DIY Flower Food: 3 Easy Recipes to Make Your Flowers Last Longer

Ran out of the little flower food sachet? Brought in a beautiful bunch from the garden? Good news: you can make flower food at home with what's already in your pantry. As Brisbane florists since 1995, these are the simple mixes we share with friends who want their blooms to last longer.

Why flowers need more than plain water

Once a stem is cut, it can no longer feed itself. Good flower food does three jobs at once:

• Food: a little sugar gives the blooms energy to open and hold their colour.
• Acid: slightly acidic water travels up the stem more easily, so your flowers stay hydrated.
• Clean water: a tiny drop of bleach stops bacteria from growing and clogging the stems (that cloudy, smelly water is bacteria at work).

Plain water only does one of those jobs. Each recipe below covers all three, or as close as possible.

Before you start: a quick safety note

• Use plain, unscented household bleach only. No gels, thickened bleach or added fragrance.
• You only need a few drops. More is not better and can damage your flowers.
• Never mix bleach with vinegar (or any other cleaning product). Together they release a harmful gas. That's why our vinegar recipe below is bleach free.
• Mix in a clean jug, label anything you keep, and store it out of reach of children and pets.

Recipe 1: The Lemonade Mix (the easiest)

Makes 1 litre

• 1 cup (250ml) clear lemonade, not diet
• 3 cups (750ml) lukewarm water
• ¼ teaspoon plain household bleach

Stir the lemonade into the water, then add the bleach. Lemonade already contains sugar and citric acid, so it does two jobs in one. Diet lemonade won't work, because it's the sugar your flowers need.

Recipe 2: The Lemon Juice Mix

Makes 1 litre

• 1 litre lukewarm water
• 30ml lemon juice (fresh or bottled, strained so there's no pulp)
• 1 level tablespoon white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon plain household bleach

Dissolve the sugar and lemon juice in the water first, then add the bleach last. This is the closest home version to the sachet you get with a florist bouquet.

Recipe 3: The Bleach-Free Mix

Makes 1 litre

• 1 litre lukewarm water
• 1 level tablespoon white sugar
• 30ml white vinegar

Perfect if you'd rather not use bleach at home. Because there's nothing in this mix to stop bacteria, change the water every day and give the vase a good wash each time. Never add bleach to this recipe.

Our florist routine for longer-lasting flowers

1. Start with a squeaky clean vase. Wash it in hot soapy water and rinse well. Leftover bacteria from the last bunch is the number one reason new flowers fade early.
2. Recut the stems. Trim 2 to 3cm off each stem on a 45 degree angle with sharp scissors, ideally under water.
3. Strip the leaves. Remove any foliage that would sit below the water line.
4. Add your flower food. Fill the vase with your chosen mix.
5. Refresh every two days. Tip out the old water, rinse the vase, recut the stems and add a fresh batch. Do it sooner if the water turns cloudy.
6. Pick the right spot. Keep flowers away from direct sun, heaters, air conditioning vents and the fruit bowl (ripening fruit gives off a gas that ages flowers faster).

Flower food myths we hear all the time

• "Add an aspirin." There's little reliable evidence it makes a real difference. Stick to the recipes above.
• "Drop a coin in the vase." Modern coins don't release enough copper to do anything. Save your change.
• "More sugar means longer life." Too much sugar feeds bacteria, not flowers. A level tablespoon per litre is plenty.
• "Any lemonade will do." Diet and sugar-free versions have none of the sugar your flowers are looking for.

A few special cases

• Arrangements in floral foam: no mixing needed. Simply top up the water every day so the foam never dries out.
• Daffodils: they release a sap that shortens the life of other flowers. Stand them in their own water for a few hours before adding them to a mixed vase.
• Hydrangeas: recut the stem, then dip the freshly cut end into alum powder before placing it in your vase. You'll find alum in the spice aisle of most supermarkets. It's a favourite florist trick that helps these thirsty blooms keep drinking, so they're less likely to wilt.
• Got a sachet? If your bouquet came with flower food, use that first. Commercial flower food is still the gold standard, and these recipes are your best backup.

For bloom-by-bloom advice on roses, tulips, hydrangeas, peonies and more, visit our Flower Care guide.

Long-lasting flowers start with fresh flowers

The best flower food in the world can't fix tired stems. Every Perfect Petals bouquet is handmade fresh in our Cannon Hill shop, so you're starting with the freshest blooms possible. Browse our fresh flowers, treat yourself to an everyday bunch from our Little Joys range, or see what everyone's loving in our best sellers.

Found this handy? Save it for your next bunch, or share it with a friend who loves fresh flowers as much as we do.