How can fresh cut flowers keep their beauty for a long time? Have you tried these "home remedies"?

In the bleak winter, if you put a few pots of fresh, colorful flowers at home, it will not only decorate the home atmosphere, but also make people happy. However, how to extend the "shelf life" of fresh cut flowers is a science. There are so many tips on the Internet. Just search, "Putting sugar and aspirin in the water of the vase can make the flowers bloom for ten days or half a month." Does it really work? How should the "career" of fresh cut flowers be extended?

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01

Can aspirin cure the "pain" of flowers?

Let's talk about aspirin first: it is undeniable that aspirin has many miraculous effects in treating our human body's pain: first, it can resist platelet aggregation and prevent thrombosis; aspirin can also act on the hypothalamus to lower our body temperature; in addition, because it can inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins, it can also achieve the miraculous effect of pain relief. So, can aspirin relieve the "pain" of fresh cut flowers that have left the plant and make them bloom longer?

We still don’t know whether plants can feel pain and whether it will affect the blooming time of flowers. However, we can be sure that if you want flowers to bloom longer, it mainly depends on three issues: first, the flowers must get enough water; second, the flowers must be supplemented with appropriate energy; third, the flowers must inhibit the synthesis of endogenous plant hormones that promote withering. Next, we will start with these three points to see which methods are really helpful in maintaining and prolonging the beauty of fresh cut flowers.

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02

Give it plenty of water

More than just plugging it into the water

Like all living organisms, roses, which are made up of cells of all sizes, also need water to nourish them. Before picking, the water transport system "ducts" inside the stems will continuously send water from the roots, and the entire duct is filled with water; after picking, the ducts that are usually full of water will be temporarily lacking in water, especially at the base of the stems, where air will continue to invade and form cavities, just like embolism in blood vessels. If the air is not discharged, the water cannot be transported upward. Therefore, it is wise to "prune off two or three centimeters at the base" to help the ducts absorb water better from the vase.

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In addition to the interference of air cavities, some bacterial microorganisms also like to set up camp in the "transport pipelines" of these environments. In addition to "sitting in a row" and using their bodies to block the upward water flow, they also cause minor damage to the pipelines, interfering with the normal transportation of water - this requires that the water must be clean, and filtered pure water is better.

In order to maintain the patency of the ducts, we can add some substances such as calcium nitrate and calcium chloride (available in chemical reagent stores, usually in large packages, it is recommended to share with friends). This substance can not only maintain the normal ion concentration of cells, but also inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Even if you can't get these chemical reagents, don't just throw the roses you take home into a vase of water. In fact, pure water and simple pruning can make your flowers bloom longer.

03

If you want flowers to bloom brightly

Nutritional supply cannot be interrupted

Even after being cut from the garden, the cells of the petals are still alive, and they need to breathe and metabolize like us, and they need energy supply. Flowers in particular are the part that needs to be supplied because they are related to the production of the next generation of seeds. But after being picked, the external energy supply is almost cut off. Experiments show that after being picked, the starch content in roses will drop rapidly, and "the amount of starch in the petals" directly determines the time when the roses in the bottle bloom.

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Therefore, in addition to water, we also need to "feed" the flowers appropriately, and sucrose is a good choice. Generally speaking, a 3% sucrose solution is sufficient, and a 1000 ml vase (see a medium-sized Coke bottle) can be satisfied with about 2 tablespoons of sugar. It should be emphasized that you must not think that the more you add, the better - sugar water with too high a concentration will not only provide more nutrients, but will be like the brine in the pickle jar, taking away the moisture from the roses - unless you want not a bouquet of juicy flowers, but a candied rose.

04

The key to retaining petals

Aspirin must first be converted into salicylic acid

When plants are severely damaged or at the end of flowering, they will synthesize a large amount of ethylene. Under the action of ethylene, severely damaged leaves or petals that have completed their mission will break away from the mother plant and become spring mud and merge into the earth. Therefore, inhibiting the process of plant ethylene synthesis is effective for preserving flowers and even fruits. More and more studies have found that salicylic acid has this function.

Salicylic acid can not only fight ethylene, but also improve the resistance of plants. Under the induction of salicylic acid, plants can produce more proteins to fight fungi, bacteria and viruses, which to a certain extent prevents fresh cut flowers from being infected by these harmful microorganisms, thereby extending the opening time.

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However, the name salicylic acid may be unfamiliar to everyone. In fact, its synthetic compound, acetylsalicylic acid, is the famous aspirin. Although the names are only two letters different, aspirin cannot affect plants in its original form. It must be decomposed to produce salicylic acid before it can act on plants.

Aspirin can indeed decompose into salicylic acid in water, but the decomposition rate is very slow at room temperature; at the same time, the solubility of aspirin in water is very low, which also makes it difficult to supply salicylic acid. In experiments on roses, lilies, gerberas and other flowers, adding aspirin to the culture medium did not extend the flowering period of fresh cut flowers.

Therefore, using aspirin to grow flowers is not groundless, and there is a certain scientific basis, but the actual effect is not optimistic. In comparison, it is easier to replace clean water and add some white sugar. Another method is to slightly burn the tip of the stem, which can prevent bacteria from growing and clogging the water pipes to a certain extent.

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References:

Liu Yudong, Yang Jinghui, Chen Chen, 2002. Effects of different treatments on the vase life of fresh cut roses, Tianjin Agricultural Science and Technology, Issue 5, 2002, 6-9.

Liu Yudong, Yang Jinghui, Liu Yanjun, Feng Zhi, 2003. Screening of preservation solution for prolonging the vase life of fresh cut lily, Journal of Tianjin Agricultural College, No. 4, 2003, 39-42.

Huang Xiaojun, Pan Tingting, Luo Guorong, Chen Juan, 2007. Comparative test of four simple cut flower preservatives, Subtropical Plant Science, No. 3, 2007, 46-55.

Meng Xuejiao, Di Kun, Ding Guohua, 2010. Research progress on the physiological effects of salicylic acid in plants. Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin, 2010, 26(15), 207-214.

Author: Shi Jun, CEO of Corn Lab

Review | Wang Kang Director of Beijing Botanical Garden Science Center Professor-level Senior Engineer

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