Are you trying to figure out how to take care of cut sunflowers? If you’re planning to create a long-lasting sunflower bouquet, today’s your lucky day.
Although sunflower (Helianthus annuus) blooms are fragrance-free, they never fail to add boldness, as well as a strikingly rich color to any flower arrangement. You’ll never have to worry about them causing an overwhelmingly strong perfume in your indoor areas.
To top it all off, you can also make them look fresh, healthy, and beautiful for about a week or more if you use some preservatives and if you place them at room temperature.
10 Steps on How to Take Care of Cut Sunflowers
Extending the life of your cut sunflowers starts with the cutting. In order to achieve optimum vase life, you need to know when and how to cut them. Here’s what you need to remember:
Step #1: The best time to cut them is when they’re almost open
As soon as you notice that your sunflowers’ ray petals are already perpendicular to their flower disks, it’s time to cut them. If you can, it’s best to plan a day ahead before they open.
Step #2: Water them a day before you cut them
Check to see if the ground is dry. If it is, you need to make sure that your sunflowers are well-hydrated before you cut them. For this reason, it’s best to water them one day before you are supposed to cut them.
Step #3: Prepare your materials for cutting
On the day that you plan to cut your sunflowers, be sure that all of your materials are ready – a clean and sharp knife and two clean buckets. One bucket should be filled half full with warm water (about 100˚F to 110˚F), and the other should be filled with water that’s mixed with holding preservative.
Step #4: Mix the holding solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions
In case you’re wondering how to prepare the holding solution, you simply need to make use of a floral preservative that contains sucrose, an acidifying agent, as well as an antimicrobial agent. The floral preservative works to provide energy for the plant, the acidifying agent promotes hydration and balances the pH level, while the antimicrobial agent prevents clogging to take place in the plant’s stems.
Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions when you’re mixing the solution. Underdosing your sunflowers will not do anything to increase their vase life. On the other hand, overdosing can cause damage to your sunflowers.
Step #5: Cut the sunflowers early in the morning
Make sure that you do the cutting in the morning, before 10 a.m. Cutting them when later in the day will cause them to dry out quickly. Unless you’re willing to run the risk of having wilted sunflowers in your vase, make sure that you cut them within the first few hours after dawn when they’re still fresh from a whole night’s rejuvenation of water supply.
Step #6: Cut them at an angle
Cutting your sunflower stems at an angle will provide them with more surface area to absorb more water. It also keeps the stems from resting flat on the bottom of your flower vase. Make sure that your cut stems are approximately 30 inches in terms of length.
Step #7: Place the sunflowers in the bucket of clean and warm water immediately after cutting them
Sunflowers need to be kept in water to avoid wilting. For this reason, you need to stick the sunflowers in the water immediately after you cut them and place the bucket in the shade. This reduces the shock of being cut while keeping them hydrated.
Step #8: Once indoors, place the sunflowers inside the bucket with the holding solution
To make sure that the flowers are conditioned, place them in the bucket with the holding solution as soon as you bring them indoors. Let them sit in a cool location for several hours before you arrange them in a vase.
Step #9: Arrange them in a vase
Once they’re conditioned, fill your flower vase with the same type of holding solution. Make sure that it’s half full and that no leaves are below the water line once you place your cut sunflowers inside it. Arrange your flowers.
Step #10: Change the water on a daily basis
To keep your sunflowers healthy and gorgeous, make sure that you change the water in the vase every day to prevent bacteria from building up, reduce the unpleasant smell, and to slow down the process of decomposition.
Grow Your Plants in a Semi Pro Greenhouse!
Greens aficionados who intend to bring their gardening efforts to the next level decide to grow their plants inside a semi pro greenhouse. Aside from eliminating the need to make emergency preparations in case of inclement weather, a semi pro greenhouse also provides a barrier of protection against bugs and animals that constantly threaten to destroy them.
What’s more, a semi pro greenhouse also allows you to manipulate the temperature and humidity levels in the enclosed space so that your plants can enjoy the best growing conditions. Gardening enthusiasts love greenhouse gardening because they can always extend their plants’ growing seasons and it allows them to plant practically anything they like!
The Takeaway
Now that you know how to take care of cut sunflowers, it’s time to put your skills to the test. Get out there and cut your favorite blooms to add color and cheer to your indoor spaces!