cool place will last longer. I often move my arrangements to my garage at night in the winter or to my basement in the summer.
  8. Change the vase of water often to get rid of any gross water and replenish the water with more of your own flower preservative.

Final Thoughts on Flower Food and Keeping Your Flowers Healthy

Flower food is an essential part of keeping your flowers healthy and vibrant all season long. By using store-bought or homemade flower food, you can ensure that your plants have the nutrients they need to thrive in any conditions.

Additionally, monitoring water levels and avoiding overfertilization can help keep your flowers beautiful and thriving all year round!

I hope these tips are helpful to you so you can really enjoy that vase of fresh flowers for longer!! Here’s what’s blooming at my home: Forsythia, grape hyacinth, ornamental pear tree, and it won’t be long before the lilacs are blooming! Leave a comment and let me know what is blooming at your house?

Eleanor K Hunzinger

Sunday 24th of May 2020

Here in Phoenix, Arizona we are getting into the 100's! Pretty soon, it will be unbearable!

elle

Friday 22nd of May 2020

Would like to try this recipe when the peonies bloom! Your photos of the peonies are so beautiful. Can you share your techniques, camera settings? I would love to try making such nice photos.

Doreen Cagno

Thursday 28th of May 2020

Hi, Elle!

Thanks so much for your sweet comments! The photos in this post were taken on my iPhone! I used the portrait setting for the one of the full bouquet. But, the close ups were just on the regular photo setting. I do have the most recent iPhone, iPhone 11. The camera is great for quick shots. I do use my Canon for most of my blog photos, however.

Lori J Leeper

Friday 22nd of May 2020

Awesome! I never heard of adding bleach before! Great tip!

Mary Vitullo

Tuesday 19th of April 2016

Nothing here in Montreal, Canada yet. The buds are just beginning to form on some trees and bushes. I love your lilacs with the white outline. Would you know what species they are?

Doreen Cagno

Tuesday 19th of April 2016

I wish I did, Mary, because they are beautiful.

THE SCOOP #219 - StoneGable

Monday 18th of April 2016

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