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Home › Decor › Decorate › Do You Want to Know How to Make Flowers Last Longer?

Do You Want to Know How to Make Flowers Last Longer?

Decor Decorate home
By Janine Waite · Published on Apr 28, 2017
Affiliate Disclosure: This Post May Contain Affiliate Links.

Today’s Happy DIY is all about what makes flowers last longer. Do you ever wonder if the little packets that come with store bought flowers actually work? Well, with the encouragement from my friends, I decided to conduct a little science project. And in this post, I will share my results.

 

A Note About the Nester

The other day when I visited the San Francisco flower market, I bought a flower called, Lisianthus. Ok, these flowers lasted like a month! If you want to know what they look like, check out my Valentine’s Day post.

 

 

what makes flower last longer

What Makes Flowers Last Longer?

 

So, I got my white lab coat on and got to work.

I washed my trusty cute Mason jars and bought a bouquet of spring tulips from our local Whole Foods grocery store.

 

 

old wives tales to flowers lasting longerThen I had to round up all the various things I wanted to add to the flower water.

I hadn’t heard of any of these different suggestions, so I was super excited to get working on this project.

 

 

 

Ok, I must admit they do sound like old wives tales, but I was up for the interesting task!

I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

 

 

 

make store bought flower last

Here is how I prepped all the flowers.

I cut their stems all at an angle.

I removed the bottom stems of leaves since they can encourage bacteria which will cause bacteria to grow. And bacteria is not great if you want your blossoms to last longer.

 

 

 

flower preserver works

 

10 Things I Used on the Tulips

1. I had a control flower. This consisted of a tulip placed in plain water

2. Flower preserver

3. Penny

4. 2 tsp of sugar and water

5. 2 caps of Hydrogen Peroxide and water

6. 2/3 of 7-Up and 1/3 water

7. 1 aspirin and water

8. Sugar and vinegar

9. I poked (3X) the bottom of the stem with a sew needle

10. Fridge. Every evening I placed one tulip in the refrigerator and brought it out every morning

 

 

The Results: 7 Days

 

 

First Day

flower experiment

tested what makes flowers last longer

Second Day

make flowers last

sugar and water for cut flowers

 

Third Day

store bought flowers

tulips

Fourth Day

tulips from the grocery store last 9 days tulips last longer

Fifth Day

does anything make flowers last cut flowers last longer

Sixth Daywhat makes flowers last longer 7 day flower experiment

 

Seventh Dayscience project with flowers 10 different things to see what makes flowers last longer

refrigerating cut flowers

I never did a science experiment in all my years of school. So, I had a fresh and excited attitude. Some of my friends asked me to place this on a presentation board ready for their child’s school science experiment! I actually hope families will enjoy my research!

I did cheer on some of the contestants and my family did choose their faves.

But, it was quite obvious after 9 days which two were the winners. As you can see from the results, it is best to use the flower preserver packets if your flowers come with one. But, if for some reason they don’t have the packets, I would choose to either place the flowers in the fridge at night or use the 7-up mixture.

Actually, the fridge did the best and 7-up was a close second on Day 9!

Well, I’m going to sign off and my next flower experiment will be what makes cut hydrangeas last the longest.

Hydrangea care is a big mystery to me!

Cheers,

What makes flowers last longer. This is a tried and true week long test of 10 different solutions. The surprising results are something you'll want to try!

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Janine Waite
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Janine Waite
I named my blog Happy Happy Nester because I love everything related to the home. I’ve always enjoyed decorating my surroundings. Get cozy and stay for a bit, thanks for visiting!
Janine Waite
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rhonda

    April 30, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    I just bought som tulips and had to run home to read this post. Thx for sharing!! I’m off to add soda to my flower water

    Reply
  2. Carolann

    May 03, 2017 at 5:01 am

    Wow, this is so cool! I’m always struggling to keep my flowers fresh and last longer. Know I know! Thanks so much for this!

    Reply
  3. Coco in the Kitchen

    June 02, 2017 at 8:33 am

    I love your experiment!
    I knew the penny keeps tulips from collapsing and about the aspirin for roses.
    Learned a bunch of new stuff from ya. xo

    Reply

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