On Tue, 9 Aug 2011 14:09:26 +0100, "john thompson"
wrote:

Sometimes shortly after being placed in a glass vase, some cut flowers turn
the water very milky looking.

Is there any chemical that will stop this happening, without damaging the
flowers?

Flowers such as poppies, euphorbia, some dahlias and hollyhocks
release a milky sap - a form of latex - when cut (this is usually an
irritant so best not to let it get on your skin). The usual treatment
is to seal the stems before putting them in a vase. Cut the stem and
then immediately hold the cut end in the flame of a candle or
cigarette lighter or dunk it into boiling water for a few seconds to
seal it. I prefer the candle option as there's no risk of sap dripping
onto my hand (lighter) or messing up a saucepan (boiling water).

(This treatment will not shorten the life of the blooms in water - the
latex would stop them from absorbing water through the cut ends if
left "untreated".)

Cheers
Jake
==============================================
Gardening at the dry end (east) of Swansea Bay
in between reading anything by JRR Tolkien.

www.rivendell.org.uk