How to Make Long-Stemmed-Rose Food for Vases

Long-stemmed roses make a beautiful floral arrangement, but once the flowers are cut they begin to lose their freshness quickly. Whether the roses come from your garden or the florist shop, you can make them last longer than the usual three to five days. By creating rose food to add to your vase along with the water, you can keep your long-stemmed roses looking fresher and help them last longer than they would if placed only in water.

Things You'll Need

• Large vase
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Wooden spoon
• 1/4 teaspoon bleach
• Scissors

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Fill a large vase with 1 quart of warm water with a temperature of approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

   • 2

     Pour 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the vase. Stir the two ingredients into the water until the sugar is dissolved.

   • 3

     Add 1/4 teaspoon of bleach to the mixture. Stir the solution to mix in the bleach.

   • 4

     Trim 1 inch off the bottom of each rose, cutting the stems at an angle. Place the long-stemmed roses in the vase.

   • 5

     Empty the vase every second day. Add a fresh quart of water and your homemade rose-food mixture.