I bought a bouquet of Gerbera daisies. For some reason the flowers start to bend over (maybe b/c of the weight) and eventually the stem kinda snaps causing the flower to die. On another website I read that Gerbera daisies last 14 days (mine died after 7). The website also so said to replace teh water after 4-5 days and trim the stems. I did this and that's when Gerbera daisies started dying, before that they were fine. I bought another bouquet this weekend but I don't want to make the same mistake. I already the flower is starting to bend but I straightened it out to prevent it from bending further. Ideas?
If I have the flowers in a regular vase, large drinking straws cut to size will hold them upright,cut stems on an angle with a sharp knife. I usually change the water every 3 days with lukewarm water not cold so as not to shock the flower , If you are making an arrangement in a smaller decorative container then insert them into florists foam.
Hello oceania, I think Rhonda makes an important point about cutting (or recutting) your flower stems with a sharp knife. You said that your daisies started dying right after you trimmed the stems. If you used a scissors or dull knife you may have crushed the tubes that carry water up to the bloom. I use a razor for flowers that are not too woody.
Believe it or not but I actally know about cutting stems on a angle under water and to use warm water. However, I bought these daisies on Saturday and they started to bend yesterday and today about 4 of them (only the pink ones) are completely wilted...all the yellows are just fine. Why is this happening. And is the smell from the vase supposed to be that foul? They stems get all slimy and stuff. I would like to understand why they're wilting so quickly. Are gerbera plants any better? I really like these flowers a lot and would like to have them growing every years. If I do get one, and I cut the flowers to put in a vase, will the plant continue to flower? Thanks for you replies btw ;)
Ok well,aside from the obvious of making sure no leaves or petals are submerged, do you add fresh flower food to the water?? if not you should use it when you first vase the flowers and when you top up the water as needed you add some more. Just be sure that you are using the correct amount. If you use too much you can burn the flowers and on the flipside if you don't use enough then you get bacteria hence the foul smell.I never bother with aspirins,sugar or pennies. The purpose is to balance the ph of the water to mirror the plants cell sap ph. Also the location can be a factor, if your flowers are getting direct light perhaps it is too warm which can also affect the water temperature which also promotes bacteria. I see you are just outside of Toronto so I'm thinking the alkaline in the water could be a factor which is why I suggest the fresh flower food.It's kind of strange that only the pink ones are affected,But I'm sorry I have no clue as to why that is. As for the plant itself I can't see why it would be a problem to cut flowers from a healthy plant and have the plant re-flower.I hope you are successful in growing the plant!! Oh, one more thing, apparently its a bad thing to have fresh flowers near fruit!!not because you would eat the flowers but because there is some sort of gas that the fruit gives off that flowers don't like.kind of like tomatos and bananas being near each other i guess!!anyway Good Luck!!
Thanks Rhonda. I haven't added any flower food and I know nothing about adding sugar or pennies. I think it might b/c it's too warm...they are in sunlight ...i will move them and see how it goes. It is very odd that all the yellow ones are perfectly fine and all the pink ones have now wilted :(
Well all the pinks are now wilted and about 5 of the yellow ones...I supsect the rest will be wilted by tomorrow. This is disappointing b/c I think I'm doing everything right...I mean I can't even keep a bouquet of flowers alive! I started another thread b/c I purchased four plants that I'm really really fond of and I'm so afraid I'll kill those too :( I noticed a couple of dead leaves and petals on them....if I kill these ones that's it, I'm done with plants and flowers.
A week is not bad for any bouquet; you never know for sure when they were actually harvested. Gerberas are striking, but they are not the easiest plant or flower to deal with. And consider a bunch of cut iris will last only a day or two. Don't give up on plants yet. Start with some easy ones. If you do lose some, small plants are cheap, buy more.
Well it was only 2-3 days and they're typically supposed to last 2 weeks. I've already bought some plants and I was told they were fairly easy to maintain...I've had them for 2 weeks or so and so far so good...or at least I hope. Nothing drying or dying yet...I hope I don't coddle them to death.
LOL, you hope you don't coddle them to death!! Good One!!Well typical isn't when the place where you get your flowers from tell you how long they will last, typical is that they have lasted until you get them home!! Sometimes things work out for the better when you're not working so hard at it!! Good luck with your plants!!
hello i have a huge amount of success with tons of flowers except daises and hydrangeas! (growing) but i do have some daises and there great and there growing great and its because i just left them alone. It seems if you do to much it is TOO MUCH. GOOD LUCK
