When you get a fresh bouquet of cut flowers and foliage, naturally you’ll want to make it last as long as possible. If you’ve ever had flowers die before their time, you know how frustrating it can be—you weren’t done enjoying them yet! That’s why it’s important to get or make the best plant food for flowers in San Francisco, CA, whether you’re getting them from a florist or cutting them from your own backyard.
To stay alive, plants need clean water and a source of energy—in this case, sugar will do the trick. The following tips will help you create plant food for your bouquet and keep it looking beautiful longer:
- Trim the stems: Plant stems can dry up and close, which won’t allow them to feed off the water and plant food mixture. Trim the dead ends off at an angle, and then trim every three to four days to ensure the stems haven’t closed up further.
- Use a clean vase: If your vase is dirty, you might be feeding your plants mold and bacteria instead of water and a healthy food source. Make sure your vase has been thoroughly washed and dried before you fill it.
- Trim the leaves: Leaves should never be below the water’s surface, as they will develop mold. Trim off all leaves below the waterline.
- Make homemade plant food: There are several different suggestions floating around for homemade plant food. For example, you can mix a quart of water, ½ teaspoon of bleach, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar—this will help keep the water bacteria and mold-free while giving the plant a food source. Some people recommend pouring the last few drops of your sugary soda in the vase; others recommend 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar mixed in with your flower’s water.
- Keep the mold at bay: In the previous point, we mentioned the importance of keeping mold away—you can do that by adding a small amount of bleach to your water, or even vodka, if you’ve got it on hand. Some people swear by dropping coins like copper pennies in the water along with plant food, hoping they’ll make the water more acidic.
However you choose to keep your flowers fresh, keep this article on hand for the next time you receive or create your own bouquet. You might find that certain tips work better for certain types of flowers—in fact, different kinds might require more or less sugar to keep them fueled and fresh.
The Delicate Daisy – House of Flowers opened for business in 1938, and we’ve been offering beautiful floral arrangements to our San Francisco customers ever since. We specialize in using gorgeous locally sourced flowers to make arrangements that are custom designed for your special occasion. If you need specific suggestions for the best plant food for flowers in San Francisco, CA, we’d be happy to help. Get in touch with us today to start designing your perfect bouquet.