How To Care For Cut Roses

In addition to cleaning the lower leaves and making clean cuts at every stem, roses must also be de-thorned and their protected petals removed prior to arrangement. Doing this will enable your newly cut rose stems to take up more water, allowing them to live longer. To keep your roses fresh, ensure that they are getting adequate water, change their water, and cut your stems a new, fresh (diagonal) cutting (at least every 2-3 days).

Look carefully, sometimes the roses have been out of water for a long time, and you need to be sure you cut off any dried out parts of the stems entirely. Once the flowers are in the vase you are using, get rid of any thorns or leaves that are falling below the water level -- otherwise, you are opening up an opportunity for algae and bacteria to form (and nobody, least of all your rose stems, wants that). The water in your vase does not have to stay that warm, but always begin cutting flowers in warm, not cold, water.

When adjusting the length of the stems for a preferred vessel, be sure that the vessel is filled with a cool, but not freezing, water, so you can trim the stems just to the right length and put them right into your vessel. When your roses begin to wilt, you can try reviving them by cutting the stems at an angle and placing them in a warm vase for about an hour. Placing them directly into the water, one at a time, when you cut them helps to keep bubbles from forming inside the stem.

Cutting honestly does not make much difference in the life of your vase, so you will want to simply cut each stem quickly on a diagonal (at least an inch off of the base of the stem) and place your roses right away into tepid, clean water. You can use a small knife, or purchase special tools for stripping leaves and thorns, but be sure not to puncture stems, as this will hinder the water absorption, or let bacteria get into the stem. Remember, the base of the stems naturally seals, so cutting them again helps the water move up the stems, extending the roses lifespan.

Use a Flower Food to prolong your roses life in the vase, but remember that it encourages the growth of bacteria, so wash the vase when you change water. When refreshing your water, you need to remove any residue left over from last use and begin fresh with a clean vase and the freshening flower food. Always use a completely clean vase, because germs can live in a dirty one, and your flowers might not last as long.

Immediately after cutting, place your flowers into your vase that you already filled with lukewarm water and a pack of flower preserver. If using blunt scissors, you are going to struggle cutting through the thick stalks, and blunt scissors may cause stems to break, making it harder for your roses to absorb the water.