5 Factors That Determine the Vase Life of Cut Flowers
by Lynn Byczynski, Author & Founder of Growing for Market
Lynn Byczynski started out raising organic vegetables and cut flowers to sell, then launched a magazine so market growers across the country could swap what they had learned. The first issue of Growing for Market came out in January 1992, and GFM has run without a break since then. It is known among market gardeners for down-to-earth, hands-on articles about producing and selling vegetables and flowers.
Top 5 Factors That Determine Vase Life
- Variety. Vase life ranges from a single day to about three weeks, and it can differ a lot between types and cultivars of the same species. Single-stem sunflowers, for instance, typically outlast branching kinds by several days. Treatments can stretch vase life, but each variety still has a natural upper limit. The Flower Farmer gives vase-life figures for 100 popular cut-flower varieties.
- How open the bloom is when cut. Most flowers are best cut before they open fully; they keep opening once they are in water. Cutting at the right early stage gives the buyer more days of display than cutting a wide-open bloom. A floral preservative helps here, since the sugar in it feeds the bloom as it finishes opening and colors up.
- Hour of the day. Cut in the cool of the morning or evening. Stems cut in midday heat have a harder time drawing up water, and the flowers fade sooner.
- Heat and light after cutting. Heat and strong sun after harvest shorten vase life. Many, though not all, flowers hold better in a cooler, and every kind does better kept in an air-conditioned room away from direct sun.
- Cleanliness. Cut stems drink through their bases, and bacteria can plug them so water stops moving and the flowers wilt early. Keeping bacteria down is essential. Clippers, buckets, water and vases should all be spotless: wash them with soap and a bleach solution before each use and let tools dry in the sun. If stems come in muddy, for example after a hard rain, let the dirt rinse off in the field bucket and then move them into fresh, clean solution. Floral preservatives include a biocide that controls bacteria, which is useful when flowers aren't lasting as long as they should.
Additional Harvest Tips for a Longer Vase Life
- Cut with a sharp, clean knife or pruners. Dull or dirty blades crush stems.
- Remove every leaf from the lower stem, so no foliage sits below the waterline.
- Plunge the stems right away in a clean bucket of cool water.
- Protect cut flowers out of sun, heat and wind, particularly if they won't be arranged right away
Bouquet Maintenance
- Change the water every day, and recut the stem ends every few days.
- The bouquet will last longest out of direct sun.
