Do The Flower Stems Need To Be Re-Cut

YES!!!!!! Always recut the stems.The answer to this question is clear: yes all stems have to be recut!!!! There are 3 major reasons why this should be done: 1:If a stem is cut from the mother plant, the wound at the stem end will start to seal up, just like the sealing wound on the human skin,this has a major negative effect on the flower as water uptake will be reduced or even completely blocked! 2:Bacteria are often present in the lower part(2.5cm) of the stem.Due to the size of the micro-organisms, they are unable to pass and move higher into the stem, so by removing the lower end of the stem with a sharp knife/secateurs the micro-organisms will be removed. 3:Air bubbles in the flower stem will obstruct the vascular system, strongly reducing the water uptake,finally resulting in bad vase life. By recutting the stem the air bubbles will be released. Tools for Recutting the stems It is essential to recut the stems if the flowers have been out of water for more than 30 minutes. These are some of the tools that can be used. * Kitchen knife * Florist knife * A pair of scissors *� Secateurs The two most important issues are: * The knife or secateurs or other cutting device should be sharp. You can check this very easily. If you put the knife on your fingernail it should not slide away,another method is to see if it easily cuts a sheet of paper. A sharp knife is important, since dull blades will crush the flower stems,which will result in more damage and leaking cells that stimulate the micro-organisms growth and ulimately result in premature wilting of the flowers. * The knife or secateurs should be clean. Tools polluted by micro-orgabisms will infect the stems and subsequently the next vase solution immediately, thus affecting vase life performance. How Do I Clean My Cutting Tools? It is important to regularly clean your cutting tools with bleach or wahing up liquid. This should be done every time. �