Whether it’s for a special occasion or no occasion at all, receiving a bouquet of flowers always makes us feel good. Unfortunately though, the shelf life of cut flowers is very short; once a flower is cut from its mother plant, it gets cut off from its life support system. Your colorful bouquet will deteriorate in a matter of days. Watching your flowers wilt and fade isn’t the most cheerful sight in the world, and there’s no way you can bring them back to life. However, using flower preservatives will allow you to enjoy your bouquet for a little longer than their expected life span.

Commercially-available floral preservatives contain the basic nutrients flowers need to survive � an acidifier, a biocide, and sugar. Biocides are the most important ingredient of a floral preservative as these are chemicals that kill yeast, fungi, and bacteria that feed off the sap on the cut stem.

Once you cut a flower stem and put it in a vase of water, bacteria starts to grow almost immediately. In three hours the bacteria population in the vase will number up to 30 million. The bacteria in the vase clog up the tiny vessels that conduct water up to the flower. Because of this, necks will bend and weaken, buds won’t blossom, and the leaves will wilt. The sugar acts as food while the acidifier helps make the water flow through the vessels go smoothly.

You can also make your own flower preservatives if you choose not to buy commercial ones from your florist. To do this, mix teaspoon of citric acid with a gallon of water, or 1 tablespoon of sugar with teaspoon bleach. These contain the same components you would find in a commercial floral preservative so a homemade one should do the trick.

Before you add your floral preservatives, make sure that you cut the stems of your flowers properly so they can absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. Otherwise, the floral preservative won’t work as effectively as it should. To do this, get a sharp knife or shears (not scissors) and snip off the ends of the stem at a 45-degree angle. It’s important that your knife is sharp; otherwise a dull blade will damage the vessels that carry the water.

Combine floral preservatives with proper care of cut flowers, and you will enjoy the aroma and beauty of fresh flowers in your home for a long period of time.