The Secret to Long Zinnia Vase-life

Zinnias live for the sizzle of Summer

Ah, Zinnias, the darlings of the high summer cutting garden. Their sturdy stems crank out one radiant bloom after another, like a bottomless cookie jar of beauty.

But they do have a bit of an Achilles Heel.

Sink a Zinnia stem in your vase and almost immediately, the water becomes cloudy.

Call me OCD, but I cannot stand the look of cloudy water in a vase. But this is more than just an aesthetic problem.

That cloud will clog your stems and lead to wilted blooms.

Why oh why does this fate befall Zinnias while not afflicting most other cut flowers?

Zinnia stems are covered in 'hairs' which help to protect the plant from hungry bugs. But those hairs create a velcro-like environment for dirt and bacteria to cling to. And cling they do!

So the dirt and bacteria cloud up vase water and clog up the stems...but these can be counteracted if you know THE CURE.

It's cheap, it's common, and it only takes one drop: Bleach!

I have found a drop of bleach to be far superior for extending Zinnia vase life than any flower food. In fact, I've found flower food ages my Zinnias faster.

Here's how I process Zinnias for max vase life:

1. I add a drop of bleach to their water. (this kills any bacteria)

2. I remove all foliage that will sit below the water line. (this prevents further bacteria production)

3. I cut the stems at an angle. (this maximizes their water uptake)

And then - because I have flower OCD - I add a few additional steps.

4. Once the flowers are snipped and arranged, I wrap my hand around the whole arrangement and pull it out of the jar.

5. I rinse the lower portion of the stems under running water briefly.

6. I put them in a clean jar with clean water and - of course - that magical drop of bleach.

   
   

In all honesty, I rarely ever have to change the water when I follow my OCD level steps. I definitely add water as needed (the flowers are drinking it up, after all), but I don't find the need to start fresh or wash the vase for a week+.

Below is a little vase life experiment I ran. The video shows the Zinnias and water after 1 week.

Put a drop of bleach in a vase with Zinnias and they'll thank you for weeks.

After that, I decided the experiment was over and threw more Zinnias in and added water. This is the same vase a week later. Can you tell which blooms are TWO weeks old?

Give it a try, flower friend!

Zinnias looking FAB for their age