What is in Cut Flower Food???

[TOM KAN PA]

Every now and then the better half will put me in the dog house. Not because I did anything wrong, she'll invent something with the hope that I shower her with cut flowers from the florist. Now everytime I get the flowers, a small pack* of Floralife is included. Mix it with a pint of warm water, and the cut flowers will last forever. What is this powder? What are the ingedients? They're not listed on the pack and it can't be of any danger. No first aid directions, just the usual warning about keeping away from children.

• I remember many, many years ago I used to buy a product that came in a similar size pack. The contents of it were to be used if you were lucky enough to make a woman happy.

[Cereus-longispinus]

Its sugar and chlorine bleach.

[Kay Lancaster]

Used to be alum and sucrose, I was told... not sure if it still is.

50-50 carbonated lemon-lime sodapop with sugar (not diet) and water does about the same thing. Add a drop of bleach if your tap water isn't chlorinated.

Kay

[dps]

It probably contains (1) sugar to feed the plant, (2) something to acidify the water to make it more compatible with the ambient plant juices and (3) some sort of sterilization agent to kill bacteria which could otherwise multiply and block the passages that carry water to the plant.

See

site includes a receipe for making your own cut flower preservative with common household materials (or at least stuff readily available in your local grocery store [e.g. non-diet Sprite or 7-up {containing both sugar and citric acid

[Sterling]

[FACE]

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 23:27:35 -0400, Sterling in rec.gardens wrote:

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