Does sugar prolong the life of cut flowers?
How Sugar Helps Cut Flowers Many cut flowers live longer when sugar is added to their water. Flowers get food from the plant on which they grow. When they are harvested or cut from this plant, they lose their natural food source. Flowers are cut before they are fully mature so that they have a longer bloom life. The cut flowers use food stored in the stems and leaves to stay fresh and continue blooming. If they do not get enough food, the leaves and flowers wilt. Young buds may not fully open. Food can be added by mixing sugar in the vase water. The dissolved sugar is absorbed through the cut stem and used by the flower. Sugar Solutions for Cut Flowers jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/lj/0q/sugar-prolong-life-cut-flowers-2.1-800X800.jpg’); }); Most cut flowers benefit from a 2 percent sugar solution in the vase. Some flowers should not have sugar or should have a lower amount of sugar. Others can b