From our perspective, timing is the single most important factor for a successful cut. Please do not cut us when our blooms are wide open and fully mature; we will shed our petals almost immediately indoors, disappointing you. Instead, look for buds that are in the "marshmallow" stage. Gently squeeze the bud; if it feels soft and yielding, like a marshmallow, with a hint of color showing through the sepals, we are perfect. At this stage, our sugars and nutrients are at their peak, and we have completed our development on the plant. We are ready to finish our lifecycle in your vase, where we will unfurl slowly, granting you a longer display.
How and where you make the incision is critical for our health. Always use a pair of sharp, clean pruning shears or a knife. A dull blade will crush our vascular tissues, the essential channels we use to drink water, leading to a rapid wilt. Make the cut on our stem at a 45-degree angle. This angled cut increases the surface area available for water uptake and prevents the stem from sitting flat on the bottom of the vase, which would block water intake. Cut our stem to your desired length, but do so towards the base, just above a set of five-leaf branches (not the smaller three-leaf ones). This encourages the parent plant to produce new, strong growth for future seasons.
The moments after being cut are a period of shock for us. Our number one priority is to get us into water as quickly as possible to prevent an air bubble from forming in our stem, which would block water flow. Have a bucket of lukewarm water ready and place us in it immediately after cutting. Once indoors, you can prepare us for the vase. Recut the stems under water to ensure no air is drawn into our capillaries. Remove any leaves that will fall below the waterline in your final arrangement. Submerged leaves will decay rapidly, promoting bacterial growth that will clog our stems and shorten our vase life.
To help us look our best for as long as possible, you must create an environment that supports our needs. Use a clean vase to avoid harmful bacteria. Fill it with fresh, lukewarm water and consider adding a commercial flower preservative. This packet is not a chemical trick; it provides us with sugars for energy, an acidifier to make the water pH ideal for uptake, and a biocide to limit bacterial growth. Place our arrangement in a cool spot away from direct sunlight, heating vents, and ripening fruit. The ethylene gas emitted by fruit is a natural plant hormone that signals to us that it is time to mature rapidly and senesce, causing our petals to drop prematurely.
