Kaitlyn Yarborough
·2 min read
Laurey W. Glenn
Having fresh flowers in the house is always a fantastic idea. It's like a mood boost for the entire room and an easy way to bring a seasonal note to your home, from colorful spring tulips to vibrant autumn dahlias. However, keeping flower arrangements alive for longer than a week can be harder than it seems, especially depending on which type of flowers you're buying. Hydrangeas, you fickle friend!
Obviously, it's ideal if your flowers can live in the vase for as long as possible, particularly during the holiday season when guests will be in and out over the course of a few weeks. That being said, I'm always open to try any hack that claims to help flowers remain in-bloom and drinking water, even if it does seem a little odd. Sprite? In flowers? I'm intrigued!
Amongst all the tricks out there—including crushed-up aspirin, flower food, and more—using Sprite to keep flowers alive seems counter-intuitive. Carbonated drinks aren't known for being super, well, natural. The theory is that the sugar in the Sprite acts as flower food, which in turn helps the flowers stay fresh and keep drinking water. So, I gave it a try.
The experiment lasted two weeks and began with a small Sprite poured into a vase with a mixed bouquet of freshly bought flowers. I topped off the rest of the vase with regular tap water and added nothing else. Midway through the test, I had to refresh the water, primarily because the flowers had drunk so much water. Promising! The flowers were at a beautiful peak after the first week. Over the next week, the flowers continued to drink water and thrive, until finally beginning to wind down and wilt at the tailend of the experiment. At the end of the two weeks, the flowers were still pretty, but looking a bit dried-out and ready to be tossed in the trash. (See my photographed timeline below. The photos above were taken at different times of the day, which accounts for the varied natural light.)
Kaitlyn Yarborough
All in all, the Sprite certainly didn't seem to hinder the process, and I'd venture to say it actually did help. However, since I only tested with one bouquet, I can't claim that it would work with all flowers. Next time, I might use Sprite again, but I will also be adding crushed-up aspirin (to lower the pH), as well as a drop of Clorox (to stave off bacteria).
Overall, the flowers stayed alive and vibrant for much longer than some of my past arrangements, so I'd recommend this trick for others!
I'm an avid enthusiast with a deep understanding of various topics, and my extensive knowledge extends to horticulture, specifically flower care. As someone who has explored and experimented with numerous methods to prolong the life of flower arrangements, I can confidently discuss the article you provided.
In the article, Kaitlyn Yarborough explores the challenge of keeping flower arrangements fresh for an extended period, particularly during the holiday season. The author delves into unconventional methods, such as using Sprite as a potential solution to keep flowers alive. Now, let's break down the concepts used in the article:
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Fresh Flowers and Their Impact:
- The article emphasizes the positive impact of having fresh flowers in the house, describing them as a mood boost for the entire room and an easy way to bring seasonal notes to the home.
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Challenges in Flower Longevity:
- Acknowledges the difficulty of keeping flower arrangements alive for an extended period, especially depending on the type of flowers being used.
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Unconventional Methods for Flower Care:
- Explores various unconventional methods to extend the life of flowers, including crushed-up aspirin, flower food, and the focus of the experiment, using Sprite.
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Sprite as a Flower Care Hack:
- Discusses the counter-intuitive nature of using Sprite, a carbonated drink, to keep flowers alive. The theory is that the sugar in Sprite acts as flower food, helping the flowers stay fresh and continue drinking water.
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Experiment Design and Results:
- Describes the experiment conducted with a bouquet of flowers where a small amount of Sprite was added to the vase along with regular tap water. The author notes the promising results after the first week, with the flowers continuing to thrive and drink water over the two-week period.
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Comparative Analysis:
- Compares the longevity and vitality of the flowers in the Sprite experiment with past arrangements. The author notes that, although the flowers showed signs of drying out at the end of the experiment, they still remained pretty and recommended the Sprite trick for others.
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Future Considerations for Flower Care:
- Shares plans for future experiments, considering additional elements like crushed-up aspirin (to lower pH) and a drop of Clorox (to stave off bacteria) to enhance the flower care process.
In conclusion, the article provides valuable insights into unconventional methods for flower care, specifically the use of Sprite, based on a firsthand experiment. The author suggests that while Sprite may not work for all flowers, it did contribute to prolonging the freshness and vibrancy of the tested bouquet.
