Fancy colors of autumn. Red, fiery yellow, red, slightly gray ... Flowers, leaves, grasses seem to resist the whiff of cold and evil winds. Stop, moment! A bouquet of carved maple leaves, succulent ears, red roses, a red sunflower - everything can be preserved so that these gifts of nature please us in the winter. Even a bunch of violets! How to keep cut flowers for longer than a few days? There are several ways.
The Dutch have succeeded in this business. They not only learned how to preserve the "harvest" of beautiful flowers, but also to transport bright colors of summer and autumn all over the world. And this, of course, is not the old-fashioned ways of attic drying grass. A whole laboratory of scientists works here. Botanists peered into the "atoms and molecules" of the flower, reflecting on how to extract water from them - the basis of life, but to preserve the beauty and brightness of the primordial. And it succeeded! Even the most fragile and delicate flower complied to them - the poppy. Today the Dutch dry flowers in tons. Complex equipment, sensors, thermostats, preservatives, dyes ...
We will try to keep flowers longer simply and not very costly. This requires two qualities: love of the flower and a little patience. The rest can be bought. Flowers, ears and leaves are preserved in three ways.
FIRST METHOD - DRYING ON AIR
You can dry most of the flowers, except for those with the finest and most delicate petals of the inflorescences. Peony, for example. Or the daffodil. But the rose, hydrangea, cornflowers are dried in the air perfectly. Not to mention the ears of cereals.
Flowers and ears for drying need to be collected in dry weather in the middle of the day, when the dew on them completely dries. This is very important, as the rule is here: "less water - longer preservation". Stems leave a long. If you want to dry the plants with inflorescences, then it is best to hang the small bunches head down. Beams should not be tightly bound to circulate air around the stems.
But there are plants (gypsophila, hydrangea, lunnik, immortelle), which dry up well and in a standing position. In the vase you need to pour only a little water. When the plants drink it, do not refill. You can expand them horizontally, but the inflorescence should not be squished. Properly dried plants remain strong and fragile. But do not allow excessive drying, otherwise the plant will simply crumble. So, do not put the cut flowers on a sunny window sill or next to a hot battery.
If heavy ears are dried, then spikelets can be sprinkled with hairspray, then the seed boxes do not crack. Flexibility and flabbiness of the stems indicate excessive humidity of the room. Dry plants should be in a dark, dry, ventilated room. Herbs and flowers under such conditions dry up in about a week.
METHOD OF THE SECOND - GLYCERINE
This method is suitable for dense leaves (maple, oak, laurel), flowers with dense foliage (Irish bell). The property of glycerin is that it does not dry, but impregnates the plant, displacing water. The leaves become glossy and flexible, as if covered with a soft, soft lacquer. Shine gives them elegance. But the conservation of plants (even small branches) in glycerin - the process is quite long. It takes 2-3 weeks depending on the type of plant. Think carefully before you take it.
So, in order to preserve the luxurious, for example, maple leaves or twigs of elm, you need to buy in the pharmacy glycerin. Stem trim at an angle and to better absorb glycerin, stretch the tip. Pour a mixture of glycerin and hot water into a glass or other container (proportion 1: 2). Stir well. "Bouquet" put in a warm solution so that the foliage or stem plunged to 5-8 centimeters. Put it in a dark and cool place (for example, in the locker on the balcony) and add the solution as necessary. If the leaves are curled and withered, it means that something you did wrong (most likely, put them wet). Do not allow fogging of leaves, wipe them with a cloth. The leaves will be ready when they are soaked and glossy. Now they can be safely included in floral compositions.
THIRD METHOD - DRYING SAND OR SILICON POWDER
Silica powder (silica gel) was invented quite recently. And before that, the flowers were dried with sand. They took the box and poured it on the bottom of hot sand, the flowers were carefully laid out on it (head down or up - it depends on the shape of the flower) and poured very fine sand (too hot) through a funnel or a large sieve. It was about the same as with the mummies in Egypt. They naturally dried up - hot sand perfectly draws water.
But when silica gel replaced silica (sold in crystalline form), it became much easier. Although the technology has not changed much. Thanks to this "sand" you can dry the most delicate flowers: freesia, peonies, buttercups, daffodils. Dry only the inflorescence, leaving them a very short leg - 2-3 cm (the dried flowers are then inserted in the wire and used in the compositions).
If you bought a fairly large powder, then you need to grind it (in a coffee grinder or in a canvas bag with a rolling pin). Then take a box (for example, a tin from under the cookies), pour silica powder onto the bottom and carefully put the flowers (chamomile, daisies - head down, roses - up). With a tablespoon or a strainer (colander), pour in the powder without damaging the petals. If there is still a gel and allows the height of the box, you can lay out 2-3 layers of colors. Close tightly by wrapping the cover with extra electrical tape. Check the flowers you need every day, gently digging. The finished flower is like a paper one - strong enough, but not brittle. Do not overdo!
Since saving cut flowers for more than a month is a time consuming process - many people think that you should not even try to do something like that. But it's not so difficult. Just need to approach the issue carefully and with feeling, wanting to get a real result. And he will not disappoint you.