Fresh cut flowers sure do liven up a home, but it’s such a bummer when they fade so quickly. But don’t worry, there are some clever tricks you can use to make your flowers last way longer. One great hack is to treat the stems of woody-stemmed plants like hydrangeas or roses with a little alum powder. This easy flower food alternative is super simple and you don’t need any fancy tools or supplies. Just dip the cut end of each flower into some alum powder (also known as aluminum potassium sulfate) before putting them in a vase. You can find alum powder online or at the grocery store – a little goes a long way so one bag will last you awhile. Plus, make sure you have sharp scissors to cleanly cut those stems, and a vase full of water. There are two main types of flowers – herbaceous and woody-stemmed. While this alum powder trick works for all flowers, it’s especially useful for those woody-stemmed ones. These are the plants with the thick, hard stems that struggle to take up water, like lilacs, magnolias, or roses that grow on shrubs.
Svyatoslav Balan/Shutterstock
How to use alum powder for fresh blooms
Chaikom/Shutterstock
Using alum powder is a great way to keep hydrangeas, roses, and other woody-stemmed plants looking fresh for weeks. But there are a few steps to do it right. First, when you get your cut flowers, it’s best to recut the stems yourself before putting them in water. Just grab some sharp scissors and cut at a 45-degree angle – this exposes more of the stem to the water, letting the flower drink it up.
Once your stems are prepped, pour a little alum powder into a small dish and dip the freshly cut end into it. Then pop the flower in your vase filled with water, and you’re all set! The alum powder works its magic by lowering the pH of the water, which helps the flower better absorb the moisture and stay perky.
You can do this alum powder dip just once when you first arrange the flowers, and then just refill the vase with water when it gets low. Or, for extra longevity, you can recut the stems and redip them in alum powder every 4 days or so.
