s
Secure Checkout
Call Us 1300 555 624

Why should you consider professionally made flower food over homemade flower food?

z
Apply
Reset
Why should you consider professionally made flower food over homemade flower food?

Why should you consider professionally made flower food over homemade flower food?

When it comes to caring for fresh-cut flowers, there's one key element that often gets overlooked: Flower Food. You might wonder, "Why not just stick with plain water?" or even consider making your own DIY flower food at home. While both of these options may seem convenient or cost-effective, there's a compelling case for choosing professionally made flower food over homemade alternatives.

Imagine you’ve just received a stunning bouquet or arranged your own floral masterpiece. The vibrant colours, delicate petals, and fragrant blossoms brighten up your space, but without proper care, that beauty can fade all too quickly. Flower food is specially formulated to nourish your flowers, ensuring they stay hydrated, open fully, and resist the inevitable growth of bacteria that occurs in standing water.

But what exactly does flower food do, and why should you consider using a professionally made product rather than a homemade concoction? In this blog, we'll dive into the science behind flower food, explore its specific benefits, and explain why opting for a professionally made product can be the best choice for keeping your floral arrangements looking their best for as long as possible.

SHOP FLOWER FOOD RANGE >


Key benefits of flower food for fresh-cut flowers:

  1. Hydration: Flower food contains sugars that act as a food source, enabling flowers to continue drawing up water through their stems. This helps maintain freshness and turgidity (the rigidity due to water pressure within cells).
     
  2. Acidification: It often includes citric acid or other acids that lower the water's pH, inhibiting bacterial growth and promoting water uptake by the flowers.
     
  3. Nutrient Supply: Flower food provides nutrients like potassium and phosphorus, essential for various physiological processes, maintaining cell structure, supporting metabolic functions, and promoting blooming.
     
  4. Biocides: Some flower foods contain biocides or antimicrobial agents that prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi in the vase water, keeping the water clean and the flowers healthy.

Professional flower food typically includes a carefully balanced mix of sugars, acids, nutrients, and antimicrobial agents, optimised for the best results.

While it's possible to make your own flower food, professionally made flower food offers numerous advantages:

  1. Balanced Formulation: Expertly formulated to provide the right balance of nutrients, sugars, and acids, which can be challenging to achieve with homemade recipes.
     
  2. Consistency: Standardised commercial flower foods ensure consistency, while homemade mixtures can vary in effectiveness from batch to batch.
     
  3. Longevity: Professionally made flower foods have been tested for their effectiveness, whereas homemade mixtures may not have the same level of proven efficacy.
     
  4. Convenience: Easy to use, commercial flower foods save you from the trial and error of finding the right proportions in homemade mixtures.
 

If you still wish to make your own flower food, our quick-tip recipe can be found HERE.

Keep in mind that achieving the right balance of these ingredients can be tricky, and homemade solutions may not be as reliable as professionally made flower foods. Using professionally made flower food generally yields the best results in maintaining the freshness and longevity of your cut flowers.

f p t e