You might buy a flower basket to
give someone for a special occasion.
Some people may opt for a paper bag with a bottle of good liquor. But very few people would think about
combining the two, and sending them to a lover, or bringing them to a funeral,
disguised as sympathy baskets. However,
research has shown that a little bit of alcohol might actually be a good thing
for some flowers.
The question is this:
who thinks of mixing alcohol in the water-sun-fertilizer diet of their
potted plants? Whether the idea stemmed
from a hilarious accident at a block party, or came out of the imagination of a
scientist at a fancy dinner, the results remain, and prove that this unlikely
combination of items may prove to be an excellent idea.
Avoiding the Flop
Some flowers are so good at growing that they actually
overextend themselves, becoming so tall that the stems can no longer support
the blossoms. This is true especially
for a flower type called Paperwhites.
Used often in flower arrangements, gardens, and other arrangements,
Paperwhites are notorious for becoming top-heavy, resulting in an unattractive
“flop at the top.” To avoid this
problem, many green thumbed citizens have tried staking these blossoms in an
effort to keep them standing tall.
However, it seems that a diluted solution of alcohol will actually help
prevent the flower from tipping over.
The Recipe
The trick to making this work, it seems, is to use the right
mixture of water and alcohol, and avoid certain types of booze. For example, beer and wine seem to only do
the flower harm, due to the heavy amount of sugars that are found within
them. However, other types of liquors
might actually be helpful in preventing flower-flopping, control stem growth,
and stunt overgrowth of leaves. Research
showed significant effects with ethanol and other kinds of alcohol at dilutions
from 1 to 25 percent. While using a
solution of greater than 10 percent alcohol proved to be more toxic than
anything else, a lower solution seemed to generate desired effects.
What To Expect
When liquor is ‘properly used’ in a solution for plants such
as paperwhites and other daffodils, some of the results that occur may be
beneficial in many ways. While the
flowers that were produced remained large, long-lasting, and as fragrant as
ever, the length of their stems was stunted from 30 to 50%.
Disclosure:
Article courtesy of Pro Flowers
