Besides being beautiful, roses are also classified as fragrant flowers and have a variety of colors and sizes. With proper handling, freshness of roses can be maintained for up to a week and a half after cutting. To prevent your roses from wilting, be sure to change the water every few days, use the correct vase, and place it in a cool area. Watch Step 1 to find out more about how to keep roses fresh.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Choosing the Freshest Roses
Step 1. Cut your own roses as early as possible
If you are cutting roses from your own rosebush to display indoors, cut them as early as possible before it gets hot outside. Cutting while the air is still cool keeps the roses from wilting after cutting. Immediately after cutting, soak the rose stalks in a clean bucket of fresh water.
- The night before you cut the flowers, water your rosebush. Well-hydrated roses stay fresh longer than roses cut from a previously unwatered clump.
- Cut the rose stalks at a 45-degree angle using clean pruning tools.
Step 2. Buy cut roses from a trusted florist/store
If you don't cut roses from your own plants, try to buy them from a reputable florist/store. It's even better if you buy it from someone you know well. This will give you freshly cut roses instead of those that have been on display for a week.
- Ask the shop/florist, which flowers are sent to the shop when it is still very early. Then choose among the freshest.
- Choose roses that are stored in a refrigerator, as they tend to stay fresher longer than those placed outside at room temperature.
Step 3. Squeeze the rose petals that fill the stem
That way you can tell if the roses are still fresh. If you inspected a rose before buying it, gently squeeze it where the petals gather on the stem. If it feels loose and slippery, it means the rose is old and you shouldn't choose it. Conversely, if it feels strong and tight, it means the rose is still fresh.
Step 4. Check the roses for damaged or broken petals
Pay close attention to the color of the entire rose petal. Check the tips of the petals to make sure they are in good condition, not damaged or have turned brown (a sign of wilting). When you bring it home, you can remove the damaged outer lid but there's not much you can do to improve the appearance of the damaged inner lid. Whole petals are more attractive and their freshness will last longer than damaged petals.
Step 5. Let the roses soak in water during the return journey
Removing rose stems from the water even for a few minutes will be detrimental because it causes the freshness of the roses to not last long. When you go to the florist, you may need to take a bucket filled with enough water with you so that you have a container to keep your roses fresh on the way home. If you can't carry a bucket, ask the florist to place the roses you bought in a container of water.
Part 2 of 3: Preparing the Stem Section
Step 1. Trim the stalks in the water
Cutting rose stems in water keeps the flowers fresh by preventing air from entering the bottom of the stem. Because, when the air enters, the condition of the flower will soon deteriorate-start to wither. Apparently, the same method is also used when cutting apples and avocados so they don't turn brown and mushy. You can cut them under a stream or in water.
Step 2. Use a knife or plant shears
A sharp knife or shears are the best tools to use for cutting rose stems. Use standard plant shears that press the stems well to keep them from absorbing water effectively so they don't die/wilt faster. Cut between 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) to 1 inch (2.5 cm) of length starting at the bottom of the stem, or more if you are arranging them in a short vase.
- Cut the stems of the roses at a 45-degree angle, which will make it easier to put them in the water.
- Make sure that the cutting tool you use is really very clean. After each use, the pruning shears should always be washed in hot soapy water or a mild bleach solution. Otherwise, the bacteria will stay and affect the next flower you cut.
Step 3. Remove the leaves from the stalks
The part of the stalk to be immersed in water must be completely free of leaves. Because the leaves that are submerged in water will soon rot and cause a buildup of bacteria in the vase, making the flowers wither faster. You can leave a few leaves at the top of the stems, but be sure to remove anything that will soak in the water in the vase.
Step 4. Make the cuts every few days
Trimming the rose stalk every few days will help it suck in water more effectively, as over time the submerged ends of the stems become mushy and damaged. Do the same as when you cut in the first step. Always make sure that the cutting tool you use is clean, cut under water at an angle of 45 degrees.
Part 3 of 3: Arrange Roses
Step 1. Use a clean and bright vase/vase
If you only wash the vase between uses, bacteria may still live in the vase and potentially damage the fresh roses. Clean the vase you will be using with hot soapy water, and scrub the inside of the vase with a bottle brush. Rinse thoroughly before using it.
Step 2. Fill the vase with fresh water
Once cut, roses tend to absorb a lot of water. Fill the flower vase with fresh water from the tap to about 3/4 of the way. Then, arrange the roses into the vase with the stems about 2.5 cm from the base. This arrangement will make it easier for the rose stalk to absorb the water it needs to keep it fresh.
- Consider adding flower nutrients to the water. Flower nutrition will provide nutritional intake so that the freshness of roses will be maintained longer. When you buy roses at the florist, also buy some of the flower nutrition packages.
- Add about 1/4 tablespoon bleach for every 0.9 liters of water. This will help reduce the number of bacteria. Make sure you don't add too much bleach, as this will damage the flowers.
- Put a coin or an aspirin in the water to control the amount of bacteria in the vase.
Step 3. Change the water every few days
Every two days or so, change the water in the vase to ensure bacterial growth won't damage your flowers. Fill a vase with fresh water and add a little bleach. Cut off the bottom of the rose stalk and put it back into the vase.
Step 4. Keep the roses attractive
Roses will stay fresh for several days if you keep them indoors in a cool area. Avoid placing roses near a window that is exposed to heat or in a room that tends to be warm. You can even store roses in the refrigerator at night while you sleep, and put them back outside the next day.
Tips
- Try not to cut the roses close to the fruit, as the fruit releases natural gases that cause the flowers to wither.
- As soon as the roses start to wilt, instead of throwing them away you can grind them into compost to add nutrients to the soil.
- Biocides are products that kill bacteria. For cut flowers, you can purchase the appropriate biocide at a flower shop/florist or at a garden center. You can also make your own (DIY/Do It Yourself) biocide by mixing 1 ml of bleach in 1 liter (0.3 US gal) of water, or gram of citrate soda for one liter of water.
Warning
- When handling thorny roses, wear gardening gloves to protect your hands and fingers from the sharp thorns.
- Do not remove thorns from rose stems. Removing the thorns will cause the rose to have a shorter life.
