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If you follow me on Instagram , then you know I love flowers. I share them all the time because they are such a great mood booster.
Readers always ask how do I keep them pretty for so long?
Today I want to share the BEST homemade fresh cut flower food PLUS chemist secrets∇ on why this actually works so well.
Not to mention, if you subscribe to our newsletter, the next one is going to share even more crazy science tips for the perfect fresh cut flowers that last a REALLY long time.
Two years ago we shared a post on chemist tips for keeping your flowers for a long time.
Readers loved it, but we have even more amazing tips. Since then, I have been working on better ways to keep your flowers plus testing out why certain methods work better than others.
Homemade Fresh Cut Flower Food
Before we start on ingredients, check out this post on how to make a flower arrangement from Porch! It has some helpful ideas to creating a beautiful arrangement.
So, what can you feed flowers to keep them fresh?? This recipe!
Cut Flower Food Ingredients:
- ½ tsp bleach powder (This is a good one to use, use 1 tablet)
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon lemon powder
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 quart warm tap water
Directions:
- Add 1 quart of warm water to your vase. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes before adding in the ingredients (this minimizes air bubbles). Add in the bleach powder, lemon juice, lemon powder, and sugar. Give it a stir.
- Cut your flowers at a diagonal. If you are picking them from your garden, cut them at a diagonal from the stem. Read these tips for the best time to pick them.
- Add your flowers to the vase. Store in the refrigerator at night.
- Change out water once a week, re-trim the ends slightly when you change the water.
If you have indoor houseplants, check out these chemist tips on shining the leaves!
Chemist Tips on Why this DIY Fresh Cut Flower Food Works.
The little packets that come with fresh flowers work great. There are three main ingredients in these packets: citric acid, sucrose (sugar), sodium hypochlorite (bleach).
Citric Acid (lemon juice) For Preserving Flowers
Almost all flowers respond to citric acid, which is the acid found in citrus fruits like lemon, orange, and grapefruit. Lemon is a great choice for fresh cut flowers because it doesn’t have as much sugar as the other citrus fruits and has a higher acidity.
Lower pH levels are important to keep flowers perky and bright, and also promotes better water intake through the stems. I have had many readers ask if they can use powdered citric acid. You can if it is all you have, but it doesn’t mix as well. You also need to be super careful about mixing acid with bleach, so I really prefer using the natural lemon juice. If anything, it would be safer to just eliminate the lemon if you don’t have it.
Lemon Powder
My homemade lemon powder packs an additional punch of potassium and acid which really brightens blooms. Those store-bought packets don’t contain this, this is a Chemistry Cachet original addition. I love the results using it. Again, if you don’t have this one hand or don’t have lemons, eliminate it.
Sucrose (sugar)
Sugar is another main component to this little flower food packets at the store. Sugar feeds flower blooms in a vase and keeps the color bright. Since fresh cut flowers don’t have anywhere to get nutrients, sugar water provide the food it needs.
Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach)
The main component in bleach. This is the number one anti-microbial you can buy for household use. When you add sugar to water, mold and bacteria will grow. Bleach kills off any sources of bacteria or mold instantly. This is a very important addition to homemade plant food. Without it, your flowers can develop bacteria or fungi that will wilt the bloom very fast. The Clorox crystals I used in this post are no longer sold, so you can try this one.
Is there a possible flower food without bleach?
There really isn’t another home substitute for it. I have tried many things including baking soda, but that will just dilute the acid. It is also not very potent in water like that, so it doesn’t do a good job of fighting bacteria. Some websites mention using vinegar, but I have never had success with using it in place of bleach. Vinegar is an acid, like the lemon juice, so it works the same.
I prefer to use powdered bleach. It is safer, lasts a long time, and seems to work even better. (see FAQs below)
You can use any cheap version you find. All bleach has the same active ingredients.
FAQs for making homemade flower food
Please read through these tips carefully!
What is the benefit of making homemade fresh cut flower food?
This is a good questions because those packets are so CHEAP and typically free. There are a few benefits. One is you have an endless supply on hand. Another reasons is you can treat larger amounts of fresh flowers. This will do one quart, but you can double it for a gallon vase with a bunch of flowers. If you have an event or something going on, this is helpful.
In addition to store-bought flowers, you can go pick flowers from the garden, and have a great option on hand to preserve them for much longer.
Not to mention, this works better 🙂
Does it have to be powdered bleach?
If you have regular bleach on hand, feel free to use this too. It will work the same, I just prefer using powdered bleach because it is much safer! I also noticed the powdered version kept things mold-free for longer. Since you change the water out every week, this isn’t a big issue. So, use what you have on hand!
Do I have to use lemon powder?
No, you can add another teaspoon of lemon juice, BUT lemon powder does have the added potassium which makes flower blooms healthier and more vivid. It definitely helps using the lemon powder, but you can eliminate it for a basic fresh cut flower food if desired.
Enjoy your fresh cut flowers this summer! And keep an eye out for June’s newsletter with more intricate fresh flower tips!
Isn’t is dangerous to add bleach to an acid?
Yes it is! This is why I recommend using powdered bleach. Also, this is a very small concentration of bleach, and it is added directly into water. I have never had issues with anything causing fumes, but please use caution as with making any DIY solution.
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Alexis is an investigative chemist sharing her expertise in cleaning, skincare, gardening, and home hacks. She personally tests out products like the best skincare products or home products then shares not only the science behind how it works, but also her personal results. She is the mom of two living in Texas with her husband. Find her on Instagram for fantastic videos, tips, and behind the scenes.
Thanks so much for sharing! Definitely sounds worth it if you want to make your flowers last longer, and isn’t that usually the goal?
Absolutely! I love keeping them as long as possible 🙂
This is soooo cool! I am making this today!
Thank you hope you enjoy it!
I found this to be interesting as I did not know this
It’s such a fun DIY!
This is a great recipe for extending the life of flowers. Good to know you can use regular bleach too. I love the simplicity of the ingredients and have always wondered how to extend their life other than the packets you get from the florist.
This is such a great option for flowers especially when you cut them from our own garden! I love keeping them for weeks!
Oh how I love fresh flowers, but I’m terrible at keeping them alive. I should have known lemon juice would help <3
Green Fashionista
Lemon juice is such a great option!!
I have cut flowers most of the time and I always wonder what I can add after the store bought packet water needs to be replaced. This is brilliant!
I really love doing this for fresh flowers, makes such a difference!! Thanks girl!
Another great tip from “my” chemist! Love that you break down and explain the function of each component. Can this be used to preserve/extend life of my Christmas tree (in 6 months), or can do you have another solution ?
That’s a great question! I honestly don’t know how it would work for a Christmas tree, but I believe it would respond well in a larger quantity. I will look that up further for you!
Hi! I am planning on making the flower arrangements for my wedding. I am going to buy them from Trader Joe’s on Thursday night and make everything Friday morning for a weddign ceremony 10am the next day.
I was going to cut the flowers and take any extra leaves off before leaving them in water overnight. Do you think this would be a good flower food to put them in for overnight (both on Thurs and Fri)? And if I am only using greenery for the guy’s bout. will they be ok out of the water from me making them on Friday through the next morning?
Thank you for any help/tips you can offer! I am a little nervous about doing these myself!
Keeping them refrigerated is going to be very important. This good helps prevent mold or bacteria growth, but I would definitely use what they have with their flowers. I’m not a floral expert, so I’m not sure about the greenery. I would check with one of their floral people to be sure (if they have one). I do know keeping them cold will be very important over mold preventation in that time frame
I would like to make my own floral solution but Isn’t it dangerous to mix bleach with an acid like lemon juice…toxic chlorine gas released?… and yet it seems to be what is used
Hi Patricia! Chlorine gas is typically a concern when mixing chlorine bleach with ammonia. In small doses like this solution, it isn’t a concern. This solution mimics the store-bought packets you will find which contain bleach and citric acid. If working with liquid chlorine bleach in large concentrations and adding in a large amount of acidic solution, the fumes would be dangerous.
The link to the bleach powder isn’t available anymore. Is it bleach powder used for bleaching hair? What concentration would it be?
Also, if using the DIY lemon powder for zest, wouldn’t it be a bit bitter from the pith?
I updated the link for the bleach powder. THey don’t seem to sell the Clorox brand bleach crystals anymore, so I updated it to a tablet form you can use. It is not the same kind as for hair. For the lemon powder, there is a little of the pith that gets in there when you make it, but for the most part, you just want the peel. It is just an extra addition, but works without it too 🙂
Will hydrogen peroxide work in place of bleach?
No, it won’t work the same for this recipe. You are welcome to add in a few teaspoons of peroxide. It is just not as potent for mold
Could this be made in a large batch and stored for future use? I’d love to mix some up & just scoop it out when it need it. Thanks!
You could have the mix of dry ingredients ready to go, but the lemon juice is best when added to the solution fresh. It would dilute if it was mixed together too far ahead of time
I have powdered bleach, sugar and citric acid that I’d like to use and skip the lemon juice and powder. Do you have a recipe that would work for me? I want the convenience of having a powder in bulk to keep with my vases.
You can follow this recipe and use 1 tbsp of citric acid in the place of the lemon juice and powder. Citric acid is very concentrated, so 1 tbsp will be good 🙂