Most Professionals Florists Will Send Out A Care Card And / Or A Sachet Of Flower Food Attached To Your Bouquet Of Flowers With Instructions On How You Can Help To Prolong The Life Of Your Flowers. But If You Have Received A Bouquet Of Flowers With No Flower Food,  Here Are Some Hacks You Can Use To Prolong The Life Of Your Flowers.

Fizzy drinks

Mix 1/3 of 7up or sprite to 2/3 water in your vase. The sugar in the drink provides nourishment and slightly raises the acidity of the water which allows the water to travel up the stem faster. Any Carbon drink will work but to keep your water clean and clear we recommend 7 Up or Sprite. Change the water every 3 days and add the same quantity of soda and water again. 

HairSpray 

For Flowers or Foliage that are inclined to shed like Wax Flower, Tree Fern, Sea spray. A quick spritz of hairspray to the underneath of the petals will stop any petals falling off and can help to make them look fresher for longer.

Apple Cider Vinegar

To help keep your water sterile and give your flowers a boost. Mix 2 tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons of sugar (this is if you have no Flower Food) this will help to add to your fresh flowers longevity. Change the water every 3 days and add more apple cider vinegar and sugar.

Vodka or Gin

Flowers hate bacteria. If you add a few drops of a clear spirit like Vodka or Gin to the flower water this will help stop the growth of bacteria. Add a spoonful of sugar and this will help feed the flowers. Change the water every 3 days and add the spirit and sugar fresh each time. 

Asprin and Salt

A pinch of salt encourages plant cells to drink more water, also the potassium helps feed the flowers. It has been proven if you add a crushed Aspirin to your flower water, The salicylic acid in the aspirin helps to stop bacteria growing. Dispirins / Panadol etc for some reason do not work. (Again, this is if you have no flower food) Change the water every 3 days and add another crushed Aspirin

Domestos Bleach

Flowers love sterile conditions. If you add a half teaspoon of Domestos Bleach to 2 litres of fresh cold water along with 1 teaspoon of sugar. This will help to stop your water going cloudy, inhibit bacteria growing, and your glass vase will stay sparkling clean as well. Change the water every 3 days and add more bleach and sugar.

Copper coins

In Ireland in the past some of  our small change use to be copper. But since the introduction of the Euro coins we no longer have copper coins. The Acid in the copper acidified the water which in turn helped stop bacteria growing. With this tip you had to be certain that your copper coins were spotlessly clean otherwise you were polluting the water by adding dirty coins. And if you added the spoonful of sugar you could help to nourish the flowers. Change the water every 3 days and add clean copper coins and sugar.

 Sugar and Vinegar

Sugar on its own will nourish flowers but sometimes it can also encourage bacteria to grow. So, to counteract this they recommend adding some white vinegar to inhibit the bacterial growth. Add 3 Tablespoons of Sugar and 2 Tablespoons of White vinegar to room temperature water. This is to let the sugar dissolve. Chill the water before adding fresh flowers Change the water every 3 days and add more sugar and vinegar.