Do you want to make your freshly cut hydrangeas last longer? Well, there's a trick you can try with hot water and a hammer
Beautiful and colorful, hydrangeas are flowers that look stunning in a vase. It is not surprising, then, to see hydrangeas used in bouquets and floral arrangements put together by florists. But how do florists stop hydrangeas from quickly wilting? Well, there are a few "tricks" that can be used and one even involves using a hammer and hot water!
The "hammer trick" to revive wilting hydrangeas
Video tutorial via @johnmarkenterprises/Instagram
Let's check out the "hammer trick" first:
The hammer used is made of wood and is not very heavy (more like a mallet than a hammer, in fact). And the technique can appear to be somewhat "brutal". As shown by @johnmarkenterprises in his social media content, you also need very hot (but not boiling) water for this technique.
When you notice that your cut hydrangeas have begun to wilt, do the following:
- Fill their vase to the 3/4 mark with hot water;
- Now, using the hammer, crush the ends of the stems of each hydrangea (but don't turn the stem into mush);
- Put the crushed hydrangeas into the vase: as the @johnmarkenterprises video shows, after a while (he doesn't say how long) the flowers revive themselves, looking like they've just been cut.
Other ways to revive hydrangeas
Pickpik
Before the above "hammer trick" became popular, reviving hydrangeas was done by simply by making oblique cuts in their stems. You are, of course, free to experiment and determine for yourself which method works best for you.
In terms of the hot water used, you can also try the following: immerse the stems as is, into hot water (around 40°C), leaving them in the water until it cools . Only then, cut off the tips of the stems (at an angle) and put the hydrangeas back in regular water. Why use hot water? Well, hot water will be absorbed more quickly by the flowers.
Additionally, you can always add a pinch of sugar to the water, which will provide carbohydrates to the flowers, "fooling" them into thinking they are still alive!
Have you tried any of these methods?
