Chantel Mila, who goes by Mama Mila online, explained that two store cupboard staples could be the key for blooming flowers – and they’re natural ingredients
Keep your flowers fresh for weeks(Image: Serhii Mazur via Getty Images)
Fresh flowers can add a splash of colour and life to any room, but often the blooms purchased from shops don’t last as long as we’d like. However, a cleaning and life hacks TikToker has revealed the two ingredients she uses to keep her shop-bought flowers blooming “for weeks”.
Chantel Mila, known as Mama Mila on social media, shared that two pantry staples could be the secret to long-lasting blooms. If you’re keen to avoid using chemical products to extend the life of your flowers, Chantel suggests using sugar and white vinegar.
What you need to do
When you’re ready to display your flowers, fill a vase with water and add one tablespoon of sugar. Follow this with two tablespoons of white vinegar to prevent bacterial growth.
If you haven’t already trimmed the stems, Chantel recommends cutting the ends at a 45° angle underwater, ensuring they’re fully submerged to stop air entering the stems. Vinegar can help cut flowers last longer by inhibiting bacterial growth in the vase water, reports the Express.
Sugar will help feed the flowers, while vinegar will prevent bacteria growth in the vase(Image: Getty)
Gardening Know How explained: “Those preserving cut flowers with vinegar are essentially lowering pH, which in turn, increases the acidity. This increase helps to create an environment that is less suitable for the growth of bacteria, which is often the culprit in the speed of decline in freshness of the flowers.”
Vinegar should never be used alone, but rather in combination with another ingredient. Gardening Know How suggests that the proportions of vinegar may differ, but the consensus is that approximately two tablespoons each of vinegar and dissolved sugar should be used for every one-quart vase.
Sugar plays a crucial role in preserving flowers. As soon as flowers are cut, they start to miss out on nutrients provided by photosynthesis, says Teleflora.
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By adding sugar to the water in the vase, it dissolves and continuously provides the flowers with the essential nutrients they need, drawing in the water over time. However, there’s a downside to adding sugar to flowers.
Teleflora points out that sugar also promotes bacterial growth, which can make your flowers smell and ultimately lead to their rapid decay. That’s why it’s recommended to pair it with vinegar to prevent this growth.