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Science Experiments & Fresh Cut Flowers

Freshly cut flowers can be used to help demonstrate how flowers draw up water and other nutrients to survive. A science student can show the effects of water and other nutrients on flowers through several different types of science experiments. These experiments can be the basis for a science fair project, or they can be conducted in the classroom or at home to supplement a lesson plan.

Colored Flowers
- Cut flowers draw water up through their stems just as uncut flowers do when they are rooted in the ground. This can be demonstrated in a simple experiment using white carnations. Fill three containers with water. Place 20 to 30 drops of food coloring in each container, making the water in each container a different color. Cut the bottoms off the stems of three white carnations. Place one carnation in each container. Monitor the flowers over a period of a few days for color changes. The coloring will show you how water travels through the flower.
Plant Food Vs. Additives
- Sometimes when you get a bouquet of flowers from a flower shop, the shop includes a packet of flower food. Use this packet and other additives to conduct an experiment on how these things affect the life of your flowers. Separate the bouquet into four different vases of water. Add nothing to the water in the first vase. Add the packet of flower food to the second vase. Add some sugar in the third vase and two aspirin tablets in the fourth. Watch each vase to monitor when the flowers begin to wilt and die. Record the length of time the flowers in each vase stayed fresh.
Water Temperature
- Water temperature may have an effect on how long flowers stay fresh. Experiment with the temperature of the water to determine whether flowers last longer in warmer or colder water. Fill two or three vases with water of differing temperatures. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. Put a few flowers in each of the vases, and monitor the flowers for wilting. Try to keep the water temperatures constant for best results.
Flower Considerations
- When choosing flowers for your experiments, select the same type of flower for each vase. For example, don't use a carnation in one vase and a rose in the other. Choose flowers from the same source, so all flowers will be equally fresh. Always cut the stem of the flower at a 45-degree angle right before placing it in the water. This provides the best access to the water for the flower to drink. If you do not cut the flower just prior to putting it in the water, an air bubble can block the flower from being able to drink the water.

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