Freshly cut lilies often arrive with tightly closed buds. When preparing for an event, you can use specific horticultural techniques and environmental adjustments to accelerate the blooming process. The goal is to maximize the flower’s ability to hydrate and boost its metabolic rate, coaxing the tight buds into a rapid, full display.
Essential Initial Steps for Cut Lilies
The first steps in preparing lilies for accelerated opening involve ensuring they can efficiently draw up water. Upon receiving your bouquet, immediately use sharp, clean shears or a knife to recut the stems. Make a fresh, approximately one-inch cut at a 45-degree angle to maximize the surface area for water absorption. This angled cut also prevents the stem end from resting flush against the bottom of the vase.
Next, remove any leaves that would sit below the waterline. Submerged foliage will quickly begin to decompose, introducing bacteria into the water that can clog the stem’s vascular system. Ensure your vase is thoroughly washed before filling it with fresh water and a commercial floral preservative. The preservative provides necessary nutrients and contains an anti-microbial agent to keep the water clean.
Environmental Factors That Speed Blooming
Once the stems are prepared, the environment surrounding the lilies becomes the primary tool for forcing the buds open. The most immediate accelerator is the temperature of the water and the surrounding air. Place the prepared stems into lukewarm water, which is around body temperature or slightly warmer, but not hot. Warm water molecules move more quickly, allowing the flower to absorb it faster than cold water.
This quick absorption jumpstarts the flower’s metabolism, encouraging the cellular expansion necessary for the petals to unfurl. The vase should then be placed in a relatively warm location that receives bright, indirect light. A room temperature of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for rapid opening, as warm temperatures quicken the biological processes within the plant.
Forcing the blooms open relies on this combination of warmth and light, which mimics the conditions of rapid spring growth. Avoid placing the lilies in direct sunlight or near sources of intense heat, such as a radiator or a fireplace. Extreme heat can cause the buds to open too quickly and then immediately dehydrate or burn the delicate petals, shortening the flower’s overall lifespan.
Extending the Freshness of Opened Flowers
After successfully forcing the lily buds to open, you must adjust the care routine to maximize the display period. The conditions that accelerate opening are not ideal for long-term freshness, as high temperatures deplete the flower’s energy reserves more quickly. Immediately move the opened arrangement to a cooler location, ideally between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, away from drafts or ripening fruit.
Maintaining clean water is the single most effective action for longevity once the flowers have opened. Change the water in the vase completely every one to two days, using fresh water mixed with a new dose of floral food. At the same time, give the stem ends a small, fresh angled cut to prevent the re-sealing of the vascular tissue. As individual blooms on the stem open, gently remove the pollen-bearing anthers before they shed their dust. This removal prevents the pollen from staining the petals and significantly extends the visual appeal of the bloom.