Translations:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Arts and Crafts/Flower Arrangement/12/en

4. Give six suggestions regarding the cutting of flowers and their aftercare, such as when to cut, how to cut, and how to keep.

1. Cut flower stems with a sharp knife or pruners.
2. Do NOT use scissors as they can pinch and damage the stem tissue, decreasing the flower's ability to take in water and nutrients.
3. Stems should be cu at a 45º angle. This allows for more water and nutrient intake.
4. Cut flowers in early morning or evening when cooler.This helps to limit flower wilting due to humidity.
5. Place cut stems in water as soon as possible. This helps to prevent drying out or wilting.
6. When storing flowers in buckets or vases, do not overfill with flowers, to allow for air circulation.
7. Always store flowers with cut end in water. Never submerge blooms or foliage.
8. Remove any foliage that would be submerged in water once the flower is placed in its display container.
9. Always remove foliage and cut flower stems with a sharp knife or pruners. Never strip foliage by hand or shorten the stems by breaking them. This damages the tissues that help the flower take in water.
10. Never place an arrangement of live flowers in direct sunlight, as this will cause the flowers to fade and wilt faster.
11. Be sure to change water daily.
12. To help flowers keep longer, store in a cool place in your home (mudroom, etc.), or in your refrigerator (Approximately 35º F).
13. If storing in your refrigerator, be sure to keep separate from any fruits. Some fruits release gases that can cause the flowers to brown and ages faster.
14. A Preservative may also be added to the water. There are many that are commercially available, but you can make your own using one part sugar to 3 parts water.
15. If using silk flowers, be sure to use wire cutters instead of pruners or a sharp knife, as the wire used in the stems of silk flowers can damage the pruners.