Roses :: Keeping Roses Fresh 

KEEPING ROSES FRESH

Keeping Roses fresh will allow your roses to stay lovely and last longer.

Roses add beauty and a pleasant aroma to your home.

When first buying your roses be sure they have a crisp feel and nice color. Roses that have many loose petals and a faded look and not crisp feel will be roses that have a short live so should be set aside.

After acquiring, as soon as possible, remove the wrapping and the leaves that will be in water. Foliage in the water causes blight and shortens the vase life of the roses.  While keeping the stems in water cut, in a 45 degree angle, about 1 inch from the bottom of the stems. Keep them wet until placing into vase. Keeping the stems immersed under running water and not letting them dry out is very crucial element. Leaving the stems underwater allows the roses to drink water. If they drink in air it could cause them to wilt. Roses do not like being out of water for too long. Cutting at an angle makes sure the amount of water the stem absorbs is enough. Use very clean sharp scissors a knife (un-serrated) or shearers.

If your roses arrived with water vials, discard them.

If you are using your own vase, scrub the vase. Vase cleanliness is foremost for long lasting roses. Wash in hot soapy water. Use a bottle scrubber to remove any crud or stains. Rinse with bleach and water and then rinse again with plain water. Not cleaning the vase will insure that the pores in the stems will not be able to get the water to the blossoms and then you will have wilting cut roses. The vase needs to be sizable, enough to allow the stems and to reach at least half way down.

Use glass vases or other type but not metal. Metal neutralizes the effects of the rose food. Your roses should not be crammed.

Fill your vase about three quarters full with lukewarm water (about the same as bath water) then add floral preservative in accordance with the instructions on the sachet. Lukewarm water has less oxygen than cold and reduces the blockage of water uptake. Avoid using water from a water softener. When your tap water has a lot of salt you could use your reverse osmosis filtered water. Too much salt is not good for cut roses.

Add floral preservative being careful it is in accordance with the instructions on the sachet. The supplement helps prevent bacteria growth. Commercial rose food can be purchased but you can make your own. Keeping roses fresh, means not overlooking the rose food. Floral preservative can increase your rose life 30 to 50 percent.

The recipe for your own supplement when you do not have any commercial flower food or you want to use a “natural alternative” rather than chemicals is:

1 teaspoon of bleach

1 teaspoon of vinegar

2 teaspoon of sugar

1 liter of warm water

The bleach kills bacteria, the vinegar acidifies and makes it easier for the stems to drink and the sugar feeds the blossoms. Takes about 30 seconds to make. This solution is good for all flowers not just roses. For safety reasons mark your solution bottle “Flower Food”.

Another solution is:

1 teaspoon bleach

3 teaspoon of NON-DIET lemon lime soda. Mountain Dew, 7- Up Sprite etc. The roses need sugar and diet soda has no sugar.

1 quart of warm water.

When a rose is cut from the mother plant it is separated from its life support system and floral preservatives contain the basic components for this life support system.

The commercial  rose food  has three additives that work together to cultivate the roses and deter bacteria. The additives are sugar that feeds blooms and encourage buds to form, biocides that kill bacteria and acidifiers that help to move the water up the stem. No additives should be added to the commercial food such as sugar or aspirins.

If the roses arrived with a florist' s porous florist’ s foam material be sure the block is drenched in water containing floral preservative. When using your own cleaned out vase, make sure the vase is large enough to get the entire foam block submerged and that all rose stems are inserted firmly. Check the foam daily to insure it remains drenched with water and floral preservatives. Roses are thirsty flowers.

Place roses in a dark cool room or refrigerator (not in freezer) for two to four hours prior to completing the rose arrangement. If you have placed them in a refrigerator or cool room do not place with fruits and vegetables especially apples.

Display your roses in your home away from direct sunlight, vents, radiators and other appliances that give off heat. Warm temperatures will animate the roses to fade more quickly. Also keep away from open doors where there is excessive air flow. Petals dry out faster in drafty areas. Roses flourish in well lit and cooler locations. When roses are not being shown off refrigerate. When you are away from home you can place in fridge or shaded area of your home.

Keeping roses fresh means spraying your roses daily with a gentle mist and remove any dying flowers. This is also referred to as deadheading.

Check the water level daily and add warm water and food as needed. When the water becomes cloudy or smells cut the stems as you did before, wash the stems and containers. Use new lukewarm water and rose food. Adding rose food helps to keep the bacteria under control.

For optimum vase life (over seven day) change the water as above every three days. Rose vase life is mostly between four and twelve days.

Keeping roses fresh means your beautiful roses will survive longer!

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