What should I put in my water to extend the vase life of my flowers?
A question that we are asked frequently about fresh flower and bouquet care:
What should I put in the water to extend the vase life of my flowers?
Our answer: great question, but we don’t know.
So, we decided to conduct an experiment with multiple variables (additives to water), record our findings, and share the results. Multiple additives were suggested; we used the five most common:
water (plain): 1 cup
vodka: 1 cup water + 1/2 tsp vodka
aspirin: 1 cup water + 1 (325 mg) non-coated aspirin
penny: 1 cup water + 1 penny (year 1968)
bleach: 1 cup water + 1/2 tsp bleach
Let’s chat quickly through why each of these solutions above are rumored to be successful ways of increasing the vase life of a bouquet of flowers:
Water (plain): flowers need water in order to maintain their cellular structure.
Vodka: a diluted amount of vodka in water is supposed to inhibit the production of ethylene (an invisible gas) produced during the aging process of flowers.
Aspirin: supposed to lower the pH level and keep the water clean to prevent flowers from wilting.
Penny: the penny production changed after 1982, pennies older than 1982 are composed of 95% copper and pennies newer than 1982 pennies are composed of mostly zinc and only 2.5% copper. Copper is a fungicide, so a copper penny (older than 1982) placed in a vase of water is supposed to kill bacteria and fungi that would shorten a vase life.
Bleach: a diluted amount of bleach is supposed to kill the bacteria in the water so the water stays fresh for the flowers.
We conducted this experiment with an assortment of flowers and greenery: pittosporum (greenery), white roses, pink carnations, yellow mini carnations, purple alstroemeria, and pink tulips. We then observed them for one week.
Below are our daily observations:
Day 1:
Not much change, except the tulips “grew” and some stems bent.
Day 3:
Not much change, except the tulips, roses, and alstroemeria opened up. The bleach water seemed to kill the tulip.
Day 5:
Flowers continued to open, tulips almost all expired and roses wilted in aspirin and bleach.
Day 7
All tulips expired. The rose in the penny water is the only one left not wilting. The pittosporum, carnation, and mini carnations all remain in tact, except for the aspirin water carnation and alstroemeria both wilted.
Day 7: Individual vase results
MORE Observations:
The vases where the flowers “drank” the most tended to be the vases where the flowers lasted longest. The bleach vase seemed to turn the stems of the flowers/greenery white, so perhaps we added too much bleach to our solution. The vodka and bleach water vases had the clearest water, but did not have the longest lasting flowers. The aspirin water had the cloudiest water, but again did not have the longest lasting flowers.
Conclusions:
The penny vase, followed closely by the plain water vase were the two that maintained the longest lasting flowers in this experiment. The aspirin vase, followed closely by the bleach water vase were the two vases in which the flowers had the shortest vase life. Based on this experiment, we would recommend using plain water or a penny (older than 1982) at the bottom of your vase to increase the longevity of your bouquet.
Based on this experiment, we rated the additives from best to worst in the images below:
Please know that this experiment may not present a perfect set of results and many variations, concentrations of additives, and other factors may yield different results. In addition to our own curiosity, we thought this would be a fun way to check for an answer to the question: what should I add to my water to extend the vase life of my flowers?
There are many other additive suggestions that others are certain work well in keeping their flowers long lasting, perhaps you have a special additive or concoction that works best for your flowers? If you are still curious, create your own experiment at home to see which works best.
We will continue to advocate for refreshing the water in your vase every day or at least every other day to ensure your flowers have the most “drinkable” water. Although this is the first floral longevity experiment, this definitely won’t be our last. Looking forward to hearing more additive suggestions and trying more solutions!
