Methods For Opening Cut Sunflowers?

To open gorgeous sunflowers when they aren’t yet open, fill a vase with clean, room temperature water and add a teaspoon of sugar to help the sunflower absorb water and stay hydrated. Remove most of the leaves from the stem and pick them up early in the morning to ensure they remain perky and open longer. Angle your cutting to avoid wilting the delicate leaves and stems of sunflowers.

Trim the stems of your flowers on a 45-degree angle and fill one vase with warm water and the presentable vase with cold water. If you plan to cut sunflowers for indoor arrangements, keep them in a warm place and away from drafts. Cut them in the morning when temperatures are warmer and the flowers are less. Plant seeds no more than 1 inch deep and 6 inches apart, sowing multiple seeds in each spot to see which seed grows strongest.

For optimum vase life, cut sunflowers when they are almost open, with ray petals perpendicular to the flower disk. Plan a day ahead and water your sunflowers the day if the ground is dry. For bouquet arrangements, start by selecting sunflowers with bright yellow petals from your cutting garden and cut them early in the morning. Place them in warm water and sunlight if possible, and cut them vertically (about 5 to 7cm of the stem). Boil water on the stove and dip the fresh cut stems into boiling water for about 5 seconds a piece. Cut the stem at an angle at the bottom, approximately two centimeters, to expand the cut surface and allow water and oxygen to enter.

If sunflowers begin to droop early, cut their stems short and place them in warm water to give them an added boost. Mix one teaspoon of sugar with lemon juice or vinegar to delay the cut. Finally, cut off the bottom inch of each sunflower stem at an angle before transferring it to the vase.