Updated at: 24-06-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Sunflowers have been cut, and you’re wondering how to care for them. Today is your lucky day if you want to make a long-lasting sunflower bouquet.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) flowers, despite their lack of scent, are always a welcome addition to floral arrangements because of their brilliant color and robust form. Indoors, you won’t have to worry about an overpowering scent from them.

To top it all off, if you add preservatives and store them at room temperature, they’ll stay looking great for up to a week.

When to Cut Sunflowers

Flowers for floral arrangements are readily available when you grow sunflowers in your yard. Cut your sunflowers when they are nearly open, with the ray petals perpendicular to the flower disk, to provide the longest vase life possible.

How to Care for Cut Sunflowers | Hunker

If feasible, plan a day in advance. As a precaution, if the ground is dry, irrigate your sunflowers the day before you intend to cut them. Before or after you cut the sunflowers, if the ground is dry, they may begin to droop. It is easier to care for cut sunflowers if they have been watered ahead of time, so that the plant can soak up the hydration and remain as fresh as possible.

Fill a clean bucket half full of warm water, between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the morning before you intend to cut your flowers. Snip off the tops of sunflowers before 10 a.m. but after the dew has evaporated. Cut the stems to a length of 30 inches and throw them in the bucket of water as soon as possible. Keep the bucket out of direct sunlight when you cut your flowers if at all possible..

Condition the Flowers

Bring the cut sunflowers into the house. Prepare a second bucket of water with a holding preservative for best results. Use a floral preservative containing sugar for energy, an acidifying agent to regulate the pH and help hydration, and an antimicrobial ingredient to inhibit bacterial growth on stems for making a holding solution. Underdosing flowers has little or no effect on vase life, while overdosing causes damage to the flowers. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions while mixing the solution.

Make an angled cut under water using a sharp knife to remove any leaves from the lower half of the stems. Put the stems in the new solution as soon as possible. After at least an hour and up to several hours in a cool environment, arrange the flowers in a vase.

Arrange the Sunflowers

One-half of the holding solution used during the conditioning period should be poured into a vase or other clean container. Fill the vase with water and arrange the sunflowers so that none of the leaves will be submerged. The vase should be filled to the brim with holding solution after the flowers have been placed.

Keep Sunflowers Fresh

It’s a good idea to cut back the stems of your sunflowers every two days to keep them fresher longer. To avoid air bubbles from entering the stem’s vascular system, cut the stems under running water. Keeping the stems submerged in water as you clean and refill the vase is a good idea. Fill the vase to the brim with holding solution, then add the flowers back in. In order to keep the sunflowers from drying out, keep them out of direct sunshine and away from drafts.

10 Steps on How to Take Care of Cut Sunflowers

Starting with the cutting, you may extend the life of your cut sunflowers. You need to know when and how to cut your flowers to get the most life out of your vases. What you must keep in mind is the following:

Care for Cut Sunflowers | Coshocton Sunflower Festival

Step #1: The best time to cut them is when they’re almost open

If your sunflowers’ ray petals are already perpendicular to their flower disks, it’s time to remove them. It’s preferable to make your arrangements the day before they open, if at all possible.

Step #2: Water them a day before you cut them

Make sure the ground isn’t wet. If this is the case, be sure to moisten your sunflowers before cutting them. As a result, watering them the day before you plan to cut them is recommended.

Step #3: Prepare your materials for cutting

Have all of your supplies ready the day before you want to cut your sunflowers: a sharp knife and two clean buckets. Fill one bucket half-full with warm water (between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit) and the other half-full with water that has been mixed with a preservative.

Step #4: Mix the holding solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions

Simply use a floral preservative that contains sucrose, an acidifying agent, and an antibacterial agent to prepare the holding solution. While the acidifying agent and antibacterial agent work to hydrate and regulate the pH of the flower, the floral preservative provides energy to the plant.

Mixing the solution should be done in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The vase life of your sunflowers will not be improved by underdosing them. Overdosing on sunflowers, on the other hand, can harm them.

Step #5: Cut the sunflowers early in the morning

Do the cutting before 10 a.m. at the earliest. The earlier in the day that you cut them, the quicker they’ll dry up. It’s not worth the risk of ending up with wilted sunflowers in your vase unless you’re willing to wait until they’ve had a full night’s supply of water replenishment.

Step #6: Cut them at an angle

Higher surface area means more water absorption for sunflowers, therefore cutting the stems at a slant is a good idea. Also, it prevents your flower stems from lying on the vase’s bottom. Cut the stems to a length of 30 inches or less before arranging them.

Step #7: Place the sunflowers in the bucket of clean and warm water immediately after cutting them

Keeping the sunflowers in water can keep them from drying out. Because of this, you must immediately put the cut sunflowers into a pail of water and place them in the shade. Shock and dehydration from the procedure are minimized.

Step #8: Once indoors, place the sunflowers inside the bucket with the holding solution

Place the flowers in the bucket with the holding solution as soon as you get them home so that they can be conditioned. Before arranging them in a vase, put them in a cool place for a few hours.

Step #9: Arrange them in a vase

Fill your flower vase with the same solution you used to condition the flowers. Once you’ve placed your cut sunflowers in there, fill it halfway and check to make sure no leaves are submerged. Organize your flowers.

Step #10: Change the water on a daily basis

The water in a vase should be changed every day in order to prevent bacteria from forming, reduce the bad scent, and slow down the decomposition process of your sunflowers.

Your sunflowers will be very “thirsty” and will drink a lot of water. Upon returning home follow these steps:

The First Step

Remove all leaves below the water’s surface.

This is the next step:

It’s preferable to do this under running water so that you don’t damage the flower’s stem. Cutting the stem at an angle is a good idea.

This is the third step.

Put them in a new, clean container of water (not the water given from the festival if there is any left)

The fourth and last step

To keep your flowers looking their best, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and/or 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. As a result, sunflowers are less likely to wilt.

This is the final step.

Take care to protect your sunflowers from direct sunshine, cool drafts, and any other type of temperature extremes. After harvesting, sunflowers don’t get as much sunshine as they would if they were left to grow in the field.

This is the final step.

Keep an eye on the health of your sunflowers’ stems and water by inspecting them everyday and re-cutting them if necessary.

TIPS

  • You can give your drooping sunflowers a boost by cutting their stems short and placing them in warm water!
  • You can keep microorganisms at bay by adding a penny to your water supply
  • Withering petals can be snipped from a sunflower and incorporated into another bouquet as an additional arrangement. In the wake of your second trip to the sunflower festival in Coshocton

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How to Take Care of Cut Sunflowers: 10 Easy-to-Follow Steps - Krostrade

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The Takeaway

The time has come for you to put your newly acquired knowledge to the test. Cut some of your favorite flowers from the garden and bring some happiness to your inside areas!