| General
Cut Flower Care: Keep the water in the vase of your Sunflowers fresh. Replace the water every 3 days with cold
water keeping the water level near the top of the vase.
Re-cut
1/2" from the base of each Sunflower stem under water using a
sharp knife with each water change. Remove any foliage
that may become submerged after re-cutting.
Variety note: There are
over 70 varieties of Sunflowers but only a hand full
are used in the floral trade. Sunflowers are a incredibly popular cut flower that is
available year round. The most widely used Sunflowers include
natural yellow (pictured), tinted (pictured), green, Mini, and Teddy
Bear Sunflowers. Green Sunflowers look just like the yellow
Sunflowers pictured above, except they have a greenish center.
Regular large headed Sunflowers are sold in a 5 stem bunch, and
mini Sunflowers are sold in a 10 stem bunch. Regular Sunflower
bunches are usually 36" or longer. Mini Sunflowers measures
24" or more. Sunflower flower heads vary in size depending on
the time of year with the summer months producing the largest
flower heads.
All Sunflowers have yellow petals in nature,
the orange Sunflowers shown above are tinted. When selecting Sunflowers look for strong, straight stems and a
flower that looks at you. Good green foliage is also a sign of
a healthy stem and flower head. Sunflowers can drink a lot of water.
Be sure to use a vase that holds plenty of water and can support
the weight of the flowers. Sunflowers grown for the floral trade
are usually hybrids that have a much longer vase life than those
picked alongside the road.
Add a commercial floral preservative such as AquaPlus or
FloraLife to the vase that contains your Sunflowers with
each water change. Floral preservative helps to prevent bacterial
growth, aids in keeping vase water clear, and feeds your flowers
and foliages insuring a longer vase life.
To
make your own cut flower food mix 1/2 teaspoon of table sugar to a
quart of cold water... mixing thoroughly.
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