My daughter's boyfriend gave her 12 long stemmed roses for Valentine's Day.??

Question

It's been 2 days and the roses have not opened up. In fact a few are wilting. We cut off an inch off the bottom of the stems after she got them, and placed all of the roses in a vase with a few inches of water on the bottom. No luck though. What do we need to do? And why did this happen?
Help...all you green thumbers!

Answer 1

Doing all of the things listed already will make them last longer, but not open. To make any rose open, poke it with your finger. Right in the middle, gently open the petals slightly. The rose will open the rest of the way on it's own.

Answer 2

if they have started to wilt, it may be too late. The way to keep roses is to make a vertical slice (about 1/2 inch) off the bottom, but always under running water. Any air that gets into the stem will cause an air bubble that prevents water from traveling up the stem. Keep roses in a cool environment, never in the sun

Answer 3

Wow. Lots of experts. Boyfriend probably didn't know better, aspirin helps. Make a mixture with the aspirin, and dip paper towels cut at angle and wrap stems hang upside down to correct for wilting. This might only work.
What happened is they cut the flowers too soon, and they will never bloom. It is the difference between the guy on the street (don't blame him, the sentiment expressed was sweet) and an expensive florist. the florist buys from supplier a, and the guy on the street gets his from supplier z, I exaggerate, to make the point..
Good luck, and, in the end, if you like this guy, its the thought that counts. If you don't like him, its an excuse to call him names. Sorry, I'm a parent...

Answer 4

Usually an aspirin in the water will help them open, try some warm water in the vase and fill the vase with water. Also the florist should have given her a small packet of "flower food" with the roses, if they didn't try your local florist and see if they have any ideas.... Sounds like a really romantic guy.

Answer 5

Start forcing the buds open. Fill the bathtub with enough cold water to cover the roses after you trim the stems again. Leave them in the tub for an hour and they should open and last longer.

Answer 6

Did you make the bottom cuts at a 45-degree angle? Doing so increases the surface area for water absorption. Another reason: a 90-degree cut can actually be obstructed, if it rests flatly on the bottom of the vase.

Answer 7

Even if your daughter's boyfriend paid a fortune for them, sometimes roses have been stored longer than they should have or not kept under tne right conditions, especially during Valentine's. This will affect their opening and vase life. Re-cut at least two inches off the stem and follow the advice below. Do not put them in direct sunlight.. Remove a couple of outer petals if they look leathery.

When it comes to cut flowers there's a lot of good advice and a lot of wives' tales floating around. I am a Plant Pathologist and have been the quality control manager of a flower importing company for over 13 years. This is what you need to do and why:

1- Buy flowers at a reputable source, don't buy them in a street corner or they will likely be old, stressed flowers.

2- Process them as soon as you bring them home, don't leave them in the car or sitting on the counter for hours.

3- Remove any brown or bruised petals; if there are any brown mushy spots it is most likely Botrytis, which is a fungus that will rot the flower. However if it is removed when the spot is still small your flowers will be ok.

4- Use a very clean vase that has been washed thoroughly; if it is not clean enough for you to drink from it then neither should your flowers. The number one reason why roses get "bent necks" is actually from getting the stems plugged by bacteria (more than air)

5- You can use cold water or luck warm water but NEVER hot water, this will only stress the flowers and reduce their vase life.

6- Use commercial flower food in the water if available and make sure you follow the instructions as to the amount of water to be used. Most of the little bags that come with bouquets are either for ONE PINT or if they are larger, for one Quart of water. You have to use all the flower food that comes in the packet. If you use less food or too much water, you will not have enough bactericide in the water and bacteria will develop reducing the vase life.

7- Remove any leaves that will be covered by water as these rot and contaminate the water. Do not remove more than it is needed, roses especially need their leaves to be able to draw water from the stem ends. The leaves act as a water pump; as water is evaporated from the leaves, water is pulled up through the stem.

8- Cut 1-2 inches from the stem ends (no less than one inch) this will remove the blockage of bacteria, air and plant cells plugging the stems. It has been advised for many years to cut them under water. This is true, the stems form a vacuum inside, and when cut they suck air. The air will plug them for a while and can prevent water absorption, but it has been shown that the air bubble dissolves in a few hours if stems are placed in water right away. I would still recommend cutting them under water (just fill the sink) as long as the water is perfectly clean. The most important thing is to cut them with a very sharp knife or sharp sheers that will not crush or damage the stems and put them in the vase with water or solution right away.

9- Do not pierce the stem higher up as it was suggested, the vessels inside the stem are only one or two inches long, the air bubble remains on the bottom of the stem. Florists use this green wire to forcibly keep the heads from bending, but as long as you follow the previous advice this should not happen.

10- Put your flowers in a fresh area away from direct sunlight or heat from appliances (like from the TV) and away from air drafts (like in front of the AC vent).

11- If you re-cut the stems use fresh flower food solution to refill the vase.

If you do not have flower food you can make your own. It does not work as well as commercial ones, but it works better than plain water. Flower food is made of the following:
a- SUGAR: to feed the flowers (once cut from the plant they cannot produce their own food anymore.
b- BACTERICIDE: to kill bacteria in the water. If you add sugar without adding a bactericide you will have bacterial soup.
c- ACIDIFIER: water flows better up the stem at a low ph, flower food contains citric acid or other substances to make the water acidic. Bacteria do not reproduce as much in an acidic environment either.
d- SURFACTANT: something that reduces the water tension of the water so that it flows better (a kind of soap).

So to make your own, you can use one part of a lemon-flavored soda like Sprite, 7-UP, Sierra Mist etc (it has to be regular, it cannot be diet) and two parts water. This will provide the sugar and acidity your flowers need. However you need to kill the bacteria or it will be worse than using water alone. You need to add 3-5 DROPS (not a squirt) of Clorox to the water depending on the size of your vase. Mix it up before putting the flowers in it.
Make a fresh solution when you re-fill the vase.

As far as the aspirin goes, it helps a little because it acidifies the water, but you are still missing the key ingredients; sugar and a bactericide.

It looks complicated but it is not, just use clean...- everything!

Enjoy!!

Answer 8

Try cutting them again under running water at an angle. Put them in a FULL vase of water (you can mix sprite in the water too) then give them some sun. I've never had any problems w/ any of my flowers. Good luck.

Answer 9

Try adding some sugar to the water. Make sure you mix it up good before putting the roses in it. They also may need some light.

Answer 10

The aspirin works and try adding a lttle bit of granulated sugar.
As for the first couple of dorks with their smarmy answers, I hope your daughters end up in the back seat of a '75 Firebird, with some ******** named JoeBob.