For Release February 8, 2004

Taking Care of Those Valentine's Day Flowers

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

If you are lucky enough to receive flowers for Valentine's Day, you can prolong the joy of those flowers with how they are taken care of. Whether you receive roses, carnations or even a potted plant you need to remember that you are dealing with a living thing and you have to meet its basic needs. Having spent 20 years in a previous life associated with a floral shop, I have seen a lot of mistakes made by recipients of those Valentine's Day gifts.

Let's start with flowers. First and foremost, remember that flowers are living things and need water. If the flowers arrived loose in a vase or arranged in a vase or container, immediately check the water. Sometimes water gets spilled in the delivery process, sometimes the flowers have simply used up a lot of the water. The floral oasis that is used in floral arrangements is an effective sponge and water transfer device, but the free space around it needs to be kept filled with water. Check the water level daily.

If you have loose flowers in a vase and the water level has dropped below the cut ends of the flowers, immediately take the flowers out of the vase, fill the vase back up with water and then cut off a half inch or so off the flower stems and put back in the vase. This way you will make sure that fresh conductive tissue of the flower stem can take up the water.

If you happen to receive loose flowers, you need to get them in water right away. Sometimes the flowers will have little tubes of water on the ends of the stems called water picks. These are very short term water supplies. Take your clean vase and fill it with warm water. If your received a little package of floral preservative, add that to the water. Then remove the water picks, if your flowers have them, recut the ends of the stems, remove any foliage that'll be below the water line and place the flowers in the vase.

Long range weather forecasts are always tricky, but it looks like we'll still be having daily highs below freezing as we head into late week and Valentine's Day. Most flowers can handle short periods of exposure to 32 degree weather, but if you are picking up the flowers to take home, make sure that they are wrapped with tissue or paper and then don't leave them in a cold car for an extended period of time. In other words, make the floral shop the last stop on your way home.

Placement of the flowers in the home can effect their life expectancy as well. Keep flowers in a cool place, 65 to 72 degrees, and away from direct sunlight. Avoid locations that have cold drafts, near doors, or places that have hot blasts, such as furnace ducts, electronic equipment or even refrigerators. Avoid placing flowers directly under a ceiling fan that is running as well. All of these things can reduce shelf life of your flowers.

If you receive a plant, either a green plant of a flowering plant, many of the same rules for flowers apply. Check the soil moisture level regularly. Most houseplants are killed by over watering, not under watering. A word to the wise! Make sure you know the proper care for your plant. If a care tag did not arrive with the plant, call the florist where it came from or the county extension office, 238-4161, to find out what your plant needs. Plants are going to be more sensitive to cold temperatures, even if it isn't below freezing, than flowers. Make sure the plant is wrapped and get it right home!

Flowers and plants can certainly brighten a special day like Valentine's Day. Order them early, like Monday or Tuesday and them ake sure you do your part to enjoy that special gift as long as possible!

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