General Flower Care Tips

Sending flowers to loved ones is the perfect way to display your unforgotten affection. But would it not be a shame to shorten the life of your flower arrangement by not caring for them? This mini tutorial will teach you on how to lengthen the life of your flower arrangement. By following a few quick tips here in this care guide, you will add life and freshness to your flowers and surrounding room.

How to Take Care of Floral Arrangements

• Make sure to keep your flower arrangement in a cool spot and away from direct sunlight. The optimal temperature to keep your flowers in is roughly 65 to 72 Fahrenheit or 19 to 22 Celsius. Keep your flowers away from anything that radiates heat or cooling which will cause the flower to dehydrate. This includes heating or cooling vents, TVs, ceiling fans, etc.
• Clean your vase thoroughly with detergent or antibacterial soap before placing your flowers in it.
• Fill your vase with water and floral food, as provided by your florist. Floral food is a combination of additives that help to nourish the flowers and discourage bacteria from growing in the water. It is one of the best and easiest ways to extend the life of your flowers. Refer to the floral food solution for more directions on mixing the water with the food. Most floral foods require a quart or pint of water to be mixed with the food.
• If the water becomes cloudy due to the flower food solution, be sure to change the water in entirety.
• If possible, try to re-cut the flower stems at an angle be removing one to two inches. Use a sharp knife or clippers and try not to bend or crush the stems.
• If your vase is quite large, there may be leaves from your flower arrangement that are below the waterline. Be sure to remove those leaves as they promote bacteria growth in the water if left.
• Remove flowers from the arrangement as they die. This will not only prolong the life of your remaining flowers, but also make the arrangement aesthetically nicer.

Plant Care Tips

Plants enhance the living arrangement of any home or office. Most plant arrangements come with caring instructions. We have provided a few more caring tips below that will help your plants to look healthier and more vibrant.

How to Take Care of Your Plants

• The plant soil should always be kept moist. The soil, however, should never be over watered.
• When water the plant, try not to wet the leaves of the plant.
• Make sure to keep your plants in a cool spot and away from direct sunlight. The optimal temperature to keep your plants in is roughly 65 to 72 Fahrenheit or 19 to 22 Celsius. Keep your plants away from anything that radiates heat or cooling which will cause the plant to dehydrate. This includes heating or cooling vents, TVs, ceiling fans, etc.
• Keep most plant arrangements in medium light conditions. Most plants can thrive in either artificial (fluorescent light) or natural sunlight. If your plant arrangement has budding flowers, it is better to put your arrangement in natural sunlight. This will promote budding growth that is essential for your plant to grow. Foliage plants, however, most likely will do well in lower light conditions and do not have to be placed in a high concentrations of light.

Tropical Flower Care Tips

Understanding the native conditions of tropical plants is essential for flower and plant healthiness. Note that there are some differences in taking care of regular flowers versus tropical flowers. Most florists provide care specific care instructions for the flowers. We are providing a mini tutorial that should help keep your tropical flowers and plants healthy looking and make the arrangements last longer.

There are five categories that are we are going to discuss in detail: soil, water, light, temperature and humidity, and finally fertilizer.

Soil

If you buy a tropical plant or flower online and if that plant comes with soil intact, then it is probably better to leave that soil rather than replacing it with your own. Your florist should know the optimal soil for the specific plant. Refer to the care instructions for more information on the specific soil conditions for the plant. Replace the soil if repotting is needed.

If you would like to use your own soil mix, make sure that you sterilize the soil mix before placing the plant or flower. One way to sterilize the soil is to bury a potato in the soil and bake the soil and potato at roughly 350F. Wait until the potato is fully cooked. The soil is then sterilized.

Water

Watering is the most essential part in taking care of your tropical plants and flowers. Make sure not to overwater or underwater your plants. This key tip is probably the most widely abused and will cause damage to the house plant.

If you underwater your plant, the leaves will start to wilt, causing the plant to slowly die. If you see the leaves slowly wilting, make sure to water the plant immediately. The plant will hopefully rebound after water.

If you overwater your plant, the roots of the plant will start to rot. The leaves will also become spotted and the plant will die.

As a general rule for watering, make sure that the soil is moist after watering. Do not over soak the soil. Try to water the plant once the soil looks slightly dry. If you can take a sample of the soil and check its consistency, then by all means do. If the soil crumbles dry, then the plant needs watering. If the soil seems moist, then the plant is in good shape.

Five things to keep in mind when watering a tropical plant are the following:

1. Never use water that comes from a water softener
2. Use room temperature or lukewarm water
3. Do not spill water on the leaves of the plant or the crown of the plant
4. Water from the top of the pot so that it trickles down to the roots of the plant
5. Rain water is the best for house plants

Light

Light provides energy for the plants and is essential for producing bright attractive foliage and crisp leaves. In the tropical plants natural environment, the plant receives light from all directions. However, when you take that plant indoors, the plant may not receive as much light as it needs. One side of the plant may also be receiving more light than the other side. It is therefore essential to rotate your plant or flower at least twice a month to allows light consistency to all leaves.

The natural environment of tropical and desert flowers and plants is full of radiant sunshine. It is therefore essential to provide more light for your tropical plants. There are three light sources that can be used for caring for your flowers and plants:

1. Bright or direct sunlight is light that comes down from the sun onto your plant or flower. Note that placing some flowers in direct sunlight can scorch the flowers delicate leaves. Refer to the flower directions for more caring information.
2. Indirect light is light that filters through a medium or get bounced off some medium. It is less intense than bright sunlight, as a lot of it's energy gets dissipated through the medium or the reflection.
3. Artificial light comes from light bulbs such as fluorescent light.

If the sunlight is too strong, use sheers or curtains to block out the strong rays from the sun.

Temperature and Humidity

Most tropical plants and flowers can survive at temperatures slightly lower than their recommended value that is located on their care instructions. However a better key concept is the relationship between temperature/humidity and light.

In the winter, a high temperature may cause the house plant to increase its growth. This growth cannot be sustained if there are poor light conditions in the room. If the temperature in the winter gets close to freezing, the tropical plant may suffer.

• In the summer time, the temperature increases and as a result, water evaporates quicker. Make sure there is enough humidity for your tropical plant to survive in hot conditions.

Humidity is the amount of moisture present in the air at a given temperature. All plants require humidity for proper growth and it is especially essential for delicate plants that have thin leaves. For those plants, simply mist the plant every day.

Fertilizer

Fertilizer is important for your tropical plants growth. There are 16 chemicals/minerals that are essential and the most important are summarized here:

• Phosphorus promotes root development and growth and formation of the buds of the plant or flower
• Calcium/lime is essential for the plants absorption of phosphorus and potassium. Note that calcium is detrimental to plants that require acid to grow
• Potassium helps root growth and helps maintain the balance between nitrogen and phosphorus

Some tips on fertilization include to the following:

1. Do not fertilize newly bought plants or flowers within the first two months.
2. Do not fertilize during the winter
3. Fertilize lightly but frequently

The most important rule, in general, is to follow the instructions of your plant or flower caring guide. By following those rules, you will prolong the life of your plant or flower and enhance your surroundings.