That One Flower In A Bouquet That Dies Faster Than Others

one flower

Don't Ignore It

one Flower Dying Fasters Than Others

Can Ruin A Whole Bouquet

The beauty of a bouquet of flowers can bring a smile to anyone’s face, but imagine if one flower in the bouquet dies sooner than the others?  This is not an uncommon occurrence, and understanding why this happens can help you make sure all your bouquets last longer.

Reason #1 Why One Flower Dies Too Fast

When purchasing any bouquet of flowers, it’s important to carefully inspect each stem. It’s not uncommon for one flower in the bouquet to be weaker than the others, and if this happens, it’s likely that the flower won’t last as long. If you notice one flower in the bouquet that looks a bit wilted, it’s best to remove it so it doesn’t spread any bacteria to the other flowers.

That flower can also give off a gas that will kill the other flowers faster. That gas is called ethylene gas and it is a ripening hormone released by plants. It can be used in grocery stores to ripen fruit that is harvested early — and it also causes flowers to decay faster. I’ve discussed this in more detail on a blog post here, but the bottom line is when one flower starts giving off that gas, it will kill the other flowers faster too. 

This is why it’s important to remove that dying flower as quickly as possible (this is also called  “deadheading” and I’ve written about it before in a post here).

This flower was one from my monthly time lapse videos I record to show Flower Boosters in action. But, suddenly on day 15, one of the flowers started to show distress.

This was strange since the rest of the flowers looked great (and actually went on to live past 25 days). So, what what went wrong with this one flower? 

Having some flowers fail before others could be a variety of reasons. 

Reason #2 Why One Flower Dies Too Fast

If this was a mixed bouquet it could just be that some flowers don’t last as long as others. That’s part of the nature of different flowers.  But since these flowers were all the same variety, that’s couldn’t be my issue here.

Reason #3 Why One Flower Dies Too Fast

But it could also be that a retailer can try to maximize their inventory and combine some older flowers that still appeared strong with newer flowers. That helps extend their bottom line and get the most for their flower inventory investment. 

It’s not a great practice from the consumer’s standpoint, but realistically, it happens quite a bit. 

Reason #4 Why One Flower Dies Too Fast

But before you blame the retailer every time, having one flower fail before others can also be caused by one stem somehow getting air in the stem, which can cause the flower to die quicker. This is particularly common with roses, which have tight stems that can easily become blocked with air bubbles. 

To prevent this from happening, always make sure to re-cut the stems of any bouquet of flowers when you bring them home. This helps to remove any air bubbles that may have been present in the stem and will help the flowers last much longer. And get your flowers into water as quick as you can after you trim the ends.

Reason #5 Why One Flower Dies Too Fast

It’s also possible that one flower in the bouquet was infected with bacteria, which can cause the flower to die quicker than the others. While this is not the most common explanation, it is still a possibility.  If you have not been diligent about changing the water, this is a greater possibility. 

Whatever the cause, don’t ignore one dying flower. You should immediately remove the wilting flower to ensure it does not spread issues to the other flowers. That one flower will spread issues to the other flowers (whether that is because of bacteria or ethylene gas). 

What caused my issue here? I suspect one older flower got snuck into my bouquet. I’m usually pretty diligent about getting my flowers on the delivery day but this time I didn’t. But again, it could have been several reasons. The most important thing is I removed this wilting flower right away and it didn’t impact the life of the rest of the bouquet.

Sources:

https://www.ftd.com/blog/share/flower-care-tips

https://www.flowerbud.com/blog/how-long-do-flowers-last

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