How to Keep Quince Branches Blooming

Quince plants make showy flowering plants for vases and bouquets. Quince flowers wilt quickly; care is required to make them last long, especially when using them for bouquets for weddings or for party vases and centerpieces. You can keep budding quince branches for four weeks before forcing flowering. February is the best month for cutting quince branches for the purpose of forcing flowering.

Pruning shears
Cutting knife
Bucket
Liquid bleach
Floral cooler
Vase
Flower food

Instructions

- 1
  Select branches with many flower buds. Make sure that the buds are flower buds. Flower buds have a larger and rounder shape than leaf buds. Younger branches usually have larger numbers of flower buds. Use a pair of sharp pruning shears and cut the branches at least 11 to 12 inches long. Make one or two crisscross slits at the bottom of the stems.
- 2
  Make a solution of a capful of bleach in 1 gallon of water. Wash the bucket. Rinse the bucket well. Fill the bucket with cool water and place the stems in the water.
- 3
  Put the blooming branches into a floral cooler. Set the cooler to 34 to 38 degrees F. Set the humidity level to 90 to 95 percent.
- 4
  Mix another bucket of bleach and water in the same proportion as previously. Wash the vase thoroughly with the solution and rinse with plenty of water. The quince branches are ready for arrangement in a vase when the buds show color. Add water at room temperature to the vase until half full. Add a packet of flower food to the water.
- 5
  Remove the quince stems from the bucket and place in the vase. Put the vase in the floral cooler.

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