From our perspective, the single most important factor for your success is when you decide to cut our stems. We are not static objects; we are living processes. If you cut too early, when the florets are too tight, we may fail to draw sufficient water to open properly, resulting in a bent neck and a short vase life. Conversely, if you cut too late, when most florets on the spike are already open, we will have expended much of our energy and will senesce (age) rapidly. The ideal time is when the majority of florets on the lower two-thirds of the spike are open and showing color, while the florets at the very tip are still closed but developed. At this stage, we are at our peak vitality and have the stored resources to continue our development in the vase.
How you cut us directly impacts our vascular system—our internal plumbing. Always use sharp, clean shears. A crushing, ragged cut from dull tools damages our xylem vessels, severely impeding our ability to uptake water. Cut during the cooler parts of the day, ideally early morning when our stems are fully hydrated and our sugar reserves are high. Avoid cutting during the heat of the day when we are already stressed and potentially wilted. Immediately after cutting, place our stems into a deep bucket of clean, lukewarm water. This prevents air from being sucked into our stems, which forms an embolism—an air bubble—that blocks water flow, causing the classic drooping head.
Our treatment in the first hour after harvest sets the stage for our entire vase life. Get us into water instantly. Once indoors, recut our stems under water. This is not an optional step. It prevents a new air embolism from forming at the fresh cut site the moment we are exposed to air. Use a sharp knife or shears and make a clean, angled cut. Remove all leaves that would fall below the waterline in your vase. Our submerged foliage will decay rapidly, fostering bacterial growth that will clog our stems and foul the water, poisoning us from below.
To keep us thriving, you must manage our environment to slow our metabolism. Place the vase in a cool location, away from direct sunlight, heating vents, ripening fruit, or drafts. Heat and ethylene gas (emitted by fruit) accelerate our aging process. The floral preservative you add to the water is not a magic potion; it serves three key physiological functions: it provides us with sugars (energy we can no longer photosynthesize), acidifies the water to improve our uptake and inhibit bacterial growth, and contains a biocide to keep the water clean. Change the water entirely every two to three days, recutting the stems each time to maintain a clear path for hydration.
